Behaviors of nucleus, basal bodies and microtubules during eupyrene and apyrene spermiogenesis in the silkworm, Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera)

Observations with immunostaining for tubulin and electron microscopy revealed that silkworm eupyrene spermiogenesis was characterized by an attachment of the basal body to the nucleus except in the period of movement for unidirectional arrangement. In young eupyrene sperm, a microtubule basket caught the nucleus, which thereafter was transformed elliptically. Microtubules were also observed along the elongated acrosome and mitochondrial derivatives. During apyrene spermiogenesis, however, the basal body was not attached to the nucleus and approached the head cyst cell after the completion of unidirectional arrangement, leaving the round nucleus in the middle of the cell. The presence or absence of the phenomenon in which the basal body attaches to the nucleus seems to be essential in the course of diverse spermatogenesis of the silkworm.     

Apyrene sperm from the triploid donors restore fecundity of cryopreserved semen in Bombyx mori

Female moths of Bombyx mori were artificially inseminated with cryopreserved semen. The fertility of inseminated females varied from 0% to 76.9% depending on the strain. Addition of fresh semen from triploid males, which are infertile but whose semen includes intact apyrene sperm, greatly improved fecundity of cryopreserved semen from normal males. Frozen apyrene sperm from the triploid donors also improved the fecundity of females, inseminated with cryopreserved normal semen, but less than fresh semen from triploid males. Fertilization success in B. mori requires the presence of both, intact eupyrene and apyrene sperm. Our results show that eupyrene sperm tolerate the cryopreservation process better than apyrene sperm. Hence, we recommend to add apyrene sperm from the triploid donors as helper sperm routinely to cryopreserved semen in artificial insemination. This may advance the application of cryopreservation as a routine technique to maintain silkworm resources. The technique may also be applicable to other moth and butterfly species which, like B. mori, possess eupyrene and apyrene sperm.     

Glucose and ecdysteroid increase apyrene sperm production in in vitro cultivation of spermatocysts of Bombyx mori

Two types of sperm, nucleate eupyrene and anucleate apyrene, occur in the silkworm as in other lepidopteran species. Hormones and other substances have been assumed to play important roles in sperm dimorphism. We established an in vitro cultivation system for silkworm spermatocytes, and found that apyrene sperm are not produced when spermatocytes from larval testes are cultivated, though eupyrene spermatocytes develop normally into mature sperm. Based on the fact that ecdysteroid titers increase rapidly and peak 1 day after spinning, and that the amount of glycogen reaches its peak 1 day before the spinning stage, we studied the effects of adding glucose and/or 20-hydroxyecdysone to the culture medium. The experiments disclosed a significant additive effect of both substances on apyrene sperm production.     

Giant nebenkern produced by colcemid treatment of the spermatocysts of the silkworm,Bombyx mori

Summary The silkworm spermatocysts isolated from testes were cultured for 24 h in a medium containing 1 g of colcemid per ml, which is an inhibitor of tubulin association to microtubules. In the present experiment, the suppression of meiotic division I by this treatment resulted in the formation of a giant nebenkern in the primary spermatocyte. Normally, the nebenkern, an organelle in which all the cell's mitochondria aggregate, is formed in the spermatids of insects and changes into elongated mitochondrial derivatives. After washing with the culture medium without colcemid, the cell bearing the giant nebenkern grew to be a sperm with four flagella. When meiotic division II was blocked, the secondary spermatocytes with a nebenkern appeared and the further culture resulted in sperm with two flagella. These results suggest that the formation of a nebenkern is a necessary step toward the final stages of spermiogenesis.     

Participation of d-serine in the development and reproduction of the silkworm Bombyx mori

