Cloning and Expression Analysis of Storage Protein hexamerin genes in Tenebrio molitor

The storage protein hexamerin genes (TmolHex1 and TmolHex2) were cloned from pupae of Tenebrio molitor by RACE technology. Their sequences were analyzed by bioinformatic softwares and their expression patterns were analyzed using the real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The cloned TmolHex1 and TmolHex2 genes respectively contain open reading frames of 2 133 and 2 103 bp, which encode 710 and 700 amino acid residues. Their predicted molecular weights of amino acid sequences are 85.53 kDa and 84.35 kDa, and isoelectric points are 6.05 and 6.72, respectively. Sequence analysis revealed that there are signal peptide sequences in the amino acid sequences of TmolHex1 and TmolHex2. They are rich in aromatic amino acids, and have the characteristic sequences of aromatic storage protein family. TmolHex1 and TmolHex2 genes show the highest expression levels at the mature instar larvae and in pupal fat body of T. molitor, indicating that they may play important roles in development, metamorphosis, and energy metabolism.