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Title: Protein identities - Graphocephala atropunctata expressed sequenced tags: expanding leafhopper vector biology

Author
item Hunter, Wayne
item Shelby, Kent
item PURCELL, A - University Of California
item HUNNICUTT, L - North Carolina State University

Submitted to: Florida Scientist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/13/2009
Publication Date: 10/28/2009
Citation: Hunter, W.B., Shelby, K., Purcell, A., Hunnicutt, L.E. 2009. Protein identities - Graphocephala atropunctata expressed sequenced tags: expanding leafhopper vector biology. Florida Scientist. 73(1):89-98.

Interpretive Summary: The blue-green sharpshooter ,BGSS, has been a major vector of Pierce’s disease in California vineyards for nearly a century. Mining the genomic data produced from this leafhopper expands current knowledge of the biology of leafhopper vectors of Pierce’s disease. We examined the biology of the BGSS using a genomics approach. Initial annotation of this dataset identified 44 putative protein sequences which were characterized and published in the open public database National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI. Comparative sequence analyses identified 10 significant homology matches to heat shock proteins, HSP. The findings report on the first small heat shock from leafhoppers. Heat shock proteins have many functions important in maintaining protein integrity and activity during stressful conditions, such as extreme heat, cold, drought, or disease.

Technical Abstract: A small heat shock protein was isolated and sequenced from the Blue-green sharpshooter, BGSS, Graphocephala atropunctata (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae). The BGSS has been the native vector of Pierce’s disease in vineyards in California for nearly a century. The importance of this vector species provided an opportunity to conduct a genomics approach to produce information which would elucidate leafhopper biology. A cDNA library was made from adult BGSS, and 8,160 expressed sequence tags, ESTs, were produced. After quality scoring 6,836 sequences underwent assembly which produced a set of 1,915 sequences that putatively represented distinct transcripts. Initial annotation of this dataset identified 44 putative protein sequences were characterized through in silico analyses, and published in the NCBI database. BLASTX analyses identified 10 significant homology matches to heat shock proteins, HSP20,40,70,90, which were validated using multiple protein alignment programs. The overall importance of HSP’s are their multiple functions in maintaining protein integrity and activity during stressful conditions, such as extreme heat, cold, drought or disease. The full-length small HSP20 was submitted to NCBI database accession DQ445538.1. Many other genes of interest which have various functions in leafhopper biology and physiology were also identified. The EST sequences reported in this study have been deposited in GenBank’s dbEST under accession numbers EH655849-EH662328 and EH662332.