The silkworm Bombyx mori contains high concentrations of free d-serine, an optical isomer of l-serine. To elucidate its function, we first investigated the localization of d-serine in various organs of silkworm larvae, pupae, and adult moths. Using immunohistochemical analysis with an anti-d-serine antibody, we found d-serine in the microvilli of midgut goblet and cylindrical cells and in peripheral matrix components of testicular and ovarian cells. By spectrophotometric analysis, d-serine was also found in the hemolymph and fat body. d-Alanine was not detected in the various organs by immunohistochemistry. Serine racemase, which catalyzes the inter-conversion of l- and d-serine, was found to co-localize with d-serine, and d-serine production from l-serine by intrinsic serine racemase was suggested. O-Phospho-l-serine is an inhibitor of serine racemase, and it was administered to the larvae to reduce the d-serine level. This reagent decreased the midgut caspase-3 level and caused a delay in spermatogenesis and oogenesis. The reagent also decreased mature sperm and egg numbers, suggesting d-serine participation in these processes. d-Serine administration induced an increase in pyruvate levels in testis, midgut, and fat body, indicating conversion of d-serine to pyruvate. On the basis of these results, together with our previous investigation of ATP biosynthesis in testis, we consider the possible involvement of d-serine in ATP synthesis for metamorphosis and reproduction.     

Behavior of centrioles during meiosis in the male silkworm, Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera)

The behavior of centrioles during eupyrene and apyrene meiosis was examined in the silkworm, Bombyx mori , by transmission electron microscopy and indirect immunofluorescence for tubulin. In eupyrene spermatocytes the centrioles, accompanied by axonemes, attached temporarily to the nucleus at diplotene, then detached from the nucleus in diakinesis. After the separation, a beret-shaped structure consisting of a double membrane covered the proximal region of the pair of centrioles. The structure disappeared after breakdown of the nuclear membrane. The centriole, with the axoneme, reattached to the nucleus at telophase I. The process was repeated during meiosis II until the centrioles maintained their nuclear attachment in newly developed spermatids. In stark contrast to their eupyrene counterparts, apyrene spermatocytes were conspicuously devoid of any attachment of the centrioles to the nucleus. These eupyrene-specific and apyrene-specific relationships were consistently and repeatedly found between the nuclear membrane and centrioles, giving rise to suspicion that the behavioral phenomena may be related to differentiation of the dimorphic sperm types.     

Eupyrene sperm migrates to spermatheca after apyrene sperm in the swallowtail butterfly, Papilio xuthus L. (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

When swallowtail butterflies, Papilio xuthus, are mated by the hand-pairing method, both types of sperm, eupyrene and apyrene sperm, are transferred from the male to the spermatheca via the spermatophore in the bursa copulatrix. This mechanism is demonstrated by two different kinds of experiments. The first set of experiments employed interrupted copulation, and the second set was examination of the sperm in the spermatophore and spermatheca after the termination of copulation. The sperm was transferred 30 min after the start of copulation. The eupyrene sperm was still in the bundle; the number of the bundles ranged from 9 to 108 (mean, 42.7; n = 27). The bundles were gradually released after the completion of copulation, and the free eupyrene spermatozoa then remained in the spermatophore at least 2 h before migrating to the spermatheca. On the other hand, about 160 000 apyrene spermatozoa were transferred to the spermatophore and remained there for more than 1 h. We observed 11 000 apyrene spermatozoa in the spermatheca 12 h after the completion of copulation, but most of this type of sperm disappeared shortly thereafter. In contrast, the eupyrene sperm arrived in the spermatheca more than 1 day after the completion of copulation and remained there at least 1 week. Therefore, these findings suggest that apyrene sperm migrate from the spermatophore to the spermatheca earlier than eupyrene sperm. Accordingly, if females mated multiply, the time difference might avoid the mixing of sperm. In addition, the predominance of sperm from the last mating session may occur not in the bursa copulatrix but in the spermatheca. Received: January 7, 2000 / Accepted: May 24, 2000     

Study on fibroin heavy chain of the silkworm Bombyx mori by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)

The sericulture industry plays a very important role in our national economy. Silkworm (Bombyx mori) is always regarded as a model animal and biological reactor. There have been detailed studies on the structure, expression and control and molecular evolution of silk genes. However, few, if any, reports are available on the localization of structural genes in silkworm by molecular cytogenetics. The present experiment has tentatively localized the Fib-H gene at the distal end of the 25th linkage group, namely at the 25-0.0 position, and verified that Fib-H has only one locus, thus providing a temporary solution to the problem about its localization.     

