Molecular Cloning Expression Profile and 5’Regulatory Region Analysis of Ribosomal Protein S16 Gene from the Diamondback Moth Plutella xylostella

The cDNA (GeneBank accession NO: EU818707) encoding ribosomal protein S16 of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella was cloned, sequenced and analyzed. The cDNA is 587 bp with an open reading frame of 465 bp that encodes 154 putative amino acids. The amino acid sequence shares high similarity with RpS16 of other organisms. The RpS16 of diamondback moth genomic sequence consists of three exons and two introns having approximately 2kb in size. The 5ʹ regulatory region of this gene has also been isolated using the method of Tail-PCR, which contains the putative promoter sequence. Semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that the RpS16 of diamondback moth gene was expressed in all examined stages whereas female adults were found to have highest expression level, suggesting the functional importance for the female adult development. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the RpS16 of diamondback moth was more closely related to their equivalents in Heliconius melpomene. Prediction of secondary structure showed that 37.01% of the amino acid sequence of the protein forms Alpha helix, 21.43% is in extended strand and 41.56% is in random coil. The RpS16 is strongly conserved among different orders of insects. © 2010 Friends Science Publishers