Molecular cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a novel cuticle protein from the Chinese oak Silkmoth,...

In our research to identify gene involved in the cuticle protein, we cloned a novel cuticle protein gene, ApCP13, from the Chinese oak silkmoth, Antheraea pernyi, larvae cDNA library. The ApCP13 gene encodes a 120 amino acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 13 kDa and a pI of 4.01, and is intron-less gene. The ApCP13 contained a type-specific consensus sequence identifiable in other insect cuticle proteins and the deduced amino acid sequence of the ApCP13 cDNA is most homologous to another wild silkmoth, A. yamamai CP12 (86% protein sequence identity), followed by Bombyx mori LCP18 (35% protein sequence identity). Northern blot analysis revealed that the ApCP13 showed the epidermis-specific expression. This is the first report of cuticle protein gene in the wild silkmoth, A. pernyi.