Functional analysis of small GTP binding protein (Rab) in the insect brain

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26450468
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Insect science
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: UNO TOMOHIDE 神戸大学, 農学研究科, 教授 (80240852)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: Bombyx mori / rab / insect / brain / histochemistry / bombyxin

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Rab proteins are small monomeric GTPases/GTP- binding proteins and form the largest branch of Ras super-family. RabX4 and RabX6 are an insect-specific Rab proteins that have no close homolog in vertebrates. RabX4-like immunohistochemical reactivity (RabX4-ir) was restricted to neurons of the pars intercerebralis and dorsolateral protocerebrum in the brain. Corpus allatum is a neuronal organ to secrete neuropeptides synthesized in the brain into the hemolymph. In corpus allatum, RabX4-ir was co-localized with the Rab6-ir. RabX6-like immunohistochemical reactivity (RabX6-ir) was identified at the face of the testis, not in the spermatogonia, and was specifically detected at a pair of tritocerebral cells of the male brain. Furthermore, RNA interference of RabX6 was shown to decrease testicular growth. Double staining analysis of Rabs and insulin-like peptide, bombyxin indicate that 4 Rabs-ir are overlapped with bombyxin-ir in the brain and corpus allatumn of Bombyx mori.

Free Research Field

昆虫生化学