Tissue-specific genome editing of laminA/C in the posterior silk glands of Bombyx mori

The RNA-guided CRISPR/Cas9 system has been shown to be a powerful tool for genome editing in various organisms. A comprehensive toolbox for multiplex genome editing has been developed for the silkworm,Bombyx mori, a lepidopteran model insect of economic importance. However, as previous methods mainly relied on delivery of transient Cas9/guide RNA（gRNA）, they could not be used in loss-of-function studies of essential genes. Here, we report a simple and versatile tissue-specific genome editing strategy.We perform a proof-of-principle demonstration by establishing and crossing two transgenic B. mori lines,one expressing Cas9 protein in the posterior silk glands（PSGs） and the other constitutively expressing BmlaminA/C（BmLMN） gRNA. All BmLMN alleles in the PSG cells were edited precisely at the target genome region, resulting in diverse mutations. mRNA expression of BmLMN was reduced by up to 75%,and only very low levels of BmLaminA/C protein were detected. Knockout of BmLMN produced obvious defects in gland cell development and cocoon production. In this study, we developed an efficient strategy for spatially controlled genome editing, providing unprecedented opportunities for investigating the function of essential/lethal genes in B. mori, with potential application for other insects.

Analysis of Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis Images of Protein from Posterior Silk Gland of Silkworm (Bombyx mori) on Day 1 and Day 4 in the 5th Instar Stage

The posterior silk gland （PSG） of silkworm is an important organ where fibroin is synthesized and secreted exclusively. Because fibroin constitutes 75-80% of the silk filament, the mechanism governing fibroin secretion, quality and yield of cocoon can be elucidated by the study on the PSG. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis （2-DE） and image analysis system, the changes in the protein composition in the PSG cell were investigated on the day 1 （D1） and day 4 （D4） in the 5th instar stage from five different strains of silkworm （Bombyx mori）. While differences at protein level between days and strains were far less than those observed at the gene level using EST analysis. The change trends in protein composition from D1 to D4 were diverse among the different strains. The results suggest that the secretion of fibroin is regulated by multiple proteins. The site of regulation and the proteins responsible for the regulation vary with the strain, which leads to differences between strains in the capacity of fibroin secretion in the PSG cell.

Analysis of Protein Expression Patterns of Silkworm Jinqiu and Its Cross Parents

The differences of protein expression between the improved cross breeding race Jinqiu and its parents were analyzed to discuss the gene construction, and to form a base for illuminating the molecular mechanisms of successful cross breeding in silkworm. Protein samples from silk gland, hemolymph, and midgut were separated by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis （2-DE）. In the three tissues the matched protein spots between Jinqiu and its cross parents were approximately 70% with approximately 30% specific protein spots. In the matched protein spots, 9-24% was differentially expressed representing up- and down-regulated expression. These specific protein spots might be either the newly appeared, which were produced from the genic interaction of cross parents＇ genes in cross breeding, or posttranscriptionally modified, which were produced from the different modifications on the same original proteins. These results indicate that it is important for a new successful breed, by cross breeding, relying on the actions of some newly produced functional proteins from genic interaction, in addition to marshaling excellent genes of cross parents.

Highly efficient expression of human extracellular superoxide dismutase(rhEcSOD)with ultraviolet-B-induced damage-resistance activity in transgenic silkworm cocoons

Extracellular superoxide dismutase(EcSOD)protects tissues from oxidative stress,and thus is considered as a therapeutic agent for many diseases such as atherosclerosis,hypertension,and cancer.However,cost-effective production of bioactive recombinant human EcSOD(rhEcSOD)remains a challenge.Herein,we developed an efficient strategy for producing active rhEcSOD by transgenic silkworms.rhEcSOD was successfully synthesized as homodimers and homotetramers in the middle silk gland and spun into the cocoons with a concentration of 9.48±0.21 mg/g.Purification of rhEcSOD from the cocoons could be conveniently achieved with a purity of 99.50%and a yield of 3.5±0.5 mg/g.Additionally,N-glycosylation at the only site of N89 in rhEcSOD with 10 types were identified.The purified rhEcSOD gained the potent enzymatic activity of 4162±293 U/mg after Cu/Zn ions incorporation.More importantly,rhEcSOD was capable of penetrating and accumulating in the nuclei of cells to maintain cell morphology and attenuate ultraviolet B-induced cell apoptosis by eliminating reactive oxygen species and inhibiting the C-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling pathway.These results demonstrated that the transgenic silkworm could successfully produce rhEcSOD with enzymatic and biological activities for biomedical applications.

Identification and characterization of extrachromosomal circular DNA in the silk gland of Bombyx mori

The silk gland cells of silkworm are special cells which only replicate DNA in the nucleus without cell division throughout the larval stage. The extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) have not yet been reported in the silk gland of silkworms. Herein, we have explored the characterization of eccDNAs in the posterior silk gland of silkworms. A total of 35 346 eccDNAs were identified with sizes ranging from 30 to 13 569 549 bp. Motif analysis revealed that dual direct repeats are flanking the 5′ and 3′ breaking points of eccDNA. The sequences exceeding 1 kb length in eccDNAs present palindromic sequence characteristics flanking the 5′ and 3′ breaking points of the eccDNA. These motifs might support possible models for eccDNA generation. Genomic annotation of the eccDNA population revealed that most eccDNAs (58.6%) were derived from intergenic regions, whereas full or partial genes were carried by 41.4% of eccDNAs. It was found that silk protein genes fib-H, fib-L, and P25, as well as the transcription factors SGF and sage, which play an important regulatory role in silk protein synthesis, could be carried by eccDNAs. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses showed that the genes carried by eccDNAs were mainly associated with the development and metabolism-related signaling pathways. Moreover, it was found that eccDNAfib-L could promote the transcription of fib-L gene. Overall, the results of the present study not only provide a novel perspective on the mechanism of silk gland development and silk protein synthesis but also complement previously reported genome-scale eccDNA data supporting that eccDNAs are common in eukaryotes.

Identification and comparison of long non-coding RNAs in the silk gland between domestic and wild silkworms

Under long-term artificial selection, the domestic silkworm （Bombyx mori） has increased its silk yield tremendously in comparison with its wild progenitor, Bombyx mandarina. However, the molecular mechanism of silk yield increase is still unknown. Comparative analysis of long non-coding RNAs （lncRNAs） may provide some insights into understanding this phenotypic variation. In this study, using RNA sequencing technology data of silk gland in domestic and wild silkworms, we identified 599 lncRNAs in the silk gland of the silkworm. Compared with protein-coding genes, the silk gland lncRNA genes tend to have fewer exon numbers, shorter transcript length and lower GC-content. Moreover, we found that three lncRNA genes are significantly and differentially expressed between domestic and wild silkworms. The potential targets of two differentially expressed lncRNAs （DELs） （dw4sg_0040 and dw4sg_0483） and the expression-correlated genes with the two DELs are mainly enriched in the related processes of silk protein translation. This implies that these DELs may affect the phenotypic variation in silk yield between the domestic and wild silkworms through the post-transcriptional regulation of silk protein.

Effects of starvation and hormones on DNA synthesis in silk gland cells of the silkworm, Bombyx moil

Silk gland cells of silkworm larvae undergo multiple cycles of endomitosis for the synthesis of silk proteins during the spinning phase. In this paper, we analyzed the endomitotic DNA synthesis of silk gland cells during larval development, and found that it was a periodic fluctuation, increasing during the vigorous feeding phase and being gradually inhibited in the next molting phase. That means it might be activated by a self- regulating process after molting. The expression levels of cyclin E, cdtl and pcna were consistent with these developmental changes. Moreover, we further examined whether these changes in endomitotic DNA synthesis resulted from feeding or hormonal stimulation. The results showed that DNA synthesis could be inhibited by starvation and re-activated by re-feeding, and therefore appears to be dependent on nutrition. DNA synthesis was suppressed by in vivo treatment with 20-hydroxyecdysone （20E）. However, there was no effect on DNA synthesis by in vitro 20E treatment or by either in vivo or in vitro juvenile hormone treatment. The levels of Akt and 4E-BP phosphorylation in the silk glands were also reduced by starvation and in vivo treatment with 20E. These results indicate that the activation of endomitotic DNA synthesis during the intermolt stages is related to feeding and DNA synthesis is inhibited indirectly by 20E.

