2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Molecular identification and characterization of sperm maturation factors in lepidopteran insect.
| Project/Area Number |
20580052
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Applied entomology
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| Research Institution | Kyoto Institute of Technology |
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Principal Investigator |
NAGAOKA Sumiharu Kyoto Institute of Technology, 工芸科学研究科, 助教 (00303933)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
SHIRAI Kohji 信州大学, 繊維学部, 准教授 (00293499)
YAMAMOTO Kohji 九州大学, 農学研究科, 助教 (00346834)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2008 – 2010
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| Keywords | 昆虫 / 酵素 / 生理活性 / 発生・分化 / プロテオーム |
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| Research Abstract |
Molecular activation mechanisms of sperm maturation in insects have been studied mainly in the Lepidoptera. In the male silkworm, Bombyx mori, secretions of the prostatic gland which contain trypsin like a serine-type endopeptidase called initiatorin, trigger a cascade reaction that leads to induction of sperm maturation. Here, we identified initiatorin and showed that it efficiently cleaves fluorogenic peptides with a dibasic sequence. Similar processes of endopeptidase-triggered initiation of motility were found in Cephonodes hylas. Moreover, we provide evidence that the action of arginase (AG), nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and di-peptidylpeptidase (angiotensin converting enzyme, ACE) mediates a step for Bombyx sperm maturation.
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