Kiyoko Taniai

Publications (2)0 Total impact

• Article: Isolation, cDNA cloning and gene expression of an antibacterial protein from larvae of the coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros

  Jun Yang, Masanori Yamamoto, Jun Ishibashi, Kiyoko Taniai, Minoru Yamakawa
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  ABSTRACT: An antibacterial protein, designated rhinocerosin, was purified to homogeneity from larvae of the coconut rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros immunized with Escherichia coli. Based on the amino acid sequence of the N-terminal region, a degenerate primer was synthesized and reverse-transcriptase PCR was performed to clone rhinocerosin cDNA. As a result, a 279-bp fragment was obtained. The complete nucleotide sequence was determined by sequencing the extended rhinocerosin cDNA clone by 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The deduced amino acid sequence of the mature portion of rhinocerosin was composed of 72 amino acids without cystein residues and was shown to be rich in glycine (11.1 %) and proline (11.1 %) residues. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of rhinocerosin with those of other antibacterial proteins indicated that it has 77.8 % and 44.6 % identity with holotricin 2 and coleoptrecin, respectively. Rhinocerosin had strong antibacterial activity against E. coli, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus but not against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Results of reverse-transcriptase PCR analysis of gene expression in different tissues indicated that the rhinocerosin gene is strongly expressed in the fat body and the Malpighian tubule, and weakly expressed in hemocytes and midgut. In addition, gene expression was inducible by bacteria in the fat body, the Malpighian tubule and hemocyte but constitutive expression was observed in the midgut.
  European Journal of Biochemistry. 07/1998; 255(3):734 - 738.
• Article: cDNA cloning and gene expression of cecropin D, an antibacterial protein in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

  Jun Yang, Seiichi Furukawa, Aki Sagisaka, Jun Ishibashi, Kiyoko Taniai, Toshio Shono, Minoru Yamakawa
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  ABSTRACT: We have isolated a cDNA clone encoding a cecropin D precursor from the fat body of Bombyx mori larvae immunized with bacteria by means of differential display. The cDNA contains 298 bp with a coding region of 183 bp for 61 amino acids plus a termination codon (TAG), a 5′-untranslated region of 36 bp, and a 3′-untranslated region of 79 bp including the poly(A) tail. There is a polyadenylation signal sequence of AATAAA at position 266, 43 nucleotides downstream from the termination codon TAG. The homology of the deduced amino acids is greater to the cecropin D precursor from Hyalophora cecropia (67% identity) than to the precursors of cecropins A and B from B. mori (49% to both). Northern blotting analyses reveal that the gene expression of cecropin D is detectable by 4 h after the bacterial injection and reaches the maximal level at 24 h. That high level is maintained up to 48 h post-immunization. Additionally, the gene is expressed mainly in the fat body and slightly in hemocytes, but it is undetectable in other tissues such as the midgut, the Malpighian tubule and silk gland.
  Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.