Identification and Functional Analysis of Two Chitin Synthase Genes in the Common Cutworm, Spodoptera litura.

ABSTRACT: Chitin is one the main components of the insect cuticle, and chitin synthase (CHS) is an important enzyme required for chitin formation. CHS has been characterized in various insect species, but the structure and biochemical properties in Spodoptera litura have not been determined. In this study, we identified two CHS genes, SlCHS1 and SlCHS2, which encode proteins with 1565 and 1520 amino acid residues, respectively. Transcriptional analysis suggested that SlCHS1 has a high expression level in the integument whereas SlCHS2 showed the highest expression level in the midgut. During S. litura growth and development, SlCHS1 and SlCHS2 were both predominantly expressed in the fourth-instar larval stage. In addition, the expression

SUBMITTER: Yu HZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7240487 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature