1 research outputs found
Cloning and expression pattern of the ecdysone receptor and retinoid X receptor from the centipede Lithobius peregrinus (Chilopoda, Lithobiomorpha)
In arthropods, molting events are mediated by the binding of the ecdysone hormone to a heterodimer of
two nuclear receptors: the ecdysone receptor (EcR) and the retinoid X receptor (RXR), a homolog of ultraspiracle
(USP). We have cloned partial sequences of several isoforms for EcR and RXR genes from the
centipede Lithobius peregrinus, and studied their expression profile during the second post-embryonic
stage. LpEcR and LpRXR inferred amino acid sequences are very similar to other arthropod orthologs, especially
to those of chelicerates and hemimetabolous insects, and their expression levels are significantly
higher during the 48 h that precede the molt. Results obtained in this study represent the first data on
the genetic basis of the ecdysone signal pathway for a myriapod, and in particular for an animal that,
through a stereotyped developmental schedule paced by the molt cycle, completes trunk segmentation
during post-embryonic life