Sun Xia, Zhang Shu, Qin Sheng, Hou Chengxiang, Zhang Guozheng, Li Muwang
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
J Econ Entomol. 2018 Dec 14;111(6):2876-2883. doi: 10.1093/jee/toy235.
The silk gland (SG) is characterized by the synthesis and secretion of silk protein in the economically important silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). Nd and Nd-s are two fibroin-secretion-deficient silkworm mutants. MicroRNA (miRNA) plays an important role in many biological processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Using the Dazao silkworm as a control, we explored the miRNA expression profiles in the SGs of u02 (Nd) and u05 (Nd-s) to reveal the potential functions of miRNAs in silk protein expression and SG development. Here, we sequenced small RNA libraries made from the whole SGs of three strains. There are 260, 236, and 233 known miRNAs and 20, 18, and 18 potential new miRNAs identified from Dazao, u02, and u05, respectively. Fifty-three miRNAs are differentially expressed between Dazao and u02, 51 between Dazao and u05, and 16 between u02 and u05. Gene ontology/KEGG analyses show that most of the predicted target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs were assigned to functional categories involved in cell proliferation, organ development, and cellular compartment structures. The miRNA expression profile of naked silkworms will pave the way for the understanding of SG development and the regulation of silk protein expression.
在具有重要经济价值的家蚕（鳞翅目：蚕蛾科）中，丝腺（SG）的特征在于丝蛋白的合成与分泌。Nd和Nd-s是两种丝心蛋白分泌缺陷型家蚕突变体。微小RNA（miRNA）在许多生物学过程中发挥着重要作用，如细胞增殖、分化和凋亡。以大造蚕为对照，我们探究了u02（Nd）和u05（Nd-s）丝腺中miRNA的表达谱，以揭示miRNA在丝蛋白表达和丝腺发育中的潜在功能。在此，我们对三个品系整个丝腺构建的小RNA文库进行了测序。分别从大造、u02和u05中鉴定出260、236和233个已知miRNA以及20、18和18个潜在的新miRNA。大造和u02之间有53个miRNA差异表达，大造和u05之间有51个，u02和u05之间有16个。基因本体论/京都基因与基因组百科全书分析表明，差异表达miRNA的大多数预测靶基因被归类到参与细胞增殖、器官发育和细胞区室结构的功能类别中。裸蚕的miRNA表达谱将为理解丝腺发育和丝蛋白表达调控铺平道路。
