cDNA cloning, heat shock regulation and developmental expression of the hsp83 gene in the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata

Abstract This report presents the cDNA cloning, heat shock regulation and developmental expression of the hsp90 gene homologue of the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (medfly). The isolated cDNA contained the coding region, the 3′UTR and most of the 5′UTR of the medfly hsp90 homologue, which was named Cchsp83 . The deduced CcHSP83 polypeptide contained all the highly conserved amino acid segments that characterize the cytosolic members of the HSP90 family. Genomic analysis showed that the Cchsp83 gene is unique and was mapped at the 94C division of the sixth polytene chromosome. The size of the Cchsp83 mRNA was found to be approximately 2.7 kb. The predicted molecular mass of the CcHSP83 protein was 81.4 kDa, while the apparent molecular weight estimated by SDS‐PAGE was approximately 90 kDa. Phylogenetic analysis based on 14 insect HSP90 amino acid sequences was consistent with the known phylogeny at low taxonomic level. The Cchsp83 gene is constitutively expressed in all stages of medfly development and is induced from a low level to several‐fold by heat, depending on the developmental stage. Heat shock induction begins at 30 °C, reaching a maximum between 35 and 41 °C. Cchsp83 RNA expression is highly regulated during embryonic development; however, the temporal fluctuations in RNA levels during embryogenesis were not followed by similar fluctuations in the levels of the protein.