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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Systemic Bacterial Infection and Immune Defense Phenotypes in Drosophila Melanogaster
Published on: May 13, 2015
Trichoplusia ni attacin A, a differentially displayed insect gene coding for an antibacterial protein
D Kang1, A Lundström, H Steiner
1Department of Microbiology, Stockholm University, Sweden.
Abstract:
The mRNA differential display method was used to isolate antibacterial defense genes from Trichoplusia ni. The mRNA population in last-instar T. ni larvae injected with bacteria was compared to that of untreated larvae. Using a PCR amplified probe corresponding to an induced mRNA, we were able to clone an attacin homolog from a lambda cDNA library from vaccinated larvae. The corresponding protein showed 63% identity to Hyalophora cecropia acidic attacin. The induction kinetics of T. ni attacin A gave optimal mRNA levels at 20 h post-infection. Genomic analysis showed this to be a single-copy gene with two introns.
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