Molecular Cloning and Expression of an Estrogen Receptor-Related Receptor Gene in the Ant Polyrhachis vicina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Estrogen receptor-related receptors (ERRs) belong to a subfamily of orphan nuclear receptors where the proteins are closely related to the estrogen receptors (ERs) in structure. ERR homologs have been found in many animals and play an important role in the regulation physiologic processes, We have isolated the ERR homolog, abbreviated as PvERR, from the ant Polyrhachis vicina Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), The full-length cDNA of the PvERR gene is 1,918 lip, containing a 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of 24.5 bp and a 3'-UTR of 368 bp. The own reading frame of 1,305 bp encodes a 434-amino acid protein. The PvERR gene is composed of eight exons and seven introns. The tertiary structure of both the DNA binding domain and the ligand binding domain (1,BD) of PvERR belong to the alpha+beta type. The LBD of PvERR is formed by 11 alpha-helices without H2, and it is similar to the mammalian ERR gamma LBD of known crystal structure. Further investigation indicated the potential significance of PvERR in the regulation of development in P. vicina, due to its expression in different developmental periods and castes.