Immunocytochemical location of vitellin in the egg of the silkworm,Bombyx mori,during early developmental stages

Summary Vitellin was purified from eggs of the silkworm,Bombyx mori, by a new method in which vitellin was extracted from isolated yolk granules. The purified vitellin had a molecular weight of 540,000. An antibody against purified vitellin was prepared in rabbits. It reacted with the hemolymph vitellogenin as well as with purified vitellin, but not with other proteins in the hemolymph or in the extract from yolk granules. The anti-vitellin IgG was used to immunocytochemically locate vitellin in theBombyx non-diapause egg during early developmental stages. In the egg, just after oviposition, vitellin was located in internal yolk granules and in small yolk granules of the periplasm. During the early developmental stages studied, vitellin was not metabolized uniformly throughout the egg. The vitellin of the internal yolk granules located at the posterior-dorsal part and of the small peripheral yolk granules was utilized in 16 h and 2 days, respectively, after oviposition. A thin, very vitellin-poor layer was located between the periplasm and the vitellin-rich interior in the newly laid egg. it was always in close contact with the periphery where blastoderm and germ-band cells developed.     

Purification and characterization of cocoonase from the silkworm Bombyx mori

Cocoonase (CCN) which facilitates the degradation of a cocoon is recognized as a trypsin-like serine protease. In this study, CCN from the silkworm Bombyx mori was purified and comprehensively characterized. Its activity was maximal at about pH 9.8. It was stable above pH 3.4 at 4?°C and below 50?°C at pH 7.5. CuSO₄, FeSO₄, and ZnSO₄ showed inhibitory effects on CCN, but other salts improved activity. Typical trypsin inhibitors inhibited CCN, but the relative inhibitory activities were much lower than those against bovine trypsin. An extract of cocoon shells inhibited trypsin, but it was only slightly inhibitory against CCN. There were significant differences in catalytic efficiencies and substrate specificities as between CCN and bovine trypsin.     

Cloning and characterization of nanos gene in silkworm Bombyx mori

Gene nanos is a maternal posterior group gene required for normal development of abdominal segments and the germ line in Drosophila. Expression of nanos-related genes is associated with the germ line in a broad variety of other taxa. In this study, the 5＇-RACE method and the in silico cloning method are used to isolate the new nanos-like gene of Bombyx mor/and the gene obtained is analyzed with bioinformatics tools. The putative protein is expressed in Escherichia coli and the antiserum has been produced in New Zealand white rabbits. The result shows that the nanos cDNA is 1,913 bp in full length and contains a 954 bp open reading frame. The deduced protein has 317 amino acid residues, with a predicted molecular weight of 35 kDa, isoelectric point of 5.38, and contains a conserved nanos RNA binding domain. The conserved region of the deduced protein shares 73% homology with the nanos protein conserved region of Honeybee （Apis mellifera）. This gene has been registered in the GenBank under the accession number EF647589. One encoding sequence of the nanos fragment has been successfully expressed in E. coli. Western blotting analysis indicates that homemade antiserum can specifically detect nanos protein expressed in prokaryotic cells.     

Possible effect of 30K proteins in embryonic development of silkworm Bombyx mori

The silkworm Bombyx mori possesses a 30K protein family of 3×10~4 Da,the biologicalfunctions of which have not been fully identified.The relationship between the 30K protein family and theembryonic development of temperature sensitive sex-linked mutant strain of silkworm was investigated bytwo dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(2D-PAGE)and Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF MS).The results show that protein spots 1-5 of the 30Kprotein family,mainly existing in normal strain,are possibly related to embryonic development.The earlyconsumption of a 30K protein named 6G1-30K-1 and the accumulation of 30K proteins named 6G1-30K-3and 6G1-30K-4 are likely caused by the destruction of physiological balance in normal embryonic development,which may lead to lower hatchability of the temperature sensitive strain.The results suggest that reasonablemetabolism of 30K proteins is a prerequisite for the embryo's normal development.     

