Expressional Localization and Functionally Identifying an RNA Editing Enzyme BmADARa of the Silkworm .

The most common type of RNA editing in metazoans is the deamination of adenosine into inosine (A-to-I) catalyzed by the adenosine deaminase acting on the RNA (ADAR) family of proteins. The deletion or dysfunction of ADAR enzymes in higher eukaryotes can affect the efficiency of substrate editing and cause neurological disorders. However, the information concerning A-to-I RNA editing and ADAR members in the silkworm, (BmADAR), is limited. In this study, a first molecular comprehensive cloning and sequence analysis of transcripts was presented. A complete open reading frame (ORF) () was obtained using RT-PCR and RACE and its expression pattern, subcellular localization and A-to-I RNA-editing function on the silkworm () were investigated. Subcellular localization analysis observed that was mainly localized in the nucleus. To further study the A-to-I RNA-editing function of , BmSyt I-pIZ-EGFP was constructed and co-transfected with BmADARa-pIZ-EGFP into BmN cells. The result demonstrates that BmADARa can functionally edit the specific site of Taken together, this study not only provides insight into the function of the first ADAR enzyme in , but also lays foundations for further exploration of the functional domain of BmADARa and its editing substrates and target sites.