Abstract
Hylotrupes bajulus (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), a wood-boring beetle attacking softwood,
utilises both wood starch and cellulose as food. The fibre is digested in variable percentages, depending
on the starch content. A role for symbiotic bacteria was presumed as well as the presence of endogenous
cellulases. The aim of our investigation was to verify the presence of endogenous endoglucanase genes in
H. bajulus larvae. After performing an online search, three sequences for the endoglucanases of the class
GHF5 and four for the endoglucanases of the class GHF45 were recovered and aligned in order to develop
some primers on the most conserved regions and try the amplification of the genes in H. bajulus. Seven
degenerated primers for GHF5 endoglucanase and five for GHF45 endoglucanase were tested. By using
two different primer combinations we obtained two fragments: both of them showed homology with
significant identity with insect endoglucanases of the GHF45 family available online, and one also with
microbial cellulases. The first fragment is undoubtedly of endogenous origin while we cannot exclude
that the second one is of microbial origin. No results were obtained for the endoglucanase of the class
GHF5.
Lingua originale | English |
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pagine (da-a) | 92-95 |
Numero di pagine | 4 |
Rivista | INTERNATIONAL BIODETERIORATION & BIODEGRADATION |
Volume | 86 |
DOI | |
Stato di pubblicazione | Pubblicato - 2014 |
Keywords
- Beetles
- Cellulose digestion
- Endoglucanases
- Wood-destroying insects