Isolation and Characterization of a cDNA Clone Coding for a Glutathione S-Transferase Class Delta Enzyme from the Biting Midge Culicoides variipennis sonorensis Wirth and Jones

Culicoides variipennis sonorensis is the primary vector of bluetongue viruses in North America. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are enzymes that catalyze nucleophilic substitutions, converting reactive lipophilic molecules into soluble conjugates. Increased GST activity is associated with development of insecticide resistance. Described here is the isolation of the first cDNA encoding a C. variipennis GST. The clone consists of 720 translated bases encoding a protein with a Mr of ~24,800 composed of 219 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence is similar (64%–74%) to class Delta (previously named Theta) GSTs from the dipteran genera Musca, Drosophila, Lucilia and Anopheles. The cDNA was subcloned into pET11b, expressed in Epicurian coli BL21 (DE3) and has a specific activity of ~28,000 units/mg for the substrate 1-chloro-2,4dinitrobenzene.