家蚕BmRpt4基因在翅膀发育中的功能研究

【目的】研究分析编码蛋白酶体调控复合物亚基基因BmRpt4(Regulatoryparticletriple-A ATPase4,BGIBMGA010794)在家蚕翅膀发育过程中的功能。【方法】利用CRISPR/Cas9基因组编辑技术,将BmRpt4的gRNAs和Cas9mRNA直接注射到家蚕胚胎中,观察G0代家蚕个体雏翅率,并分析雏翅个体中BmRpt4基因突变情况。【结果】经统计,对照组G0代家蚕个体均表现为正常翅,而实验组注射BmRpt4的gRNAs和Cas9 mRNA后,G0代约66.7%家蚕个体表现出小翅表型。在分子水平上对小翅表型个体进行检测,发现BmRpt4基因在两个gRNA及其之间位置均有不同长度片段的缺失或者插入,说明在这些突变个体中BmRpt4基因被不同程度的敲除,从而其功能缺失,导致出现小翅表型。【结论】该研究结果表明编码蛋白酶体调控亚基的BmRpt4基因在家蚕翅膀发育中具有重要作用,为蛋白酶体在生物组织器官发育中调控作用研究提供重要实验依据。     

CRISPR/Cas9系统在昆虫中的应用

CRISPR/Cas9(clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR-associated nuclease 9)技术是一种RNA引导的基因组靶向编辑技术,能对基因组序列进行精确编辑,在探究基因功能、修复受损基因、沉默有害基因、改良品质性状等方面具有广阔的应用前景。近年来,随着对CRISPR/Cas9系统研究的不断深入和改造,该系统以其操作简易、省时、高效等优点在生物学研究的众多领域中得以推广和应用,特别是在果蝇(Bombyx mori)、家蚕(silkworm)、埃及伊蚊(Aedes aegypti)和蝴蝶(butterfly)等多种昆虫中。本文概述了CRISPR/Cas9的结构、作用原理及发展优化,总结了CRISPR/Cas9导入昆虫的策略和在昆虫中的应用,以及对CRISPR/Cas9系统产生脱靶问题的应对策略,以期对经济昆虫和有益昆虫的分子育种、害虫的生物技术防控等研究提供参考。     

基因组编辑技术在昆虫功能基因组研究中的应用

基因组编辑技术是在生物基因组水平上对靶标序列进行定点编辑的一种重要手段。近年来,锌指核酸酶技术(ZFNs)、类转录激活因子核酸酶技术(TALENs)、成簇且规律间隔的短回文重复序列和相关Cas蛋白的DNA核酸内切酶系统(CRISPR/Cas)等基因组编辑技术的相继问世,为功能基因组的研究提供了有效的实验手段。这3种基因组编辑技术的基本工作原理都是通过定点切割基因组DNA双链,从而诱导内源性的修复机制产生定点突变。通过介绍这3种技术的国内外研究现状及发展趋势探讨了基因组编辑技术在昆虫科学中的应用发展前景。     

转录因子在植物进化和抗逆中的作用

植物基因的表达调控是一个复杂且精准的网络系统,一般包括转录水平和翻译水平二个层次.转录水平的调控发生在基因表达的初期,是许多基因表达调控的主要方式.在此调控过程中,被称为转录因子的蛋白质特异结合到靶基因的顺式作用元件上,控制着一系列相关基因的表达,在植物生长发育、物种起源和逆境胁迫应答过程中起着非常重要的作用,是生物遗传多样性的重要遗传基础.由于转录因子的重要作用,人们对其作用机理的理解也日渐深入.根据近期的研究进展,本文就转录因子在植物驯化、生物和非生物逆境胁迫方面的工作进行概括梳理,希望读者对此领域有一个比较深入和系统的认识,同时也能为挖掘具有关键功能的转录因子,提高重要农作物的遗传改良效率提供借鉴.     

家蚕FoxG转录因子的鉴定及其在精巢发育中的功能初探

[目的]Fox家族蛋白是调控动物发育的关键转录因子.本文分析了鳞翅目昆虫家蚕Bombyxmori的BmFoxG亚家族蛋白在精巢发育中的作用,为基于生殖系统的家蚕性状优化或害虫不育技术的开发提供理论依据.[方法]利用PCR克隆家蚕BmFoxG-1 和 BmFoxG-2基因;通过生物信息学工具对BmFoxG蛋白的结构及理化性质进行分析;采用qPCR技术检测BmFoxG基因在家蚕不同发育阶段的精巢中的表达变化;在家蚕Bm12细胞株中过表达BmFoxG-1,并通过qRT-PCR分析BmFoxG-1调控的靶基因.[结果]本文克隆获得了 BmFoxG-1(933 bp)和 BmFoxG-2(702 bp)两个基因.BmFoxG-1 和 BmFoxG-2蛋白均包含保守的Forkhead结构域,但BmFoxG-1蛋白在C端多出约60个氨基酸.BmFoxG-2基因在家蚕不同发育时期的精巢中的表达量均较低;BmFoxG-1 的表达均显着高于BmFoxG-2,且随着发育时期而变化,暗示BmFoxG-1参与精巢的发育.生殖细胞发育基因BmVasa、BmCyclinA等多个细胞周期基因以及精子鞭毛发育相关基因BMSK0009828在不同发育阶段的精巢中的表达趋势与BmFoxG-1类似,且BmFoxG-1在家蚕细胞中的过表达可以显著上调BmVasa、BmCyclinA和BMSK0009828等精巢发育相关基因的表达.[结论]我们推测BmFoxG-1蛋白可能通过调节精巢细胞周期或生殖细胞的功能来调节家蚕精巢的发育.     

