Project description:In germ cells, piRNAs are amplified through the Ping-Pong cycle that depends on reciprocal Slicer-mediated target RNA cleavage by two PIWI members. A germ-specific DEAD-box protein Vasa is required for the process. However, Vasa’s function is poorly understood. Here, we show that target RNAs cleaved by a Bombyx mori (silkworm) PIWI, Siwi, remain to be bound with the protein upon cleavage, but are released in the presence of Vasa in B. mori (BmVasa) and ATP. Under normal conditions, BmVasa co-purifies with Siwi, but not with second B. mori PIWI BmAgo3. However, when BmVasa loses the ATP-binding and RNA-unwinding activities, BmVasa avidly associates with Siwi and BmAgo3, which contains transposon transcripts predominantly in sense orientation, the sources of BmAgo3-piRNAs. Without BmVasa, BmAgo3 is devoid of piRNAs. Thus, BmVasa actively releases target RNAs from Siwi, upon its cleavage, to urge BmAgo3-piRNA complex formation in the Ping-Pong cycle, enabling continuous supply of piRNAs in germ cells.
Project description:Silkworm (Bombyx mori) is a holometabolous insect that plays a significant economic role in the production of silk. The trimolter silkworms have garnered significant interest among sericulturists owing to their superior filament fineness, shorter larval duration, and reduced labor inputs. These traits render the trimolter silkworms suitable for specialized raw silk manufacturing. However, some individuals from trimolter strains may undergo an additional molt, resulting in tetramolter silkworms. The cause of this change is unclear and is the focus of this study. The trimolter silkworm variety ‘Guangri 3’, characterized by stable molting traits, is a bivoltine strain, though occasional individuals may exhibit increased molting number. Thus, the research subjects were the ‘Guangri 3’ trimolter silkworms raised at 25°C in spring (Group A: trimolter individuals as TA and tetramolter variants with increased moltinism as FA) and at 30°C in autumn (Group B: the trimolter individuals as TB and tetramolter variants with increased moltinism as FB). Statistical analysis revealed that the incidence rates of FA and FB were 1.10% and 16.10%, respectively. Subsequently, RNA-seq analysis was conducted on distinct groups. The results showed that: In group A (FA vs TA), 1,044 genes were upregulated and 846 were downregulated. In the group B (FB vs TB), 808 genes were upregulated and 707 were downregulated. GO and KEGG enrichmentanalyses of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in both FA vs TA and FB vs TB comparisons revealed pathways associated with insect molting, such as chitin catabolism, which encompassed key gene families including CYP, CPR, and Rp. Furthermore, PPI network analysis of the FB vs TB group identified hub genes (e.g., Hsp83), whose potential role in molting alteration under high temperature warrants further investigation.
Project description:PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) bind to PIWI proteins to assemble the piRISC, which represses germline transposons. Maelstrom (Mael) is necessary for piRISC biogenesis in germ cells, but its function remains unclear. Here, we show that Mael interconnects Spindle-E (Spn-E), a key piRISC biogenesis factor, with unloaded Siwi, one of two silkworm PIWI members. Mael also assembles a subset of nuage, a non-membranous organelle involved in piRISC biogenesis. Loss of Mael abrogated the Spn-E–Siwi interaction and Ago3-piRISC biogenesis, but Siwi-piRISC was produced. Bioinformatic analysis showed that Siwi-bound piRNAs in Mael-lacking cells were rich in transposon-targeting piRNAs as in normal cells but were biased toward transposons that are marginally controlled by Siwi-piRISC. This explains the impairment in Ago3-piRISC production because transposon mRNAs cleaved by Siwi are the origin of Ago3-loaded piRNAs. We argue that Mael plays a role in the production of primary Siwi-piRISC capable of regulating transposon expression in germ cells.
Project description:Transcriptional characteristics of genes in the fat body of domestic silkworms after 24 h exposure to phoxim through whole-genome oligonucleotide microarray.
Project description:Transcriptional characteristics of genes in the fat body of domestic silkworms after 24 h exposure to phoxim through whole-genome oligonucleotide microarray. Transcriptional profiling of fat body in the domestic silkworms comparing control untreated fat body with phoxim-treated fat body Transcription profiling experiments, phoxim-treated fat body (samples) were analyzed. Dual-channel experiments, with test samples labeled by Cy5 and control samples labeled by Cy3. Three Biological replicate. No dye-swaps.
Project description:DNA methylation, as well as histone modifications, is an important regulatory mechanism for altered gene expressions. Our previous study has shown that Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) infection could change the level of trimethylation of lysine 9 of histone 3 (H3K9me3) and acetylation of lysine 9 of histone 3 (H3K9ac), thus regulating the mRNAs expressions in the midgut of silkworm, B. mori. However, the correlation between genome-scale DNA methylome and transcriptome remains underexplored. In this study, whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was performed on the midgut of BmCPV-infected silkworms at 48 h and 96 h post infection, and corresponding midguts of uninfected silkworms. And intersection genes were screened by correlation analysis between differentially methylated regions (DMR)-associated genes and differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Above analysis will contribute to further understanding how BmCPV regulate gene expression through epigenetic modification at the genome-wide level.