Date of this Version
11-13-2015
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Background Juvenile hormones (JH) regulate development and reproductive maturation in insects. JHs are synthesized through the mevalonate pathway (MVAP), an ancient metabolic pathway present in the three domains of life. Mevalonate kinase (MVK) is a key enzyme in the MVAP. MVK catalyzes the synthesis of phosphomevalonate (PM) by transferring the gamma-phosphoryl group from ATP to the C-5 hydroxyl oxygen of mevalonic acid (MA). Despite the importance of MVKs, these enzymes have been poorly characterized in insects. Results We functionally characterized an Aedes aegypti MVK (AaMVK) expressed in the corpora allata (CA) of the mosquito. AaMVK displayed its activity in the presence of metal cofactors. Different nucleotides were used by AaMVK as phosphoryl donors. In the presence of Mg2+, the enzyme has higher affinity for MA than ATP. The activity of AaMVK was regulated by feedback inhibition from long-chain isoprenoids, such as geranyl diphosphate (GPP) and farnesyl diphosphate (FPP). Conclusions AaMVK exhibited efficient inhibition by GPP and FPP (Ki less than 1 mu M), and none by isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethyl allyl pyrophosphate (DPPM). These results suggest that GPP and FPP might act as physiological inhibitors in the synthesis of isoprenoids in the CA of mosquitoes. Changing MVK activity can alter the flux of precursors and therefore regulate juvenile hormone biosynthesis.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Nyati P, Rivera-Perez C, Noriega FG (2015) Negative Feedbacks by Isoprenoids on a Mevalonate Kinase Expressed in the Corpora Allata of Mosquitoes. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0143107. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0143107
Rights Statement
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Comments
Originally published in PLoS One.