黄粉虫不同抗冻蛋白基因家族成员的低温应激表达

Gene expression of different antifreeze proteins of Tenebrio molitor in response to cold acclimation

黄粉虫Tenebrio molitor L.抗冻蛋白基因家族有多个成员,其氨基酸数量和蛋白结构存在差异。尽管有报道发现冷驯化后这些抗冻蛋白的表达量会升高,但不同家族成员是否存在功能分化尚不清楚。本研究中,检测了冷驯化对低温死亡率的效应和对不同类型的抗冻蛋白家族成员基因表达量的影响。结果表明,冷驯化可以显著降低黄粉虫幼虫的低温死亡率和提高不同类型抗冻蛋白基因的表达量。其中,长的抗冻蛋白和低温死亡率的相关关系最为明显。说明不同的抗冻蛋白家族成员的功能有明显的分化,为进一步理解抗冻蛋白的活性和利用抗冻蛋白提供了新的认识。

The Tenebrio molitor L. antifreeze protein gene family has multiple members which differ in the number of amino acids and protein structure. The mRNA level of antifreeze proteins is enhanced by cold conditions but functional differentiation of different members of this family is not clear. In this study, we examined the effects of mortality from cold exposure on the gene expression of different types of antifreeze protein members in the family. The results show that cold acclimation can significantly reduce larval mortality and improve expression of the antifreeze protein gene. The longest antifreeze protein is most important to low-temperature-related mortality. This result indicates that the function of different antifreeze protein family members differs and provides new insights for the use of antifreeze proteins and antifreeze protein activity.