| Summary: | NHL protein family is evolutionarily conserved in either vertebrates or invertebrates. It has been extensively studied in mammals for the function of regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. Brat, known as the homologue of TRIM in insects, may have the same function. In this paper, we identified and characterized BmBrat in silkworm. The gene expression profile indicated that BmBrat was expressed in all tissues and the expression was especially high in ovary and head at larval stage. The expression profile was also detected at different stages of embryo development, and reached a peak at 4th and 5th days of the embryonic period. Subcellular localization of BmBrat in hemocytes revealed that it was specifically expressed in cytoplasm. Over-expression of BmBrat in silkworm significantly reduced the rate of cell proliferation by BrdU staining. This finding suggested that BmBrat played an important role in cell processes.
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