prag01, a novel deltamethrin-resistance-associated gene from Culex pipiens pallens

The prag01 gene (GenBank accession no. EU073017) was cloned from Culex pipiens pallens. An open reading frame of 270 bp was found to encode a putative 89-amino-acid protein which has the highest homology with Culex quinquefasciatus and Anopheles funestus. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated that the transcription level of prag01 gene in deltamethrin-resistant strain was 1.65-fold higher than in deltamethrin-susceptible strain of C. pipiens pallens. Overexpression of prag01 gene in the mosquito C6/36 cells showed better prolification than the cells with empty vector when treated by deltamethrin. Our data for the first time approved that prag01 gene might play some role in the development of deltamethrin resistance in C. pipiens pallens.