Spliceosomal Protein Gene BmSPX Regulates Reproductive Organ Development in Bombyx mori

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Yao Wang¹  Qin Zhao¹  Juan Li¹  Kai-Xuan Wang¹  Qiu-Xing Wan¹  Xing-Fu Zha¹ 

[1] State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing 400715, China;

关键词: BmSPX;    BmPSI;    Bmdsx;    sex determination;    silkworm;    transgene;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms21072579

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Sex determination and differentiation are nearly universal to all eukaryotic organisms, encompassing diverse systems and mechanisms. Here, we identified a spliceosomal protein gene BmSPX involved in sex determination of the lepidopeteran insect, Bombyx mori. In a transgenic silkworm line that overexpressed the BmSPX gene, transgenic silkworm males exhibited differences in their external genitalia compared to wild-type males, but normal internal genitalia. Additionally, transgenic silkworm females exhibited a developmental disorder of the reproductive organs. Upregulation of BmSPX significantly increased the expression levels of sex-determining genes (BmMasc and BmIMP) and reduced the female-type splice isoform of Bmdsx, which is a key switch gene downstream of the sex-determination pathway. Additionally, co-immunoprecipitation assays confirmed an interaction between the BmSPX protein and BmPSI, an upstream regulatory factor of Bmdsx. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that BmSPX over-expression upregulated the expression of the Hox gene abdominal-B (Adb-B), which is required for specification of the posterior abdomen, external genitalia, and gonads of insects, as well as the genes in the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) signaling pathway. In conclusion, our study suggested the involvement of BmSPX, identified as a novel regulatory factor, in the sex-determination pathway and regulation of reproductive organ development in silkworms.

【 授权许可】

Unknown