Universität zu Köln

Jindra, Marek ORCID: 0000-0002-2196-9924, Uhlirova, Mirka ORCID: 0000-0002-5735-8287, Charles, Jean-Philippe, Smykal, Vlastimil and Hill, Ronald J. (2015). Genetic Evidence for Function of the bHLH-PAS Protein Gce/Met As a Juvenile Hormone Receptor. PLoS Genet., 11 (7). SAN FRANCISCO: PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE. ISSN 1553-7404

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Abstract

Juvenile hormones (JHs) play a major role in controlling development and reproduction in insects and other arthropods. Synthetic JH-mimicking compounds such as methoprene are employed as potent insecticides against significant agricultural, household and disease vector pests. However, a receptor mediating effects of JH and its insecticidal mimics has long been the subject of controversy. The bHLH-PAS protein Methoprene-tolerant (Met), along with its Drosophila melanogaster paralog germ cell-expressed (Gce), has emerged as a prime JH receptor candidate, but critical evidence that this protein must bind JH to fulfill its role in normal insect development has been missing. Here, we show that Gce binds a native D. melanogaster JH, its precursor methyl farnesoate, and some synthetic JH mimics. Conditional on this ligand binding, Gce mediates JH-dependent gene expression and the hormone's vital role during development of the fly. Any one of three different single amino acid mutations in the ligand-binding pocket that prevent binding of JH to the protein block these functions. Only transgenic Gce capable of binding JH can restore sensitivity to JH mimics in D. melanogaster Met-null mutants and rescue viability in flies lacking both Gce and Met that would otherwise die at pupation. Similarly, the absence of Gce and Met can be compensated by expression of wild-type but not mutated transgenic D. melanogaster Met protein. This genetic evidence definitively establishes Gce/Met in a JH receptor role, thus resolving a long-standing question in arthropod biology.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Jindra, Marek UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-2196-9924 UNSPECIFIED Uhlirova, Mirka UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-5735-8287 UNSPECIFIED Charles, Jean-Philippe UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Smykal, Vlastimil UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Hill, Ronald J. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-399211
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pgen.1005394
Journal or Publication Title:	PLoS Genet.
Volume:	11
Number:	7
Date:	2015
Publisher:	PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
Place of Publication:	SAN FRANCISCO
ISSN:	1553-7404
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences > Department of Biology > Institute for Genetics
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language RETINOID-X-RECEPTOR; METHOPRENE-TOLERANT; DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER; ECDYSONE RECEPTOR; MOLECULAR-MECHANISMS; NUCLEAR RECEPTOR; KRUPPEL-HOMOLOG; LIGAND; METAMORPHOSIS; ULTRASPIRACLE Multiple languages Genetics & Heredity Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/39921