Cloning and molecular identification of triosephosphate isomerase gene from Apis cerana cerana and its role in response to various stresses

Abstract

Apis cerana cerana triosephosphate isomerase (AccTPI), a key regulatory enzyme in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis pathway, catalyzes the interconversion of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate. However, its role in A. cerana cerana has not been completely clarified. In this study, a TPI gene was cloned from A. cerana cerana and named AccTPI. The open reading frame (ORF) of AccTPI is 744 bp, which encodes 247 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight and an isoelectric point of 26.8 kDa and 8.42, respectively. The expression of AccTPI was up-regulated by some abiotic stresses, while it was down-regulated by HgCl2, ultraviolet light (UV), and vitamin C (VC) treatment. Finally, a disc diffusion assay revealed that recombinant AccTPI proteins can protect cells from oxidative stresses. Taken together, all of the results indicate that AccTPI may play an important role in the metabolism, in antioxidant defense, and in many biological functions in the growth and development of A. cerana cerana.