A Repetitive Secretory Protein Gene of A Novel Type in Hydropsyche sp. Is Specially Expressed in the Silk Gland

Trichoptera, or caddisflies, comprise one of the major aquatic insect orders. Like Lepidoptera, caddisflies are capable of spinning silk from specially modified salivary glands, and the diversity of ways this silk is used probably accounts for the success of the order as a whole. These utilize silk to construct both larval and pupal shelters, often incorporating materials from the environmental among the silk thread. In this study, we try to find and characterize novel type genes that should be translated to major component protein of aquatic silk. (omitted)