Cycle sequencing on large DNA templates

The orphan nuclear receptors BmE75A and BmE75C of the silkmoth Bombyx mori: hornmonal control and ovarian expression

The steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) plays a key role in the stimulation of ovarian follicle development in the silkmoth, Bombyx mori. To understand better the mechanism by which 20E regulates silkmoth oogenesis, Bombyx homologs of the ecdysone-inducible orphan nuclear receptor E75 (BmE75) were cloned and their expression was analyzed in developing ovaries and staged follicles during metamorphosis. Of the two BmE75 isoforms isolated, only the A-isoform (BmE75A) has been identified previously in lepidopteran insects. BmE75C, on the other hand, shows significant sequence homology in its N-terminus to the Drosophila E75C isoform. Northern blot analysis shows unique expression patterns for each isoform mRNA during ovarian development. While the A-isoform seems to be mainly implicated in the earlier stages of the ecdysone response during previtellogenesis and vitellogenesis, expression of the C-isoform becomes strongly induced in an ecdysteroid-independent fashion at the transition from vitellogenesis to choriogenesis. Our data indicate a complex regulation of the expression of the BmE75 gene during oogenesis and postulate a new role for the BmE75C receptor at the end of vitellogenesis and the beginning of choriogenesis.

Mariner (Mos1) transposase and genomic integration of foreign gene sequences in Bombyx mori cells

Widespread occurrence in insects and the capacity to transpose in the absence of host-derived factors means that mariner-like elements are considered to be attractive candidates for the development of a universal insect genetic transformation system. Here we show that the Mos1 mariner element of Drosophila mauritiana is capable of mediating excision and transposition events in a silkmoth (Bombyx mori) derived tissue culture cell line (Bm5 cells). Plasmid rescue assays, in combination with Southern hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses, confirm that the Mos1 transposase can mediate excision of DNA sequences, inserted between terminally repeated sequences recognized by the transposase, and integration into the chromosomal DNA of the Bm5 cells. In addition to chromosomal integration events, inter- and intraplasmid transposition and target element excision events were also detected. Approximately 50% of the plasmids recovered from plasmid rescue assays were found to contain the 'signature' of Mos1-specific excision and/or integration events, indicating that the mariner transposase functions efficiently in the Bombyx cells. Because mariner-induced excision and integration events are strictly dependent on the presence of a co-transfected Mos1 transposase expression vector, it is clear that the multiple copies of endogenous mariner-like elements (Bmmar1) that exist in the Bombyx genome are neither functional nor do they interfere with the efficiency of the transposition process. Thus, the Mos1 element and, probably, mariner elements, in general, hold great promise for the development of genetic transformation systems for lepidopteran insects.

Zebrafish YAC, BAC, and PAC genomic libraries

Numerous positional cloning projects directed at isolating genes responsible for the myriads of observed developmental defects in the zebrafish are anticipated in the very near future. In this chapter, we have reviewed the YAC, BAC, and PAC large-insert genomic resources available to the zebrafish community. We have discussed how these resources are screened and used in a positional cloning scheme and have pointed out frequently formidable logistical considerations in the approach. Despite being extremely tedious, positional cloning projects in the zebrafish will be comparatively easier to accomplish than in human and mouse, because of unique biological advantages of the zebrafish system. Moreover, the ease and speed at which genes are identified and cloned should rapidly increase as more mapping reagents and information become available, thereby paving the way for meaningful biological studies.