Cloning and characterization of ecdysone receptor and ultraspiracle cDNAs from Spodoptera litura

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2005 Apr:1040:417-9. doi: 10.1196/annals.1327.078.

Abstract

The insect molting hormone, ecdysone, induces a series of events critical for ecdysis, beginning with the formation of a complex between ecdysteroid receptor (EcR) and its partner protein, ultraspiracle (Usp). In the present study, we cloned cDNAs encoding EcR and Usp by RT-PCR and 5'-/3'-RACE from the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura, a destructive agricultural pest insect in East Asia. Hexahistidine-tagged recombinant EcR and Usp of S. litura were expressed in E. coli, and the proteins, after refolding, exhibited the specific binding to an ecdysone analogue in vitro.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cloning, Molecular / methods*
  • DNA, Complementary / chemistry
  • DNA, Complementary / isolation & purification*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / chemistry
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Drosophila melanogaster
  • Insect Proteins / chemistry
  • Insect Proteins / genetics*
  • Receptors, Steroid / chemistry*
  • Receptors, Steroid / genetics*
  • Spodoptera / chemistry
  • Spodoptera / genetics*
  • Transcription Factors / chemistry
  • Transcription Factors / genetics*

Substances

  • DNA, Complementary
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Insect Proteins
  • Receptors, Steroid
  • Transcription Factors
  • USP protein, Drosophila
  • ecdysone receptor