Abstract
The discovery of an homolog of the human centromeric protein B, CENP-B, in an EST database of the holocentric insect species Spodoptera frugiperda prompted us to further characterize that gene because i) CENP-B has not been described in invertebrates yet ii) it should be a milestone in the molecular characterization of the holocentric centromere of Lepidoptera. Like its human counterpart, the Sf CENP-B protein is related to the transposase of the pogo transposable element (TE) of D. melanogaster. In this paper, we show evidences that the lepidopteran cenpB gene has evolved from domestication of a transposase. Furthermore, the Sf CENP-B nuclear location and its ability to bind to a retrotransposon derived sequence in vivo argue in favor of a functional homology to CENP-B proteins.
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Animals
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Base Sequence
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Centromere / genetics
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Centromere Protein B / genetics*
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Centromere Protein B / metabolism
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Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
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Cloning, Molecular
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Codon
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DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
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DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
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Down-Regulation
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Female
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Genome, Insect*
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Insect Proteins / genetics*
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Insect Proteins / metabolism
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Male
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Plasmids
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RNA, Messenger / genetics
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RNA, Messenger / metabolism
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RNA, Small Interfering / genetics
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RNA, Small Interfering / metabolism
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Retroelements / genetics
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Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Sequence Analysis, DNA
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Spodoptera / genetics*
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Transposases / genetics
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Transposases / metabolism
Substances
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Centromere Protein B
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Codon
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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Insect Proteins
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RNA, Messenger
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RNA, Small Interfering
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Retroelements
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Transposases