Cytochrome P450CYP6L1 is specifically expressed in the reproductive tissues of adult male German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.)

A full-length cDNA encoding a new cytochrome P450, CYP6L1, was cloned from German cockroaches, Blattella germanica. CYP6L1 has an open reading frame o f 1509 nucleotides with a deduced protein of 503 amino acids and molecular mass of 57 Kd. CYP6L1 is most similar to CYP6H1, a putative ecdysone 20-hyd roxylase from Locusta migratoria. CYP6L1 mRNA was not detected in embryos n or nymphs, nor in adult females. CYP6L1 mRNA was detected only in the teste s and accessory glands of male adult German cockroaches. Given that the tes tes and accessory glands are the most important components of the reproduct ive system in male insects, the expression of CYP6L1 mRNA exclusively in th ese tissues strongly suggests that CYP6L1 has a role in reproduction. Possi ble substrates for CYP6L1 are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.