Research article

A eukaryotic initiation factor 5C is upregulated during metamorphosis in the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera

Du-Juan Dong , Jin-Xing Wang and Xiao-Fan Zhao

The Key Laboratory of Plant Cell Engineering and Germplasm Innovation of Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, Shandong, PR China

author email corresponding author email

BMC Developmental Biology 2009, 9:19doi:10.1186/1471-213X-9-19

Published:	8 March 2009

Abstract

Background

The orthologs of eukaryotic initiation factor 5C (eIF5C) are essential to the initiation of protein translation, and their regulation during development is not well known.

Results

A cDNA encoding a polypeptide of 419 amino acids containing an N-terminal leucine zipper motif and a C-terminal eIF5C domain was cloned from metamorphic larvae of Helicoverpa armigera. It was subsequently named Ha-eIF5C. Quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR) revealed a high expression of the mRNA of Ha-eIF5C in the head-thorax, integument, midgut, and fat body during metamorphosis. Immunohistochemistry suggested that Ha-eIF5C was distributed into both the cytoplasm and the nucleus in the midgut, fat body and integument. Ha-eIF5C expression was upregulated by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Furthermore, the transcription of Ha-eIF5C was down regulated after silencing of ecdysteroid receptor (EcR) or Ultraspiracle protein (USP) by RNAi.

Conclusion

These results suggested that during metamorphosis of the cotton bollworm, Ha-eIF5C was upregulated by 20E through the EcR and USP transcription factors.