Functional analysis of novel sulfotransferases in the silkworm Bombyx mori

Sulfoconjugation plays a vital role in the detoxification of xenobiotics and in the metabolism of endogenous compounds. In this study, we aimed to identify new members of the sulfotransferase (SULT) superfamily in the silkworm Bombyx mori. Based on amino acid sequence and phylogenetic analyses, two new enzymes, swSULT ST1 and swSULT ST2, were identified that appear to belong to a distinct group of SULTs including several other insect SULTs. We expressed, purified, and characterized recombinant SULTs. While swSULT ST1 sulfated xanthurenic acid and pentachlorophenol, swSULT ST2 exclusively utilized xanthurenic acid as a substrate. Based on these results, and those concerning the tissue distribution and substrate specificity toward pentachlorophenol analyses, we hypothesize that swSULT ST1 plays a role in the detoxification of xenobiotics, including insecticides, in the silkworm midgut and in the induction of gametogenesis in silkworm ovary and testis. Collectively, the data obtained herein contribute to a better understanding of SULT enzymatic functions in insects.     

Characterization of Argonaute family members in the silkworm,Bombyx mori

Abstract The Argonaute protein family is a highly conserved group of proteins, which have been implicated in RNA silencing in both plants and animals. Here, four members of the Argonaute family were systemically identified based on the genome sequence of Bombyx mori. Based on their sequence similarity, BmAgo1 and BmAgo2 belong to the Ago subfamily, while BmAgo3 and BmPiwi are in the Piwi subfamily. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that silkworm Argonaute family members are conserved in insects. Conserved amino acid residues involved in recognition of the 5′ end of the small RNA guide strand and of the conserved (aspartate, aspartate and histidine [DDH]) motif present in their PIWI domains suggest that these four Argonaute family members may have conserved slicer activities. The results of microarray expression analysis show that there is a low expression level for B. mori Argonaute family members in different tissues and different developmental stages, except for BmPiwi. All four B. mori Argonaute family members are upregulated upon infection with B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus. The complete coding sequence of BmPiwi, the homolog of Drosophila piwi, was cloned and its expression occurred mainly in the area where spermatogonia and spermatocytes appear. Our results provide an overview of the B. mori Argonaute family members and suggest that they may have multiple roles. In addition, this is also the first report, to our knowledge, of the response of RNA silencing machinery to DNA virus infection in insects.     

家蚕保幼激素结合蛋白Bmtol基因的克隆及功能分析

家蚕头部是一个神经中枢和感受的器官,其头部含有触角和感觉毛,感受外界的信号,并将外界信号传送到大脑进行反应。保幼激素主要是由咽侧体合成和分泌的,而保幼激素结合蛋白是保幼激素转运和发挥功能的载体,在昆虫体内具有极其重要的功能。文中通过Silk DB和NCBI数据库筛选并鉴定到一个新的具有保幼激素结合蛋白家族保守结构的蛋白Bm TOL,其编码基因编号为BGIBMGA003404(Gen Bank登录号:KY681053)。利用原核表达系统成功表达了该蛋白,通过Ni-NTA亲和层析的方法获得了Bm TOL的重组蛋白并制备了多克隆抗体。组织表达分析发现无论是转录水平还是蛋白水平Bm TOL在头部都是高量表达,且Bmtol基因在起蚕时表达量较高,在5龄和蛹期表达量较低,而在化蛾后表达量又开始上调。免疫组化结果显示Bm TOL蛋白定位在头部的皮层、触角和脑中,推测其可能与头部信息传递有关,为家蚕的生长发育和行为调控提供重要的信息来源。     