Functions and substrates of NEDDylation during cell cycle in the silkworm,Bombyx mori

NEDDylation, a post-translational modification mediated by the conjugation of the ubiquitin-like protein Nedd8 to specific substrates, is an essential biological process that regulates cell cycle progression in eukaryotes. Here, we report the conservation of NEDDylation machinery and NEDDylated proteins in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. We have identified all the components necessary for reversible NEDDylation in the silkworm including Nedd8, E1, E2, E3, and deNEDDylation enzymes. By the approach of RNAi-mediated gene silencing, it was shown that knockdown of BmNedd8 and the conjugating enzymes decreased the global level of NEDDylation, while knockdown of deNEDDylation enzymes increased the prevalence of this modification in cultured silkworm cells. Moreover, the lack of the NEDDylation system caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and resulted in defects in chromosome congression and segregation. Using the wild-type and mutants of BmNedd8, we identified the specific substrates of BmNedd8, which are involved in the regulation for many cellular processes, including ribosome biogenesis, spliceosome structure, spindle formation, metabolism, and RNA biogenesis. This clearly demonstrates that the NEDDylation system is able to control multiple pathways in the silkworm. Altogether, the information on the functions and substrates of the NEDDylation system presented here could provide a basis for future investigations of protein NEDDylation and its regulatory mechanism on cell cycle progression in the silkworm.     

Characterization of Tudor-sn-containing granules in the silkworm,Bombyx mori

The Tudor-sn protein, which contains four staphylococcal nuclease domains and a Tudor domain, is a ubiquitous protein found in almost all organisms. It has been reported that Tudor-sn in mammals participates in various cellular pathways involved in gene regulation, cell growth, and development. In insects, we have previously identified a Tudor-sn ortholog in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and detected its interactions between with Argonaute proteins. The role of Tudor-sn in silkworm, however, still remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that silkworm Tudor-sn is a stress granule (SG) protein, and determined its interactions with other SG proteins using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation assay and Insect Two-Hybrid method. Depletions of Argonaute proteins and SG-marker protein Tia1 by RNAi impaired the involvement of Tudor-sn in the SG formation. Protein domain deletion analysis of Tudor-sn demonstrated that SN2 is the key domain required for the aggregation of Tudor-sn in SGs.     

Correlation between yield and biochemical parameters in the mulberry silkworm,Bombyx mori L

A detailed study was carried out on six biochemical parameters and four yield attributes using multiple regression analysis to investigate their relationship in the mulberry silkworm,Bombyx mori. The study generated new information on the importance of digestive amylase activity for the survival of the silkworm and revealed the inability of other enzymes to affect this relationship. Data also substantiate the observations made earlier on the genetic variability of amylase in the mulberry silkworm. Analyses extend the positive role of alkaline phosphatase and invertase in the expression of the other yield traits studied and indicate the definite possibility of using biochemical markers for silkworm breeding.     

BmPMFBP1 regulates the development of eupyrene sperm in the silkworm,Bombyx mori

Sperm deliver the male complement of DNA to the ovum, and thus play a key role in sexual reproduction. Accordingly, spermatogenesis has outstanding significance in fields as disparate as infertility treatments and pest-control, making it a broadly interesting and important focus for molecular genetics research in a wide range of species. Here we investigate spermatogenesis in the model lepidopteran insect Bombyx mori (silkworm moth), with particular focus on the gene PMFBP1 (polyamine modulated factor 1 binding protein 1). In humans and mouse, PMFBP1 is essential for spermatogenesis, and mutations of this gene are associated with acephalic spermatozoa, which cause infertility. We identified a B. mori gene labeled as “PMFBP1” in GenBank’s RefSeq database and sought to assess its role in spermatogenesis. Like in mammals, the silkworm version of this gene (BmPMFBP1) is specifically expressed in testes. We subsequently generated BmPMFBP1 mutants using a transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 system. Mutant males were sterile while the fertility of mutant females was comparable to wildtype females. In B. mori, spermatogenesis yields two types of sperm, the nucleated fertile eupyrene sperm, and anucleated unfertile apyrene sperm. Mutant males produced abnormal eupyrene sperm bundles but normal apyrene sperm bundles. For eupyrene sperm, nuclei were mislocated and disordered inside the bundles. We also found the BmPMFBP1 deficiency blocked the release of eupyrene sperm bundles from testes to ejaculatory seminalis. We found no obvious abnormalities in the production of apyrene sperm in mutant males, and double-matings with apyrene-deficient sex-lethal mutants rescued the ΔBmPMFBP1 infertility phenotype. These results indicate BmPMFBP1 functions only in eupyrene spermatogenesis, and highlight that distinct genes underlie the development of the two sperm morphs commonly found in Lepidoptera. Bioinformatic analyses suggest PMFBP1 may have evolved independently in lepidoptera and mammals, and that despite the shared name, are likely not homologous genes.     

