Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1983 Feb;80(4):1043–1047. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.4.1043

Silkmoth chorion multigene families constitute a superfamily: comparison of C and B family sequences.

J C Regier, F C Kafatos, S J Hamodrakas
PMCID: PMC393524  PMID: 6573656

Abstract

We have characterized a new family of silkmoth chorion genes, called C, which is distinct from previously characterized A and B families. The amino acid compositions of 18 purified C proteins have been determined. Three subgroups are recognized on the basis of compositional similarities and may correspond to distinct gene families or subfamilies. The sequences of two overlapping cDNA clones have been determined in their entirety and shown to correspond to a C-specific sequence. Obvious homology is observed between the middle portions of the C sequence and previously characterized B sequences. By contrast, the arms of the C sequence share no significant similarities either with each other or with the corresponding arms of B sequences. Thus, the same tripartite structure originally observed in A and B family sequences is also present in the C family and may have functional significance. Secondary structure prediction of the C sequence is presented and supports this conclusion. The observed homology between C and B family sequences clearly establishes that silkmoth chorion multigene families constitute a superfamily.

Full text

PDF
1043

Images in this article

1044Image
on p.1044

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Gelinas R. E., Kafatos F. C. The control of chorion protein synthesis in silkmoths: mRNA production parallels protein synthesis. Dev Biol. 1977 Jan;55(1):179–190. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(77)90329-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Goldsmith M. R., Rattner E. C., Koehler M. M., Balikov S. R., Bock S. C. Two-dimensional electrophoresis of small-molecular-weight proteins. Anal Biochem. 1979 Oct 15;99(1):33–40. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(79)90041-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Grunstein M., Wallis J. Colony hybridization. Methods Enzymol. 1979;68:379–389. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(79)68027-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hamodrakas S. J., Asher S. A., Mazur G. D., Regier J. C., Kafatos F. C. Laser Raman studies of protein conformation in the silkmoth chorion. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1982 May 3;703(2):216–222. doi: 10.1016/0167-4838(82)90051-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Jones C. W., Kafatos F. C. Structure, organization and evolution of developmentally regulated chorion genes in a silkmoth. Cell. 1980 Dec;22(3):855–867. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(80)90562-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jones C. W., Rosenthal N., Rodakis G. C., Kafatos F. C. Evolution of two major chorion multigene families as inferred from cloned cDNA and protein sequences. Cell. 1979 Dec;18(4):1317–1332. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(79)90242-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kafatos F. C., Jones C. W., Efstratiadis A. Determination of nucleic acid sequence homologies and relative concentrations by a dot hybridization procedure. Nucleic Acids Res. 1979 Nov 24;7(6):1541–1552. doi: 10.1093/nar/7.6.1541. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Maxam A. M., Gilbert W. A new method for sequencing DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Feb;74(2):560–564. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.2.560. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mazur G. D., Regier J. C., Kafatos F. C. The silkmoth chorion: morphogenesis of surface structures and its relation to synthesis of specific proteins. Dev Biol. 1980 May;76(2):305–321. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(80)90381-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. O'Farrell P. H. High resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis of proteins. J Biol Chem. 1975 May 25;250(10):4007–4021. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Paul M., Goldsmith M. R., Hunsley J. R., Kafatos F. C. Specific protein synthesis in cellular differentiation. Production of eggshell proteins by silkmoth follicular cells. J Cell Biol. 1972 Dec;55(3):653–680. doi: 10.1083/jcb.55.3.653. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Paul M., Kafaots F. C. Specific protein synthesis in cellular differentiation. II. The program of protein synthetic changes during chorion formation by slikmoth follicles, and its implementation in organ culture. Dev Biol. 1975 Jan;42(1):141–159. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(75)90320-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Regier J. C., Kafatos F. C., Goodfliesh R., Hood L. Silkmoth chorion proteins: sequence analysis of the products of a multigene family. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Jan;75(1):390–394. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.1.390. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Regier J. C., Kafatos F. C., Kramer K. J., Heinrikson R. L., Keim P. S. Silkmoth chorion proteins. Their diversity, amino acid composition, and the NH-terminal sequence of one component. J Biol Chem. 1978 Feb 25;253(4):1305–1314. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Regier J. C., Mazur G. D., Kafatos F. C., Paul M. Morphogenesis of silkmoth chorion: initial framework formation and its relation to synthesis of specific proteins. Dev Biol. 1982 Jul;92(1):159–174. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(82)90160-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Regier J. C., Mazur G. D., Kafatos F. C. The silkmoth chorion: morphological and biochemical characterization of four surface regions. Dev Biol. 1980 May;76(2):286–304. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(80)90380-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rodakis G. C., Kafatos F. C. Origin of evolutionary novelty in proteins: how a high-cysteine chorion protein has evolved. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Jun;79(11):3551–3555. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.11.3551. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rodakis G. C., Moschonas N. K., Kafatos F. C. Evolution of a multigene family of chorion proteins in silkmoths. Mol Cell Biol. 1982 May;2(5):554–563. doi: 10.1128/mcb.2.5.554. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sim G. K., Kafatos F. C., Jones C. W., Koehler M. D., Efstratiadis A., Maniatis T. Use of a cDNA library for studies on evolution and developmental expression of the chorion multigene families. Cell. 1979 Dec;18(4):1303–1316. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(79)90241-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Thireos G., Griffin-Shea R., Kafatos F. C. Untranslated mRNA for a chorion protein of Drosophila melanogaster accumulates transiently at the onset of specific gene amplification. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Oct;77(10):5789–5793. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.10.5789. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Thireos G., Kafatos F. C. Cell-free translation of silkmoth chorion mRNAs: identification of protein precursors and characterization of cloned DNAs by hybrid-selected translation. Dev Biol. 1980 Jul;78(1):36–46. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(80)90316-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Tsitilou S. G., Regier J. C., Kafatos F. C. Selection and sequence analysis of a cDNA clone encoding a known chorion protein of the A family. Nucleic Acids Res. 1980 May 10;8(9):1987–1997. doi: 10.1093/nar/8.9.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES