Figure 3

Domain analysis and phylogenetic tree of Dicer and Ribonuclease III protein family. (A) (i) Domain organisation clearly indicates the presence of an amino terminal DEAD domain with significant similarity with other Dicer homologs of Bombyx, Tribolium and Drosophila that helps to classify conservation of Sf21 RNAi factor Dicer-2 gene. (ii) The other Ribonuclease III component Drosha of Tribolium is devoid of N-terminal dsRBM. While Sf21-Drosha shows similarity with Drosophila and Bombyx. (B) Neighbor-joining tree is based on CLUSTALW alignment of full length proteins Dicer-1, Dicer-2 and Drosha as an out group. The phylogenetic tree distributes three different clusters where Sf-Dicer-2 is in the same clade with Bm-Dicer-2 and Sf-Drosha with a Bm-Ribonuclease III. (*) indicates a Bm-Ribonuclease III as a putative Drosha.