Department of Entomology and the Institute for Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Oct 9;109(41):16576-81. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1214209109. Epub 2012 Sep 24.
Juvenile hormone (JH) governs a great diversity of processes in insect development and reproduction. It plays a critical role in controlling the gonadotrophic cycles of female mosquitoes by preparing tissues for blood digestion and egg development. Here, we show that in female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes JH III control of gene expression is mediated by a heterodimer of two bHLH-PAS proteins-the JH receptor methoprene-tolerant (MET) and Cycle (CYC, AAEL002049). We identified Aedes CYC as a MET-interacting protein using yeast two-hybrid screening. Binding of CYC and MET required the presence of JH III. In newly eclosed female mosquitoes, the expression of two JH-responsive genes, Kr-h1 and Hairy, was dependent on both the ratio of light to dark periods and JH III. Their expression was compromised by in vivo RNA interference (RNAi) depletions of CYC, MET, and the steroid receptor coactivator SRC/FISC. Moreover, JH III was not effective in induction of Kr-h1 and Hairy gene expression in vitro in fat bodies of female mosquitoes with RNAi-depleted CYC, MET or SRC/FISC. A sequence containing an E-box-like motif from the Aedes Kr-h1 gene promoter specifically interacted with a protein complex, which included MET and CYC from the female mosquito fat body nuclear extract. These results indicate that a MET/CYC heterodimer mediates JH III activation of Kr-h1 and Hairy genes in the context of light-dependent circadian regulation in female mosquitoes during posteclosion development. This study provides an important insight into the understanding of the molecular basis of JH action.
保幼激素 (JH) 调控着昆虫发育和繁殖过程中的多种过程。它通过为血液消化和卵子发育做准备来控制雌性蚊子的促性腺激素周期,在这一过程中发挥着关键作用。在这里,我们表明在雌性埃及伊蚊中,JH III 对基因表达的调控是由两种 bHLH-PAS 蛋白(保幼激素受体 methoprene-tolerant (MET) 和 Cycle (CYC, AAEL002049)的异二聚体介导的。我们使用酵母双杂交筛选鉴定了埃及伊蚊 CYC 是 MET 相互作用蛋白。CYC 和 MET 的结合需要 JH III 的存在。在新羽化的雌性蚊子中,两种 JH 反应基因 Kr-h1 和 Hairy 的表达依赖于光照和黑暗周期的比值以及 JH III。它们的表达因体内 RNA 干扰 (RNAi) 消耗 CYC、MET 和类固醇受体共激活因子 SRC/FISC 而受损。此外,在 CYC、MET 或 SRC/FISC RNAi 耗尽的雌性蚊子的脂肪体中,JH III 在体外对 Kr-h1 和 Hairy 基因表达的诱导无效。来自埃及伊蚊 Kr-h1 基因启动子的含有 E-box 样基序的序列与蛋白质复合物特异性相互作用,该复合物包括雌性蚊子脂肪体核提取物中的 MET 和 CYC。这些结果表明,MET/CYC 异二聚体介导了 JH III 在雌性蚊子 postecclosion 发育过程中光依赖的生物钟调节下对 Kr-h1 和 Hairy 基因的激活。这项研究为理解 JH 作用的分子基础提供了重要的见解。