Chromosomal localization of silkworm (Bombyx mori) sericin gene 1 and chymotrypsin inhibitor 13 using fluorescence in situ hybridization

The chromosomal locations of two single-copy genes, Ser-1 and CI-13, in silkworm (Bombyx mori) were detected at the molecular cytogenetics level by fluorescence in situ hybridization in the study. The results showed that Ser-1 is located near the distal end of the 11th linkage group, relatively at the 12.5±1.4 position in pachytene; and that CI-13 has been mapped near the distal end of the 2nd linkage group, relatively at the 8.2±1.2 position in pachytene. Furthermore, their location model map-FISH map on silkworm chromosome was drawn. The FISH technique and its application to silkworm are also discussed in this paper.     

Presence of eupyrene spermatozoa in vestibulum accelerates oviposition in the silkworm moth,Bombyx mori

In the silkmoth, Bombyx mori, mating accelerates egg laying. Sterilized males did not induce females to oviposit, whereas artificial insemination was enough to accelerate oviposition. These findings showed that mechanical stimulation of the outer reproductive organs and the bursa copulatrix (BC) had no effect on oviposition. Factors included in seminal fluids also did not stimulate oviposition because neither implantation of female internal reproductive organs nor injection of the spermatophore extract into virgin females activated oviposition. Preventing sperm precedence by experimental removal of the BC or spermatheca inhibited activation of egg laying. More precise surgeries on the spermatheca showed that the main factor for eliciting oviposition was the presence of matured and fertile eupyrene spermatozoa in the vestibulum. Sperm were not effective unless they reached the vestibulum. Nerve transection and electrophysiological studies revealed that nerve 4 of the terminal abdominal ganglion was the pathway by which the mating signal was transmitted toward the higher central nervous system.     

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.     

Serpin-5 regulates prophenoloxidase activation and antimicrobial peptide pathways in the silkworm,Bombyx mori

The prophenoloxidase (PPO) activation pathway and Toll pathway are two critical insect immune responses against microbial infection. Activation of these pathways is mediated by an extracellular serine protease cascade, which is negatively regulated by serpins. In this study, we found that the mRNA abundance of silkworm serpin-5 (BmSpn-5) increased dramatically in the fat body after bacterial infection. The expression level of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), gloverin-3, cecropin-D and -E decreased in the silkworm larvae injected with recombinant BmSpn-5 protein. Meanwhile, the inhibition of beads melanization, systemic melanization and PPO activation by BmSpn-5 was also observed. By means of immunoaffinity purification and analysis by mass spectrometry, we identified that the silkworm clip domain serine proteases BmHP6 and BmSP21 form a complex with BmSpn-5, which suggests that BmHP6 and SP21 are the cognate proteases of BmSpn-5 and are essential in the serine protease cascade that activates the Toll and PPO pathways. Our study provides a comprehensive characterization of BmSpn-5 and sheds light on the multiple pathways leading to PPO activation and their regulation by serpins.     

Vertical transmission of nucleopolyhedrovirus in the silkworm, Bombyx mori L

Nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) was tested for vertical transmission in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Fifth instar larvae were exposed to four different dosages of BmNPV (830, 1300, 1800, and 2000OBs/larva) and a dosage of about 2000OBs/larva was found suitable for obtaining infected adults. Histopathological studies revealed the infection in susceptible tissues and organs initially, and at later stages of infection cycles the spermatocytes and nurse cells in the young oocytes were infected in the larval rudiments of testis and ovary, respectively. The mating of infected females with uninfected males resulted in significant reduction in fecundity (P < 0.01) and hatching of eggs (P < 0.001) due to transovarial transmission of BmNPV. Mating tests of uninfected females and infected males also confirmed venereal transmission as there was a significant reduction in hatching of eggs (P < 0.01). Further, among the F1 hybrid offspring (infected female x uninfected male) that were infected transovarially, larval progeny died at first and second instar stages, whereas those infected venereally developed acute lethal infection late and died by the end of third and fourth instar stage. PCR amplification and sequencing of 473bp of immediate early-1 (ie-1) gene of BmNPV isolated from the viral-infected parent and the F1 offspring confirmed that the viral infection is vertically transmitted to the progeny.     