Gene expression analysis in the larval silk gland of the eri silkworm Samia ricini

Insects produce silk for a range of purposes. In the Lepidoptera, silk is utilized as a material for cocoon production and serves to protect larvae from adverse environmental conditions or predators. Species in the Saturniidae family produce an especially wide variety of cocoons, for example, large, golden colored cocoons and those with many small holes. Although gene expression in the silk gland of the domestic silkworm （Bombyx mori L.） has been extensively studied, considerably fewer investigations have focused on members of the saturniid family. Here, we established expression sequence tags from the silk gland of the eri silkworm （Samia ricini）, a saturniid species, and used these to analyze gene expression. Although we identified thefibroin heavy chain gene in the established library, genes for other major silk proteins, such asfibroin light chain andfibrohexamerin, were absent. This finding is consistent with previous reports that these latter proteins are lacking in saturniid silk. Recently, a series offibrohexamerin-like genes were identified in the Bombyx genome. We used this information to conduct a detailed analysis of the library established here. This analysis identified putative homologues of these genes. We also found several genes encoding small silk protein molecules that are also present in the silk of other Lepidoptera. Gene expression patterns were compared between eri and domestic silkworm, and both conserved and nonconserved expression patterns were identified for the tested genes. Such differential gene expression might be one of the major causes of the differences in silk properties between these species. We believe that our study can be of value as a basic catalogue for silk gland gene expression, which will yield to the further understanding of silk evolution.

The expression analysis of silk gland-enriched intermediate-size non-coding RNAs in silkworm Bombyx mori

Small non-protein coding RNAs （ncRNAs） play important roles in development, stress response and other cellular processes. Silkworm is an important model for studies on insect genetics and control of Lepidopterous pests. We have previously identified 189 novel intermediate-size ncRNAs in silkworm Bombyx mori, including 40 ncRNAs that showed altered expression in different developmental stages. Here we characterized the functions of these 40 ncRNAs by measuring their expressions in six tissues of the fifth instar larvae using Northern blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction assays. We identified nine ncRNAs （four small nucleolar RNAs and five unclassified ncRNAs） that were enriched in silk gland, including four ncRNAs that showed silk gland-specific expression. We further showed that three of nine silk gland-enriched ncRNAs were predominantly expressed in the anterior silk gland, whereas another three ncRNAs were highly accumulated in the posterior silk gland, suggesting that they may play different roles in fibroin synthesis. Furthermore, an unclassified ncRNA, Bm- 152, exhibited converse expression pattem with its antisense host gene gartenzwerg in diverse tissues, and might regulate the expression of gartenzwerg through RNA-protein complex. In addition, two silk gland-enriched ncRNAs Bm-102 and Bm-159 can be found in histone modification complex, which indicated that they might play roles through epigenetic modifications. Taken together, we provided the first expression and preliminary functional analysis of silk gland-enriched ncRNAs, which will help understand the molecular mechanism of silk gland-development and fibroin synthesis.

Transcriptomic analysis of the bagworm moth silk gland reveals a number of silk genes conserved within Lepidoptera

Lepidopteran insects produce cocoons with unique properties.The cocoons are made of silk produced in the larval tissue silk gland and our understanding of the silk genes is still very limited.Here,we investigated silk genes in the bagworm moth Eumeta variegata,a species that has recently been found to produce extraordinarily strong and tough silk.Using short-read transcriptomic analysis,we identified a partial sequence of the fibroin heavy chain gene and its product was found to have a C-terminal structure that is conserved within nonsaturniid species.This is in accordance with the presence of fibroin light chain/fibrohexamerin genes and it is suggested that the bagworm moth is producing silk composed of fibroin ternary complex.This indicates that the fibroin structure has been evolutionarily conserved longer than previously thought.Other than fibroins we identified candidates for sericin genes,expressed strongly in the middle region of the silk gland and encoding serine-rich proteins,and other silk genes,that are structurally conserved with other lepidopteran homologues.The bagworm moth is thus considered to be producing conventional lepidopteran type of silk.We further found a number of genes expressed in a specific region of the silk gland and some genes showed conserved expression with Bombyx mori counterparts.This is the first study allowing comprehensive silk gene identification and expression analysis in the lepidopteran Psychidae family and should contribute to the understanding of silk gene evolution as well as to the development of novel types of silk.