Linked Life Data

21062865

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/21062865

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
23
pubmed:dateCreated
2010-11-10
pubmed:abstractText
The pigmentation of insects has served as an excellent model for the study of morphological trait evolution and developmental biology. The melanism (mln) mutant of the silkworm Bombyx mori is notable for its strong black coloration, phenotypic differences between larval and adult stages, and its widespread use in strain selection. Here, we report the genetic and molecular bases for the formation of the mln morphological trait. Fine mapping revealed that an arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) gene co-segregates with the black coloration patterns. Coding sequence variations and expression profiles of AANAT are also associated with the melanic phenotypes. A 126 bp deletion in the mln genome causes two alternatively spliced transcripts with premature terminations. An enzymatic assay demonstrated the absolute loss of AANAT activity in the mutant proteins. We also performed RNA interference of AANAT in wild-type pupae and observed a significant proportion of adults with ectopic black coloration. These findings indicate that functional deletion of this AANAT gene accounts for the mln mutation in silkworm. AANAT is also involved in a parallel melanin synthesis pathway in which ebony plays a role, whereas no pigmentation defect has been reported in the Drosophila model or in other insects to date. To the best of our knowledge, the mln mutation is the first characterized mutant phenotype of insects with AANAT, and this result contributes to our understanding of dopamine metabolism and melanin pattern polymorphisms.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Dec
pubmed:issn
1477-9129
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
137
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
4083-90
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2010
pubmed:articleTitle
Disruption of an N-acetyltransferase gene in the silkworm reveals a novel role in pigmentation.
pubmed:affiliation
Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't