Molecular analysis of the GrB mutation in Bombyx mori through the use of chorion cDNA library.

To study the molecular basis of the GrB mutation, which prevents the synthesis of many stage-specific chorion proteins, a cDNA library has been constructed from wild-type chorion mRNA of Bombyx mori strain 703. By differential screening of the library with +/+ and B/B mRNAs, under appropriately stringent conditions to minimize cross hybridizations of related chorion sequences, we have selected several distinct clones corresponding to RNA sequences which are affected by the mutation (that is, are represented only in +/+ mRNA) or are unaffected (that is, are represented in both +/+ and B/B mRNAs). We show by Southern analysis that, whereas unaffected gene sequences are represented in both +/+ and B/B chromosomal DNA, affected sequences have been deleted from B/B DNA. The organization and regulation of developmental stage-specific chorion genes are discussed in light of these findings and the known effects of GrB on stage-specific protein synthesis.