Transcriptomic landscape and chromatin accessibility uncover pivotal regulators driving programmed larval-larval molting in the domesticated silkworm.

ABSTRACT: Insects undergo periodic ecdysis to shed their old chitinous exoskeleton and form a new cuticular layer. The steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) is widely recognized as a central regulator of insect molting. Acting as a signaling molecule, 20E pulses orchestrate gene expression in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion. However, investigations into the transcriptomic and epigenomic alterations linked to dynamic 20E fluctuations remain limited. In this study, we explored the temporal dynamics of epidermal transcriptomes and genome-wide chromatin accessibility during the larval-larval molting cycle of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Our results unveiled pronounced shifts in gene expression and chromatin architecture between early and late molting stages, correlating with ascending and d

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12380352 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature