Full Length Research Paper

Identification and characterization of Bms3a in Bombyx mori L.

Xu Jia-Ping¹, Chen Ke-Ping²*, Liu Ming-Hui³, Yao Qin², Gao Gui-Tian² and Zhao Yuan²

¹Department of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultrual University, 130# Changjiang western Road, Hefei, 230036, P.R. China.

²Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China.

³Institute of Sericulture, Anhui Academy of Agricult1ural Sciences, Hefei 230061, P. R. China.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: kpchen@ujs.edu.cn.

Accepted 15 August, 2008

Using fluorescent differential display (FDD) technique, we analyzed the differential expression of genes related to BmNPV resistance in highly resistant silkworm strain NB, highly susceptible silkworm strain 306 and near isogenic line 306NNZZ. Based on the differential display bands, a 609 bp fragment named C18₆₀₉ was cloned and confirmed by Northern blot hybridization. The sequence was then electric extended by identified in NCBI ESTs. A novel gene was characterized and revealed to encode a putative BmS3a protein. Becasue it has high homology to some insect S3a protein, it was named s3a. S3a protein have been known to play crucial roles in protein synthesis, and is related to apoptosis. It is differentially expressed in silkworm high resistance strain, high susceptible strain and BmNPV treated silkworms. Therefore, it is conceivable that BmS3a is involved in silkworm BmNPV resistance.

Key words:  BmNPV, Resistance, Bms3a, fluorescent differential display.