Institute of Sericulture and Tea Research, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310021, China.
Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Insect Sci. 2022 Feb;29(1):128-138. doi: 10.1111/1744-7917.12904. Epub 2021 Feb 24.
Yolk proteins are the main source of nutrients during embryonic and early larval development in oviparous animals. Therefore, vitellogenesis is crucial for reproduction. The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is a model lepidopteran insect in which there are three yolk proteins: vitellin, 30-kDa protein, and egg-specific protein (Esp). In this study, we explored the gene function of Esp through transgenic clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR) / CRISPR-associated protein 9 technology-mediated mutations in the silkworm. We found that Esp mutation resulted in female sterility but had no effect on male fertility. Female mutants could lay eggs after mating, but the eggs were smaller and lighter colored than those laid by wild-type females. The most important finding is that the eggs laid by female mutants did not hatch. Furthermore, we observed stable inheritance of female sterility caused by Esp mutation through successive generations. Thus, Esp encodes a yolk protein that is crucial for female reproductive success and is a potential target for pest control.
卵黄蛋白是卵生动物胚胎和早期幼虫发育过程中的主要营养来源。因此，卵黄发生对于繁殖至关重要。家蚕是鳞翅目昆虫的模式生物，其中有三种卵黄蛋白：卵黄蛋白、30kDa 蛋白和卵特异蛋白（Esp）。本研究通过转座簇状规则间隔短回文重复（CRISPR）/CRISPR 相关蛋白 9 技术介导的家蚕 Esp 基因突变，探讨了 Esp 的基因功能。我们发现 Esp 突变导致雌性不育，但对雄性生育力没有影响。交配后的雌性突变体仍可产卵，但卵的体积更小、颜色更浅，与野生型雌性所产卵不同。最重要的发现是，雌性突变体所产卵不能孵化。此外，我们通过连续几代观察到 Esp 突变引起的雌性不育的稳定遗传。因此，Esp 编码一种卵黄蛋白，对于雌性生殖成功至关重要，是害虫防治的潜在靶标。
