Abstract
We have isolated the first mosquito member of the TGF-β superfamily, As60A. As60A is a single copy gene, ∼5 kb in length and encodes eight exons. Here we report the isolation and characterization of two of four transcripts produced from this gene. The transcripts As60A1 and As60A2 encode related 5'UTR/exon 1 sequences. As60A is most similar to the 60A genes from Drosophila and is thus a member of the Dpp/BMP subfamily of the TGF-β superfamily. The splice junction of intron 2 is conserved among As60A, BMP2, BMP4, Tc-Dpp, Bm-tgh-1, TGF-β1 and Dpp. Intron 2 also contains three putative binding sites for a Dorsal/Gambif1 transcription factor. The large number of introns and the conservation of intron 2 indicate that As60A is relatively ancient compared to the other arthropod TGF-β genes. We also propose that As60A plays a role in the mosquito immune response to Plasmodium infection.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 65-74 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Cytokine |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 21 2001 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- 60A
- Arthropod
- Malaria
- Mosquito
- TGF-β
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Endocrinology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunology
- Immunology and Allergy