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Molecular cloning and characterization of a metal responsive Aedes aegypti intestinal mucin cDNA
A Rayms-Keller1, M McGaw, C Oray
1Arthropod-borne & Infectious Disease Laboratory, Center for Environmental Toxicology & Technology, Department of Microbiology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. arayms@lamar.colostate.edu
Abstract:
We have isolated a cDNA from Aedes aegypti that is transcribed in the larval midgut in response to metal exposure, and in the adult female midgut in response to iron or cadmium exposure, or a blood meal. The cDNA encodes a protein, designated Aedes aegypti intestinal mucin 1 (AEIMUC1), which has similarities with invertebrate intestinal mucins and peritrophins, and vertebrate mucins. Proline, serine and threonine comprise 30% of the amino acid composition of AEIMUC1, a characteristic of mucins. AEIMUC1 contains three cysteine-rich domains, two of which flank a proline/serine/threonine-rich domain, a feature shared by many mucin genes. This is the first report on the isolation of a metal-responsive gene from an aquatic insect.