抄録
Spontaneous synthesis of cecropin B, an antibacterial peptide, was observed in the molting stage in two lepidopteran insects, Bombyx mori and Antheraea pernyi, by immunohistochemical staining. The natural induction of ceropin B gene expression was also observed in artificially induced molting of B. mori larvae, suggesting that the natural induction is tightly linked to ecdysis. As insect molting is strictly controlled by ecdysteroids, a possibility that the hormone induces antibacterial peptide gene expression was tested by using a fat body primary culture of B. mori. The results showed that 20-hydroxyecdysone failed to induce gene expression of three antibacterial peptides, cecropin B, attacin, and lebocin, suggesting that unknown endogenous trigger(s) is involved in the natural induction. The results suggest that insects contain a novel ecdysis-linked immune system, which is strikingly different from that of vertebrates.
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