A Halloween gene noppera-bo encodes a glutathione S-transferase essential for ecdysteroid biosynthesis via regulating the behaviour of cholesterol in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: In insects, the precise timing of moulting and metamorphosis is strictly guided by ecdysteroids that are synthesised from dietary cholesterol in the prothoracic gland (PG). In the past decade, several ecdysteroidogenic enzymes, some of which are encoded by the Halloween genes, have been identified and characterised. Here, we report a novel Halloween gene, noppera-bo (nobo), that encodes a member of the glutathione S-transferase family. nobo was identified as a gene that is predominantly expressed in the PG of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. We generated a nobo knock-out mutant, which displayed embryonic lethality and a naked cuticle structure. These phenotypes are typical for Halloween mutants showing embryonic ecdysteroid deficiency. In addition, the PG-specific nobo knock-down lar

SUBMITTER: Enya S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4192634 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature