A Genome-Wide Identification of Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs in Pediculus humanus corporis (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae)

• Published in: Journal of insect science (Tucson, Ariz.) Ariz.), 2014, Vol.14 (195), p.1-10
• Main Authors: Wang, Xu-Hua, Wang, Yong, Zhang, De-Bao, Liu, A-Ke, Yao, Qin, Chen, Ke-Ping
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; basic helix-loop-helix; basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors - chemistry; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors - genetics; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors - metabolism; BLAST search; Chromosome Mapping; Danio rerio; eukaryotic cells; fruit flies; Gene expression; genes; Genome-wide association studies; Genome-Wide Association Study; growth and development; Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; humans; Insect Proteins - chemistry; Insect Proteins - genetics; Insect Proteins - metabolism; mice; Molecular Sequence Data; nucleotide sequences; ortholog; Pediculus - genetics; Pediculus - metabolism; Pediculus humanus; Pediculus humanus corporis; phylogenetic analysis; Phylogeny; proteins; yeasts; Zoological research
• ISSN: 1536-2442; 1536-2442
• DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieu057

Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins comprise a large superfamily of transcription factors, which are involved in the regulation of various developmental processes. bHLH family members are widely distributed in various eukaryotes including yeast, fruit fly, zebrafish, mouse, and human. In this study, we identified 55 bHLH motifs encoded in genome sequence of the human body louse, Pediculus humanus corporis (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae). Phylogenetic analyses of the identified P. humanus corporis bHLH (PhcbHLH) motifs revealed that there are 23, 11, 9, 1, 10, and 1 member(s) in groups A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively. Examination to GenBank annotations of the 55 PhcbHLH members indicated that 29 PhcbHLH proteins were annotated in consistence with our analytical result, 8 were annotated different with our analytical result, 12 were merely annotated as hypothetical protein, and the rest 6 were not deposited in GenBank. A comparison on insect bHLH gene composition revealed that human body louse possibly has more hairy and E(spl) genes than other insect species. Because hairy and E(spl) genes have been found to negatively regulate the differentiation of insect preneural cells, it is suggested that the existence of additional hairy and E(spl) genes in human body louse is probably the consequence of its long period adaptation to the relatively dark and stable environment. These data provide good references for further studies on regulatory functions of bHLH proteins in the growth and development of human body louse.