Identification of a novel interacting partner of the chemosensory protein 1 from Plutella xylostella L

Chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are small soluble proteins endowed with heterogeneous functions. The information so far available for CSPs suggested these well-defined and conserved proteins were involved in diverse activities, including chemical communication, feeding, development, mating, immune regulation, as well as circadian rhythms. However, the detailed mechanisms of these physiological functions remain elusive. To explore the underlying mechanisms of CSPs and their interaction partners, a cDNA library from the head of Plutella xylostella was screened against CSP1 to identify proteins involved in the PxylCSP1-related physiological activities. Protein kinase C (PKC) was screened out as a putative interacting protein of PxylCSP1. The full length of PxylPKC cDNA was obtained, and the results of semi-quantitative real-time PCR and quantitative real-time PCR revealed that PxylPKC showed similar expression pattern as PxylCSP1. In vivo and in vitro interactions between PxylCSP1 and PxylPKC were further confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays, respectively. These findings extended our knowledge on the mechanisms of CSP-regulated functions, and providing new target proteins to facilitate the design of novel intervention strategies against the pest.