JUVENILE-HORMONE REGULATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL EXPRESSION OF A TENEBRIO DESICCATION STRESS PROTEIN GENE

Levels of a 28 kDa hemolymph protein, desiccation stress protein (dsp2 8), in the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, increase in response to desiccation and cold stress and are also developmentally regulated und er nonstress conditions. Dsp28 mRNA is produced in the fat body, and i ts abundance changes dramatically throughout development. Transcript a bundance increases throughout larval development, drops at pupation, a nd increases again in adults, the highest levels being found in female s. The juvenile hormone (JH) analogue, methoprene, increased dsp28 tra nscript accumulation in pupae, suggesting that changing JH titres have a role in developmental expression and also perhaps contribute to dsp 28 regulation during conditions of environmental stress. Gnomic DNA, c ontaining the entire dsp28 coding region plus 1.3 kb of upstream seque nce, was isolated and potential regulatory sequences, including putati ve JH response elements, were identified. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.