CRISPR/Cas系统及其在昆虫基因功能研究中的应用

近年来在众多细菌和古细菌中发现一类成簇的、有规律间隔的短回文重复序列(clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,CRISPR)结构家族,通过对其及相关基因(CRISPR-associated genes,Cas gene)的系统研究得知,它是生物体长期进化形成的获得性免疫系统,由RNA介导,降解入侵病毒或者噬菌体DNA。众多研究者将CRISPR/Cas系统改造成第三代人工核酸酶,用于靶向编辑基因组,目前已广泛应用于人类细胞、小鼠、大鼠、斑马鱼、细菌、果蝇、酵母、线虫等。综述了此系统的基本结构、原理及在昆虫上的应用、展望前景,为今后开展昆虫基因功能研究提供一定的技术参考。     

家蚕Fox转录因子在精巢中的表达特征及BmFoxL2在精巢发育中的功能初探

Fox家族蛋白广泛存在于植物以外的物种中,是一类与发育相关的重要转录因子.但是不同Fox基因在鳞翅目昆虫家蚕Bombyx mori精巢中的表达特征,以及BmFoxL2亚家族蛋白在精巢发育中的功能未知.本文检测了家蚕12个BmFox基因在家蚕精巢中的表达量,发现BmFoxL2-2的表达量最高,BmFoxL2-1次之.Bm...     

DNA条形码在鳞翅目昆虫中的应用

2003年,Hebert等提出DNA条形码后,快速而精确的特点使它在物种鉴定中得到了广泛的应用。鳞翅目是昆虫纲中第二大目,其物种鉴定任务复杂而艰巨,因此DNA条形码具有广阔的应用前景。该文主要针对DNA条形码概况以及近年来它在鳞翅目昆虫中的研究情况予以综述。     

CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑技术在丝状真菌中的应用

随着对丝状真菌基因水平研究的不断深入,CRISPR/Cas9技术作为先进的基因编辑技术,已被广泛应用于丝状真菌的基因编辑。探究了CRISPR/Cas9系统在不同丝状真菌中的应用情况,主要从sgRNA的构建与表达、Cas9蛋白的改造与表达、不同的DNA双链断裂修复（DNA double-strand break,DSB）方式等方面进行概述,并对编辑效率、脱靶效应进行总结,旨在为今后丝状真菌中CRISPR/Cas9系统的构建及改良提供思路。     

A palmitoyltransferase Approximated gene Bm-app regulates wing development in Bombyx mori

The silkworm Bombyx mori is an important lepidopteran model insect in which many kinds of natural mutants have been identified.However,molecular mechanisms of most of these mutants remain to be explored.Here we report the identification of a gene Bm-app is responsible for the silkworm minute wing(mw)mutation which exhibits exceedingly small wings during pupal and adult stages.Compared with the wild type silkworm,relative messenger RNA expression of Bm-app is significantly decreased in the ul 1 mutant strain which shows mw phenotype.A 10 bp insertion in the putative promoter region of the Bm-app gene in mw mutant strain was identified and the dual luciferase assay revealed that this insertion decreased Bm-app promoter activity.Furthermore,clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/RNA-guided Cas9 nucleases-mediated depletion of the Bm-app induced similar wing defects which appeared in the mw mutant,demonstrating that Bm-app controls wing development in B.mori.Bm-app encodes a palmitoyltransferase and is responsible for the palmitoylation of selected cytoplasmic proteins,indicating that it is required for cell mitosis and growth during wing development.We also discuss the possibility that Bm-app regulates wing development through the Hippo signaling pathway in B.mori.     

Effects of Diflubenzuron on the Development of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the effects of diflubenzuron (DFB) on the growth and development of the silkworm, Bombyx mori (L.). The DFB treatment extended abnormally the larval duration and affected negatively on larval spinning of the 5th instar. All the larvae treated with high DFB concentration (2.5 × 10^-1 and 2.5x 10^-1μg/μl) lost their spinning capability and finally died, whereas 62% of larvae treated with low DFB concentration (2.5 × 10^-1μg/μl)) spinned cocoon. The larval weights depended sensitively on the DFB treatment period rather than on the DFB concentration. The DFB treatment decreased the larval maturity less than 6% without regard to the concentration and treatment period. All the larva, when treated with DFB before the 5th days of the 5th instar, were not matured.     

