Biological Science Research Center, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Southwest University, 400715 Chongqing, China; Key Laboratory for Germplasm Creation in Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 400715 Chongqing, China; Engineering Laboratory of Sericultural and Functional Genome and Biotechnology, Development and Reform Commission, 400715 Chongqing, China.
Biological Science Research Center, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Southwest University, 400715 Chongqing, China; Key Laboratory for Germplasm Creation in Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 400715 Chongqing, China.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Jun 15;240:124415. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124415. Epub 2023 Apr 13.
Silk gland genes of Bombyx mori can have strict spatial expression patterns, which impact their functions and silk quality. However, our understanding of their regulation mechanisms is currently insufficient. To address this, the middle silk gland (MSG) and posterior silk gland (PSG) of the silkworm were investigated. Gene ontology annotation showed that spatially specific expressed genes were involved in the formation of H3k9me and chromatin topology. Chromatin conformation data generated by Hi-C showed that the topologically associated domain boundaries around FibL and Sericin1 genes were significantly different between MSG and PSG. Changes in chromatin conformation led to changes in chromatin activity, which significantly affected the expression of nearby genes in silkworm. Chromatin accessibility regions of MSG and PSG were analyzed using FAIRE-seq, and 1006 transcription factor motifs were identified in open chromatin regions. Furthermore, the spatial-specific expression patterns of silk gland genes were mainly associated with homeobox-contained transcription factors, such as POU-M2, which was specifically bound and relatively highly expressed in the MSG. The regulatory network mediated by POU-M2 regulated most of the spatial-specific expressed genes in MSG, such as ADH1. These results can aid in improving silk performance, optimizing silkworm breeding, and improving the gene spatial regulatory model research for insects.
家蚕丝腺基因具有严格的空间表达模式，影响其功能和丝质。然而，我们对其调控机制的认识还不够充分。为了解决这个问题，研究了家蚕的中丝腺（MSG）和后丝腺（PSG）。基因本体注释显示，空间特异性表达的基因参与了 H3k9me 和染色质拓扑结构的形成。Hi-C 生成的染色质构象数据表明，FibL 和丝胶蛋白 1 基因周围拓扑相关结构域边界在 MSG 和 PSG 之间存在显著差异。染色质构象的变化导致染色质活性的变化，从而显著影响了家蚕附近基因的表达。使用 FAIRE-seq 分析了 MSG 和 PSG 的染色质可及性区域，在开放染色质区域鉴定出 1006 个转录因子基序。此外，丝腺基因的空间特异性表达模式主要与含有同源盒的转录因子有关，如 POU-M2，它在 MSG 中特异性结合且相对高表达。POU-M2 介导的调控网络调节了 MSG 中大多数空间特异性表达的基因，如 ADH1。这些结果可以帮助提高丝性能、优化蚕种选育，并改进昆虫基因空间调控模型研究。
