Previous report showed that the 209 bp DNA sequence upstream of the sericin 1 transcriptional start site (-586 to -378 bp) is involved in promoting transcription and responsible for the tissue specificity of sericin 1 promoter in silkworm Bombyx mori. In the present study,this 209 bp sequence exhibited enhancive effect by assembling in two different locations of ubiquitous Bombyx A3 cytoplasmic actin promoter. Sf-9 cells were transfected with recombinant plasmids using Cellfectin reagent. Firefly luciferase gene located downstream of fusion promoter was considered as a reporter,whereas the activity of the co-transfected Renilla luciferase gene (pGL2-SV40) provides an internal control. This 209 bp region up-regulates the strength of A3 promoter significantly (P < 0.01) when it enters into A3 promoter with respect to the position in sericin 1 gene promoter. This 209-bp fragment was almost functionless when being located upstream of A3 promoter.
通过PCR方法获得家蚕核型多角体病毒(Bombyx mori nuclearpolyhedrosis virus,BmNPV)的蜕皮甾体尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖基转移酶基因(egt)片段,序列分析表明该片段带有EGT的完整ORF,推测的多肽可形成EGT结构域的高级结构。为了研究egt的起源,利用家蚕基因组数据库,电子克隆了多个家蚕尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖醛酸转移酶(UGT)基因,在此基础上进行了进化分析,表明BmNPV的EGT为antennal-enriched型UGT;推测核型多角体病毒(nucleopolyhedrivirus,NPV)和颗粒体病毒(granulovirus,GV)的egt基因在进化上来源于昆虫的UGT基因,但GV的egt基因在进化上的起源可能要早于NPV的egt基因;可能在昆虫祖先种进化形成不同昆虫目的某一时期,杆状病毒的祖先种从昆虫中获得了antennal-enriched型UGT基因,并进化为egt基因。家蚕的部分UGT基因与转座子元件连锁的基因组结构特点反映了杆状病毒的egt基因可能通过转座子的传递而获得。
