Differential Temporal Expression Profiles of Heat Shock Protein Genes in Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae) Under Ultraviolet A Radiation Stress

Solar UV radiation is indispensable for certain behaviors of many organisms. Nevertheless, UV-A might be expected to stress insects that possess intensive positive taxis toward UV-A light. To avoid stress hazards, organisms generally exhibit the upregulation of heat shock proteins (Hsps) expression. To gain a better understanding of the roles of the different Hsps in response to UV-A stress in the diurnal phototactic fly Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, 1830 (Diptera: Drosophilidae), we tested the temporal expression patterns of 11 DmHsps following UV-A radiation. The results indicated that each DmHsp had a differential temporal expression profile under UV-A radiation stress. Potential transcription factor-binding motifs in the promoter regions of strongly inducible DmHsps were identified; results showed these transcription factor-binding motifs were highly homologous to binding sites that have been identified for transcription factors associated with UV radiation stimuli. So DmHsps might act in a coordinated and cooperative manner at the transcriptional level to counteract UV-A radiation-based stress.