Sequence of a cDNA and expression of the gene encoding a putative epidermal chitin synthase of Manduca sexta

Chitin metabolism in insects: structure, function and regulation of chitin synthases and chitinases

“…Meanwhile, progress has been made in investigating insect chitin synthases due to the availability of an increasing number of gene and cDNA sequences deposited in sequence databases or published within the past three years, although final proof that the deduced proteins synthesize chitin is pending (Ibrahim et al, 2000;Tellam et al, 2000;Gagou et al, 2002;Zhu et al, 2002).…”

“…Genome sequencing projects have shown that Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila and Anopheles gambiae possess two different CHS genes, and recently cDNA sequencing or genomic Southern blotting also provided evidence for two gene copies in Lucilia, Manduca and Tribolium (Gagou et al, 2002;Tellam et al, 2000;Zhu et al, 2002;Zimoch and Merzendorfer, 2002; Y. Arakane, D. Hogenkamp, Y. C. Thu, C. A. Specht, R. W. Beeman, K. J. Kramer, M. Kanost and S. Muthukrishnan, unpublished results). Comparison of amino acid sequences from fungal, nematode and insect chitin synthases has revealed that insect enzymes are more closely related to those of nematodes than those of fungi.…”

Identification of Chitin in the Prismatic Layer of the Shell and a Chitin Synthase Gene from the Japanese Pearl Oyster,Pinctada fucata

“…Sequences from QxFEY to QRRRW in the catalytic domain were aligned to generate the tree. BmCHS1, 40) CaCHS1, 41) DiCHS1, 42) LcCHS1, 17) MsCHS1, 43) and TcCHS1 35) are chitin synthases from Brugia malayi, Candida albicans, Dirofilaria immitis, Lucilia cuprina, Manduca Sexta, and Tribolium castaneum respectively. amino acids (11.6%) as compared with the rest of the sequence.…”

Heterologous Expression of an Entamoeba histolytica Chitin Synthase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

“…Second, there was strong support for a clade containing Entamoeba CHS-2 and insect and nematode Chs. Like insect and nematode Chs, EhCHS-2 contains numerous TMHs (17 in total) on both sides of the catalytic domain as well as a conserved octapeptide (CATMYHET) that is N terminal to the catalytic domain (7,25). Third, the relationship of Entamoeba CHS-1 to other Chs was not resolved in this analysis, suggesting that EhCHS-1 is unique.…”