Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Cells and Developmental Biology, School of Life Science, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
Arch Insect Biochem Physiol. 2011 Jun;77(2):58-71. doi: 10.1002/arch.20421. Epub 2011 Mar 3.
20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E) is an important hormone that regulates the development of insects. Although previous evidence revealed that 20E promotes innate immunity in insects, the mechanism involved is still unclear. In this study, the HaBBP gene from Helicoverpa armigera is cloned, which contains BTB (broad-complex, tramtrack, and bric-a-brac), a BACK (BTB and carboxyl-terminus kelch repeats), and PHR (PAM, highwire, and RPM) domains. RT-PCR analysis of HaBBP and western blot analysis of HaBBP show that the mRNA and protein level are higher in the fat body and hemocytes during the molting and metamorphic stages compared with the feeding stage. HaBBP was upregulated by 20E in hemocytes. Knockdown of the 20E receptor EcR-B1 and the heterodimeric partner ultraspiracle protein USP1 in an epidermal cell line (HaEpi) blocked the transcription of HaBBP. HaBBP is distributed in granulocytes and plasmatocytes. Immune stimulation by Escherichia coli caused the upregulation of HaBBP in both hemocytes and fat body. Thus, HaBBP is regulated by the 20E signaling pathway, and is likely involved in the insect innate immunity.
20-羟蜕皮酮（20E）是一种重要的激素，调节昆虫的发育。尽管先前的证据表明 20E 促进昆虫的先天免疫，但涉及的机制尚不清楚。本研究从棉铃虫中克隆了 HaBBP 基因，该基因包含 BTB（宽复合物、tramtrack、和 bric-a-brac）、BACK（BTB 和羧基末端 kelch 重复）和 PHR（PAM、highwire 和 RPM）结构域。HaBBP 的 RT-PCR 分析和 HaBBP 的 Western blot 分析表明，在蜕皮和变态阶段，脂肪体和血细胞中的 mRNA 和蛋白水平高于摄食阶段。20E 在血细胞中上调 HaBBP。在表皮细胞系（HaEpi）中敲低 20E 受体 EcR-B1 和异二聚体伴侣 ultraspiracle 蛋白 USP1 阻断了 HaBBP 的转录。HaBBP 分布在粒细胞和浆细胞中。大肠杆菌引起的免疫刺激导致血细胞和脂肪体中 HaBBP 的上调。因此，HaBBP 受 20E 信号通路调控，可能参与昆虫先天免疫。
