Identification of differentially expressed genes from adult cockroach females exhibiting maternal care behavior

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• 作者：Yung Chul Park ; Jung-Sun Yoo ; Sung-Soo Jun ; Tae-Houn Kim ; Jong Kuk Kim ; Jae Chun Choe ; Ho Bang Kim
• 关键词：Differentially expressed gene ; Caring gene ; Cryptocercus ; Apolipophorin-III ; Maternal care
• 刊名：Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology
• 出版年：2012
• 出版时间：September, 2012
• 年：2012
• 卷：15
• 期：3
• 页码：343-348
• 全文大小：486 K

文摘

Recent challenges in the study of animal behavior are to detect genes related to behavior and how the genes exert their influence on morphological and behavioral plasticity, particularly as related to the mechanism of insect sociability. In this study, we discovered genes related to parental care behavior in social insects. Woodroaches of the genus Cryptocercus provide nutritious materials and symbiotic protists via proctodeal feeding to their young during early developmental stages. Thus, they are a good model species for discovering genes related to parental care behavior. We screened eight differentially expressed genes (DEG1-DEG8) from adult Cryptocercus females exhibiting maternal care behavior. Of the proteins translated from the screened genes, DEG7 showed high homology to apolipophorin-III-like proteins. Analysis of diverse molecular features revealed that DEG7 was a partial clone encoding apoLp-III, which plays essential roles in hemolymph-lipid transport processes in insects. Isolation of full-length cDNAs for the DEGs identified in this study would be very helpful for a functional annotation of the individual genes and further understanding of maternal care behavior at the molecular level in the future.