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Abstract

The estrogen receptor-related receptors (ERRs) are a group of nuclear receptors that were originally identified on the basis of sequence similarity to estrogen receptors. The three mammalian ERR genes have been implicated in diverse physiological processes ranging from placental development to maintenance of bone density, but the function and regulation of ERRs in invertebrates are not well understood. A homologue of human ERR was isolated from the cricket Teleogryllus emma (Ohmachi and Matsumura) (Orthoptera: Gryllidae). The full-length cDNA of T. emma ERR, termed TeERR, has 1618 base pair (bp) and contains a 5’-untranslated region of 140 bp and a 3’-untranslated region of 272 bp. The open reading frame of TeERR encodes a deduced 401 amino acid peptide with a predicted molecular mass of 45.75 kilodaltons. The results of sequence alignments indicate that the TeERR protein shares an overall identity of 65%-82% with other known ERR homologues, and is most closely related to that of Nasonia vitripennis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and Apis mellifera (Apidae). Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed to compare the TeERR mRNA expression level at the whole body and gonad during T. emma development. The data revealed that TeERR mRNA is differentially expressed during T. emma development, with the highest expression level in embryos and the lowest in the body of late-instar larvae. The levels of TeERR transcripts also varied throughout gonad development; interestingly testicles had higher higher expression levels than ovaries at every development stage. These results suggest that TeERR has potential significance in the regulation of development in T. emma, due to its expression during different developmental periods.

Keywords: cDNA cloning; developmental expression
Abbreviation: ER, estrogen receptors; ERR, estrogen receptor-related receptors; TeERR, Teleogryllus emma estrogen receptor-related receptors

Correspondence: ^*xigengsi@snnu.edu.cn
Associate Editor: Zhijian Jake Tu was editor of this paper.

Received: 25 October 2009 | Accepted: 21 July 2010 | Published: 1 November 2010

Copyright: This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.  

ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 10, Number 188

He H, Xi G, Lu X. 2010. Molecular cloning, characterization, and expression analysis of an estrogen receptor-related receptor homologue in the cricket, Teleogryllus emma. Journal of Insect Science 10:188, available online: insectscience.org/10.188