State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China.
State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400716, China; Cancer Center, Medical Research Institute, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2021 May;132:103568. doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2021.103568. Epub 2021 Mar 17.
Silk gland is an organ that produces and secretes silk proteins. The development of the silk gland is essential for high silk production yield and silk quality. Although Sage reportedly plays a pivotal role in embryonic silk gland development, the mechanism underlying its action remains unclear. Our study aimed to determine the genes downstream of Sage through which it regulates the development of the silk gland. After chromatin immunoprecipitation and sequencing, Dfd was identified as a downstream target gene of Sage and it was confirmed that Sage could inhibit Dfd expression by competing with SGF1. When Dfd was knocked down through RNA interference (RNAi), the number of cells in the middle silk gland decreased, and the posterior silk gland was straightened. Simultaneously, the expression of Ser1 and silk fibroin genes was no longer strictly regional. These changes eventually led to an alteration in the composition of the Dfd RNAi cocoon. In conclusion, our research contributes to a deeper understanding of the development of silk glands.
丝腺是一种产生和分泌丝蛋白的器官。丝腺的发育对于高丝产量和丝质至关重要。尽管 Sage 据报道在胚胎丝腺发育中起着关键作用，但它作用的机制尚不清楚。我们的研究旨在通过 Sage 调节丝腺发育的下游基因来确定 Sage 的下游基因。通过染色质免疫沉淀和测序，鉴定出 Dfd 是 Sage 的下游靶基因，并且证实 Sage 可以通过与 SGF1 竞争来抑制 Dfd 的表达。当 Dfd 通过 RNA 干扰 (RNAi) 敲低时，中丝腺的细胞数量减少，后丝腺变直。同时，Ser1 和丝素基因的表达不再严格区域化。这些变化最终导致 Dfd RNAi 茧的组成发生改变。总之，我们的研究有助于深入了解丝腺的发育。
