J. Martinezgonzalez et al., 3-HYDROXY-3-METHYLGLUTARYL-COENZYME-A SYNTHASE FROM BLATTELLA-GERMANICA - CLONING, EXPRESSION, DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERN AND TISSUE EXPRESSION, European journal of biochemistry, 217(2), 1993, pp. 691-699
Insects do not synthezise cholesterol; the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-
coenzyme-A (HMG-CoA) produced by HMG-CoA synthase is transformed to me
valonate by HMG-CoA reductase for the production of non-sterol isopren
oids, which are essential for growth and differentiation. To understan
d the regulation and developmental role of HMG-CoA synthase, we have c
loned a 1658 bp cDNA that encompasses the entire transcription unit of
the HMG-CoA synthase gene from the cockroach Blattella germanica. Thi
s cDNA clone was isolated using as a probe a partial cDNA of B. german
ica HMG-CoA synthase, amplified using the polymerase chain reaction. A
nalysis of the nucleotide sequence reveals that the cDNA encodes a pol
ypeptide of 453 amino acids (M(r) 50338) that is similar to vertebrate
HMG-CoA synthase (74-76% conserved residues). The B. germanica cDNA h
as been expressed as a fusion protein in Escherichia coli and exhibits
HMG-CoA synthase activity. The HMG-CoA synthase transcript was differ
entially expressed throughout B. germanica development. Analysis of RN
A samples from different adult female tissues shows high HMG-CoA synth
ase mRNA levels in the ovary and lower levels in brain and muscle.