Molecular identification of the strains of the domestic silkworm,Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), which are endemic to Korea,based on single nucleotide polymorphisms in mitochondrial genome sequences

The domestic silkworm, Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), has been diversified into various strains over a long period. However, methods to distinguish silkworm strains remain limited partially owing to the genetic similarity caused by the long history of domestication. In this study, we developed molecular identification methods to distinguish three domestic silkworm strains, which are endemic to Korea. By comparing publicly available complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences of five endemic strains and 34 stock silkworm strains analyzed in a previous study, we detected 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; SNP1–SNP15), which distinguished the following three endemic strains: Sun7ho (SN7), Sandongsammyeon (SDS), and Sammyeonhonghoeback (SMH). We used two SNPs for each strain to identify the three endemic strains. To distinguish each SN7 and SDS from the remaining four endemic and 34 stock strains, the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism method was employed using Acu I and Hpa I restriction enzymes, which recognize SNP1 and SNP8, respectively. Additionally, the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system PCR method was used to determine the regions containing SNP3, SNP11, and both SNP14 and SNP15 to distinguish SN7, SDS, and SMH, respectively, from the remaining strains. A validation test with additional individuals showed that each target strain was clearly recognized, suggesting that mitogenome SNP-based methods can be used to identify three endemic silkworm strains during culture and breeding.     

20E诱导家蚕抗菌肽CecropinB6的上调表达

蜕皮激素(20-hydroxyecdysone, 20E)是调控昆虫发育的重要激素,在昆虫的蜕皮和变态中起关键作用。近年来的研究表明,20E也调控昆虫抗菌肽的表达,揭示昆虫的发育和免疫之间具有重要的联系。家蚕是重要的经济昆虫,家蚕抗菌肽对蜕皮激素(20E)的应答及其调控机制仍有待研究。本文利用20E注射家蚕5龄第3天幼虫,qRT-PCR结果表明20E处理的脂肪体中抗菌肽CecropinB6基因(BmCecB6)的表达上调。通过对抗菌肽BmCecB6上游启动子的截短和双荧光素酶活性分析,结果显示BmCecB6响应20E的调控位点在启动子-448～-170区域,该区域内存在潜在的FoxO、E74A和BR-C等结合位点。本研究表明20E抑制了ILS通路水平,暗示ILS下游的转录因子FoxO被激活。进一步对BmCecB6的启动子进行FoxO结合位点的缺失突变,双荧光素酶检测结果表明20E对BmCecB6的诱导活性并没有丧失,推测BmCecB6对20E的应答不是通过转录因子FoxO结合BmCecB6启动子中的顺式调控元件直接调控的。20E激活BmCecB6表达的分子调控机制还需要进一步深入研究。     

家蚕醛氧化酶基因（BmAOXs）的鉴定与表达分析

醛氧化酶（aldehyde oxidases, AO, EC 1.2.3.1）是属于钼-黄素酶（molybdo-flavoenzymes, MFEs）家族的一类蛋白酶。为了探讨该酶在家蚕Bombyx mori中的功能, 本研究对家蚕醛氧化酶基因（BmAOXs）家族进行了鉴定和分析。以其他物种AO基因序列检索家蚕全基因组数据库, 获得了8个BmAOX候选基因, 均具有醛氧化酶保守的功能域。进化分析表明, BmAOX与其他昆虫AO聚为一簇。RT-PCR分析结果显示: BmAOX1, BmAOX2, BmAOX3, BmAOX5具有很强的组织特异性; 而BmAOX4, BmAOX6, BmAOX7, BmAOX8则在蛹和成虫的多个组织中均有表达, 提示它们在家蚕生理代谢活动中起重要作用。利用Native PAGE和活性染色方法, 对BmAOX编码的蛋白进行检测, 结果表明: 家蚕蛹中有5种有活性的醛氧化酶, 而成虫中有6种, 各组织中均有有活性的BmAOX, 只是种类和活性水平有所不同。本研究结果为深入探讨BmAOX家族的功能奠定了基础。