家蚕CRISPR/Cpf1基因编辑系统建立

自CRISPR/Cas9基因编辑系统成功应用于模式生物以来,因其快速、高效、便捷等特点,广泛应用于基因功能研究、基因治疗和基因工程等研究领域.与此同时,CRISPR/Cas系统不断在微生物界的发现也加速了新的基因编辑工具的不断涌现.CRISPR/Cpf1是第二类(Ⅴ型)能够编辑哺乳动物基因组的CRISPR系统,相比于C...     

CRISPR/Cas9-based knockout reveals that the clock gene timeless is indispensable for regulating circadian behavioral rhythms in Bombyx mori

Circadian rhythms, which are ubiquitous and adaptive, occur across all species, from microbes to humans, in which they organize and modify behavior and physiology. timeless (tim) is a canonical clock gene. The core composition of the Drosophila melanogaster endogenous circadian clock has been extensively investigated; however, in lepidopteran insects, including Bombyx mori, the mechanism is complicated and little is known regarding the participation of tim in the negative feedback loop responsible for behavioral activities. To arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the role of tim in the B. mori endogenous circadian clock, we exploited the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 gene editing system. We attempted to elucidate the functions of tim in the circadian clock of B. mori using Bmtim mutants. The knockouts affected two circadian behavioral activities: adult emergence and embryo hatching rhythms. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction results confirmed that tim-knockouts induced relative reductions in the expression levels, and thereby the oscillation amplitudes, of Bmper and Bmclk messenger RNAs during both the photophase and scotophase. Additionally, the daily rhythmic expression of Bmdbt was upregulated in the photophase and downregulated in the scotophase in a tim-knockout. Our study reveals that tim is integral to the B. mori circadian clock and may be involved in regulating eclosion and hatching rhythms.     

Depletion of juvenile hormone esterase extends larval growth in Bombyx mori

Two major hormones, juvenile hormone (JH) and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), regulate insect growth and development according to their precisely coordinated titres, which are controlled by both biosynthesis and degradation pathways. Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) is the primary JH-specific degradation enzyme that plays a key role in regulating JH titers, along with JH epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) and JH diol kinase (JHDK). In the current study, a loss-of-function analysis of JHE in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, was performed by targeted gene disruption using the transgenic CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/RNA-guided Cas9 nucleases) system. Depletion of B. mori JHE (BmJHE) resulted in the extension of larval stages, especially the penultimate and ultimate larval stages, without deleterious effects to silkworm physiology. The expression of JHEH and JHDK was upregulated in mutant animals, indicating the existence of complementary routes in the JH metabolism pathway in which inactivation of one enzyme will activate other enzymes. RNA-Seq analysis of mutant animals revealed that genes involved in protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum and in amino acid metabolism were affected by BmJHE depletion. Depletion of JHE and subsequent delayed JH metabolism activated genes in the TOR pathway, which are ultimately responsible for extending larval growth. The transgenic Cas9 system used in the current study provides a promising approach for analysing the actions of JH, especially in nondrosophilid insects. Furthermore, prolonging larval stages produced larger larvae and cocoons, which is greatly beneficial to silk production.     

Expansion of CRISPR targeting sites in Bombyx mori

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been proven as a revolutionary genome engineering tool. In most cases, single guide RNA (sgRNA) targeting sites have been designed as GN19NGG or GGN18NGG, because of restriction of the initiation nucleotide for RNA Pol III promoters. Here, we demonstrate that the U6 promoter from a lepidopteran model insect, Bombyx mori, effectively expressed the sgRNA initiated with any nucleotide bases (adenine, thymine, guanine or cytosine), which further expands the CRISPR targeting space. A detailed expansion index in the genome was analysed when N20NGG was set as the CRISPR targeting site instead of GN19NGG, and revealed a significant increase of suitable targets, with the highest increase occurring on the Z sex chromosome. Transfection of different types of N20NGG sgRNAs targeting the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) combined with Cas9, significantly reduced EGFP expression in the BmN cells. An endogenous gene, BmBLOS2, was also disrupted by using various types of N20NGG sgRNAs, and the cleavage efficiency of N20NGG sgRNAs with different initial nucleotides and GC contents was evaluated in vitro. Furthermore, transgenic silkworms expressing Cas9 and sgRNAs targeting the BmBLOS2 gene were generated with many types of mutagenesis. The typical transparent skin phenotype in knock-out silkworms was stable and inheritable, suggesting that N20NGG sgRNAs function sufficiently in vivo. Our findings represent a renewal of CRISPR/Cas9 target design and will greatly facilitate insect functional genetics research.