RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To clone the mucin-related protein (Aamucin1) gene from salivary gland of Aedes albopictus Guangzhou isolate, and analyze the expression difference due to blood-feeding. METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from the salivary gland. The coding region of Aamucin1 was amplified with a pair of specific primers by RT-PCR. The product was sequenced and analyzed by bioinformatics. Expression analysis was conducted by real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: The product of RT-PCR was 849 bp with encoding 283 amino acids. To compare with that from Ae. albopictus Rome strain, 13 amino acids were deleted at the C end, and Aamucin1 in Guangzhou isolate shared 58% identity in amino acids with that of Rome isolate. In addition, an alternative splicing was found in Aamucin1 and located in a proline enrich area by Protscan. To compare with that of non-blood-feeding (group SG), Aamucin1 was significantly down-regulated with 0.39 fold expression at zero time after engorged (group BSG_0, mosquitoes with abdominal distention from the first 2 hours after blood-feeding, P < 0.01) and 0.61 fold expression at the 24th hour after engorged (group BSG_24,mosquitoes from the 24th hours after blood-feeding, P > 005). CONCLUSION: The full length of Aamucin1 gene of Ae. albopictus is cloned and it can be modulated by blood-feeding.
