Sericotropin gene of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella, which is expre
ssed in the brain, encodes For 133 amino acids of which 16 were identi
fied as the signal peptide. Brain extracts of tested Icpidopterans and
a beetle, bur not several other insects, contain a protein of about 1
0 kDa that is recognized by an anti-sericotropin antiserum. Partially
purified Galleria ia brain extracts and a synthetic peptide comprising
the first 18 amino acids of the sericotropin N-terminus stimulate RNA
synthesis in explanted silk glands.