Cloning of two cDNAs encoding isoforms of a pacifastin-related precursor polypeptide in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria: analysis of stage- and tissue-dependent expression.

A novel serine protease inhibitor peptide family, designated as the 'pacifastin family', has recently been described in insects (locusts, lepidopterans) and crustaceans (crayfish). This study presents the cDNA cloning of two isoforms of SGPP-3, a novel pacifastin-related precursor in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, which codes for three putative inhibitor peptides. The precursor isoforms differ at a single amino acid position in the third, C-terminal peptide. Northern blot analysis confirmed the presence of two different transcripts (0.75 and 0.90 kb). Both transcripts are most abundant in the fat body and appear to be strongly regulated during the moulting cycle. In addition, the amount of transcript proved to be strictly regulated in the ovaries during the female reproductive cycle.