家蚕BmBrat基因的克隆与鉴定

NHL家族蛋白具有调控细胞增殖与分化的功能,在哺育动物中被广泛研究。本文克隆得到家蚕NHL蛋白家族成员BmBrat基因,通过RACE技术获得该基因cDNA全长序列为3 614 bp,其ORF为2 580 bp,编码859个氨基酸,预测其蛋白分子量为94.3 kDa,等电点为6.65。利用RT-PCR技术检测其在五龄3 d家蚕各组织表达情况,结果表明其在幼虫各组织均有表达,包括丝腺、中肠、脂肪体、马氏管等,且卵巢和头部表达量最高;胚胎时期表达谱分析显示其在胚胎发育第4天和第5天有高量表达。经原核表达、蛋白纯化及免疫小鼠后获得家蚕BmBrat多克隆抗体,且Western blotting及免疫荧光检测显示该抗体可以特异检测家蚕BmBrat蛋白;免疫荧光结果表明BmBrat蛋白定位于家蚕血细胞胞质中,为进一步研究BmBrat基因的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

家蚕化学感受蛋白CSP16的表达及结合特性分析

【目的】化学感受蛋白(chemosensory proteins,CSPs)在昆虫化学信号的感受识别和生长发育调节等生理过程具有重要作用。本研究旨在探索CSP16在家蚕Bombyx mori中的功能。【方法】利用RT-q PCR分析csp16在家蚕不同发育时期和不同组织的表达特征,用原核表达系统对家蚕CSP16进行表达纯化,并通过荧光结合实验检测该蛋白与不同配体化合物的结合特性。【结果】RT-q PCR结果表明,csp16在家蚕1-5龄幼虫中呈规律性表达,各龄期眠蚕中表达量最高,5龄第3天幼虫中主要表达于头、表皮、精巢和卵巢等。蜕皮激素(20E)处理后csp16在不同龄期幼虫和5龄幼虫不同组织中的表达量上调。纯化后CSP16的荧光结合实验表明,CSP16与醇类、酯类、醛类、酚类和苯环类等化合物的亲和力都较弱。【结论】csp16在家蚕不同龄期幼虫眠蚕中表达量最高,蜕皮激素使csp16在家蚕取食幼虫中的表达量出现上调,提示其可能参与家蚕幼虫的蜕皮过程。     

Glutamine synthetase activity during embryonic and larval development of the silkworm Bombyx mori L. and role of a JH analogue

Abstract. Silkworm eggs of diapause nature were chilled or treated with hydrochloric acid. Glutamine synthetase activity in such treated eggs was present soon after the treatment, whereas in non-diapause eggs it was not detectable until 24 h after the start of development. During larval life, the glutamine synthetase was found to be absent in midgut tissue. Topical application of a JH analogue resulted in extened larval duration and it reduced glutamine synthetase activity initially, but in the latter part of development the activity was higher.     

家蚕血细胞特异表达新基因Bm04862的鉴定及表达

通过家蚕组织芯片数据筛选得到家蚕血细胞特异表达基因Bm04862,并首次对该基因进行了克隆与鉴定。应用RACE技术获得该基因全长,并对其进行生物信息学分析。Bm4862基因开放阅读框819 bp,共编码273个氨基酸残基,预测其为跨膜蛋白;通过q RT-PCR技术对其时空表达情况进行分析;结果显示Bm04862基因在家蚕血细胞中特异高表达,并在4龄眠期和预蛹2 d时达到表达高峰;构建Bm04862真核表达载体,转染Sf9细胞分析其蛋白的亚细胞定位情况,结果表明其定位于细胞核膜和部分细胞质中。此外,用大肠杆菌刺激蚕体24 h后,Bm04862基因表达水平显著上调,表明大肠杆菌可以诱导该基因的表达,由此推测该基因可能参与家蚕的免疫应答。这为深入研究该基因在家蚕免疫反应中的功能提供了参考。     

Molecular characterization of DnaJ 5 homologs in silkworm Bombyx mori and its expression during egg diapause

