The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor family in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum
1Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
2School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, 301 Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, P. R. China
Abstract
The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins play essential roles in a wide range of developmental processes in higher organisms. bHLH family members have been identified in over 20 organisms, including fruit fly, zebrafish, and human. This study identified 54 bHLH family members in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), genome. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that they belong to 37 bHLH families with 21, 13, 9, 1, 9, and 1 members in group A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively. Through in-group phylogenetic analyses, all of the identified A. pisum bHLH members were assigned into their correspondent bHLH families with confidence, among which 51 were defined according to phylogenetic analyses with orthologs from Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae), and 3 of them were defined according to phylogenetic analyses with orthologs from Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Analyses on genomic coding regions revealed that the number and average length of introns in A. pisum bHLH motifs are higher than those in other insects. The present study provides useful background information for future studies on structure and function of bHLH proteins in the regulation of A. pisum development.
Keywords: blast search, orthologous family, phylogenetic analysis
Abbreviations:: Ap, Acyrthosiphon pisum; Am, Apis mellifera; Bm, Bombyx mori; Tc, Tribolium castaneum
Correspondence:
a chunwang521123@163.com,
b* ywang@ujs.edu.cn,
c kpchen@ujs.edu.cn,
d yaoqin@ujs.edu.cn,
e ff_1113a@126.com,
f guomin20042008@126.com, *Corresponding author
Received: 25 November 2010 | Accepted: 20 December 2010 | Published: 7 July 2011
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 11, Number 84
Dang C-W, Wang Y, Chen K-P, Yao Q, Zhang D-B, Guo M. 2011. The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor family in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. Journal of Insect Science 11:84 available online: insectscience.org/11.84
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