Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1983135 | Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | 2006 | 11 Pages |
Abstract
Serine proteases play an important role in activation of prophenoloxidase (proPO), a critical enzyme in the production of melanin. We tested the effect of knockdown of gene expression for five clip domain serine proteases on melanization of abiotic targets in Anopheles gambiae. Knockdown of CLIPB4 resulted in a striking lack of melanization of Sephadex beads while knockdown of CLIPB8 caused a strong shift towards incompletely melanized beads. Knockdown of CLIPB1, B9 and B10 had lesser effects. CLIPB4 and CLIPB8 are strong candidates for activating enzymes in the proPO enzymatic cascade.
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Authors
Susan M. Paskewitz, Olga Andreev, Lei Shi,