A comparison of the cDNA sequences （1 056 bp） of Bombyx mori DnaJ 5 homolog with B. mori genome revealed that unlike in other Hsps, it has an intron of 234 bp. The DnaJ 5 homolog contains 351 amino acids, of which 70 contain the conserved DnaJ domain at the N-terminal end. This homolog orB. mori has all desirable functional domains similar to other insects, and the 13 different DnaJ homologs identified in B. mori genome were distributed on different chromosomes. The expressed sequence tag database analysis of Hsp40 gene expression revealed higher expression in wing disc followed by diapause-induced eggs. Microarray analysis revealed higher expression of DnaJ 5 homolog at 18th h after oviposition in diapause-induced eggs. Further validation of DnaJ 5 expression through qPCR in diapause-induced and nondiapause eggs at different time intervals revealed higher expression in diapause eggs at 18 and 24 h after oviposition, which coincided with the expression of Hsp70 as the Hsp 40 is its co-chaperone. This study thus provides an outline of the genome organization of lisp40 gene, and its role in egg diapause induction in B. mori.     

Cell cycles in embryos of the silkworm,Bombyx mori: G2-arrest at diapause stage

Summary In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, diapause occurs at a specific embryonic stage, i.e. after formation of the germ band with cephalic lobes and telson and sequential mesoderm segmentation. As long as the eggs are incubated at 25° C, cell divisions and morphological development of the embryos cease. To examine changes in percentage of embryonic cells in the G₁, S and G₂ phases during embryogenesis, nuclear fractions were isolated from embryos, stained with propidium iodide and then subjected to flow cytometric analysis. The percentages of embryonic cells in G₁, S and G₂ were 10, 35 and 55%, respectively, at the stage of formation of cephalic lobes, whilst 98% of cells were in G₂ at diapause stage. After termination of diapause by acclimation at 5° C or by a combination of chilling and HCl, cell division resumed in the embryos. During this period, the cells rapidly entered S phase through G₁ from G₂, suggesting that their G₁ phase was short. In eggs in which diapause was averted by HCl-treatment after incubation at 25° C for 20 h after oviposition, embryonic development proceeded continuously for 9.5 days at 25° C until hatching. Along with this development, the G₁ fraction increased to levels of about 90%. These results indicate that embryonic cells are arrested in G₂ at diapause and suggest that, concomitant with further embryonic development, cell cycles become slower in proportion to an increasing length of G₁. Finally, most of the cells may be arrested in G₁, while there is only a small fraction of cells continuously cycling. Offprint requests to: T. Yaginuma     

Ecdysteroids during early embryonic development in silkworm Bombyx mori: metabolism and functions

It has been well established that eggs of insects, including those of the silkworm Bombyx mori, contain various molecular species of ecdysteroids in free and conjugated forms. In B. mori eggs, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) is a physiologically active molecule. In nondiapause eggs, 20E is produced by the conversion of maternal conjugated ecdysteroids (ecdysteroid-phosphates) and by de novo biosynthesis. In contrast, in diapause eggs, neither of these metabolic processes occurs. In de novo biosynthesis of 20E in B. mori eggs, hydroxylation at the C-20 position of ecdysone, which is catalyzed by ecdysone 20-hydroxylase, is a rate-limiting step. Furthermore, we found that a novel enzyme, called ecdysteroid-phosphate phosphatase (EPPase), specifically catalyzes the conversion of ecdysteroid-phosphates to free ecdysteroids. The developmental changes in the expression pattern of EPPase mRNA correspond closely to changes in the enzyme activity and in the amounts of free ecdysteroids in eggs. EPPase is localized in the cytosol of yolk cells, and the bulk of maternal ecdysteroid-phosphates is bound to vitellin and stored in yolk granules. The vitellin-bound ecdysteroid-phosphates are scarcely hydrolyzed by EPPase. Therefore, to examine how ecdysteroid-phosphates are hydrolyzed by EPPase during embryonic development further investigations were focused on yolk granules. Recent data indicate that acidification in yolk granules, induced by vacuolar H(+)-ATPase, triggers the dissociation of ecdysteroid-phosphates from the vitellin-ecdysteroid-phosphates complex and the dissociated ecdysteroid-phosphates are released from yolk granules to the cytosol. To explain the process of the increase in the level of 20E during embryonic development in B. mori eggs, a possible model is proposed.