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Wang W, Zhang F, Guo K, Xu J, Zhao P, Xia Q. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing of the let-7 seed sequence improves silk yield in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Int J Biol Macromol 2023:124793. [PMID: 37182624 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Body size and silk protein synthesis ability are two crucial aspects of artificial selection in silkworm breeding; however, the role of genes in both pathways remains unknown. To determine whether let-7 microRNA could regulate larval development and silk gland growth simultaneously, we designed a guide RNA to edit let-7 using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The indels predominantly appeared in the let-7 seed region, and the vast majority of the mutations were small-fragment deletions. Loss of let-7 function prolonged the fifth larval period, and substantially increased body weight during the wandering stage, but it resulted in developmental arrest during the pupal-moth transition. let-7 systemic knock down promoted silk gland growth and increased silk yield by >50 %, with efficiency significantly higher than in tissue-specific edited individuals. Hormone signaling and cell cycle pathway genes were activated in different patterns in the body and silk gland, implying that let-7 may regulate different target genes to play role in tissue growth. In summary, we first report that conditional knock down let-7 promoting the simultaneous growth of body and silk gland, greatly improve silk yield in the silkworm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- Biological Science Research Center, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Southwest University, 400715 Chongqing, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Key Laboratory for Germplasm Creation in Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 400715 Chongqing, PR China
| | - Fan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China
| | - Kaiyu Guo
- Biological Science Research Center, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Southwest University, 400715 Chongqing, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Key Laboratory for Germplasm Creation in Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 400715 Chongqing, PR China
| | - Jiahui Xu
- Biological Science Research Center, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Southwest University, 400715 Chongqing, PR China
| | - Ping Zhao
- Biological Science Research Center, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Southwest University, 400715 Chongqing, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Key Laboratory for Germplasm Creation in Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 400715 Chongqing, PR China
| | - Qingyou Xia
- Biological Science Research Center, Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Southwest University, 400715 Chongqing, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, PR China; Key Laboratory for Germplasm Creation in Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 400715 Chongqing, PR China.
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Qin S, Danso B, Zhang J, Li J, Liu N, Sun X, Hou C, Luo H, Chen K, Zhang G, Li M. MicroRNA profile of silk gland reveals different silk yields of three silkworm strains. Gene 2018; 653:1-9. [PMID: 29432827 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2018.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Revised: 01/27/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Silk proteins are synthesized and secreted by the silk gland. The differential gene expression in it leads to different silk yield among various silkworm strains. As crucial factors, microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate protein synthesis at post-transcriptional level in silk gland. MiRNAs expression level in the silk gland of three silkworm strains (Jingsong, Lan10 and Dazao) was analyzed and 33 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were discovered between JingSong (JS) and Lan10 (L10), 60 DEMs between JS and Dazao, 54 DEMs between L10 and Dazao respectively. The DEMs target genes were predicted combing with two different methods and their functions were annotated according to gene ontology. Our previous studies showed that a batch of genes related to silk yield were identified in JS and L10 strains by comparative transcriptome and quantitative trait loci (QTL) method. Thirteen DEMs whose target genes are related to protein biosynthesis processes were screened by combining with these researches. Twelve DEMs potentially regulate nineteen genes which exist in our QTL results. Six common DEMs potentially regulate the genes in both of previous results. Finally, five DEMs were selected to verify their expression levels between JS and L10 by qRT-PCR, which showed similar difference as the results of small RNA-sequencing. MiRNAs in the silk gland may directly affect silk protein biosynthesis in different silkworm strains. In current work, we identified a batch of DEMs which potentially regulate the genes related to silk yield. Further functionally study of these miRNAs will contribute to improve varieties and boost the silk yield. Our research provides a basis for studying these miRNAs and their functions in silk production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Qin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China; The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China.
| | - Blessing Danso
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China
| | - Juan Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China
| | - Na Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China
| | - Xia Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China
| | - Chengxiang Hou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China; The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China
| | - Heng Luo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China.
| | - Keping Chen
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China.
| | - Guozheng Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China; The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China
| | - Muwang Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China; The Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China.
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Zhang P, Liu S, Song HS, Zhang G, Jia Q, Li S. Yorkie CA overexpression in the posterior silk gland improves silk yield in Bombyx mori. J Insect Physiol 2017; 100:93-99. [PMID: 28583832 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Revised: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The traditional hybrid breeding techniques can no longer meet the increasing demands for silk production by the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and further improvement of the silk yield will depend on modern molecular breeding techniques. Here, we report improved silk yield in transgenic silkworms overexpressing the oncogene YorkieCA specifically in the posterior silk gland (PSG). The YorkieCA cDNA was ligated downstream of the hr3 enhancer and the fibroin L-chain (Fil) promoter, then inserted into a piggyBac vector for transgene. Overexpression of YorkieCA in the PSG significantly increased the weight of the PSG, and also increased the weight of the cocoon, larval body, and pupal body to decreasing degrees. Overexpression of YorkieCA up-regulated the Yorkie target genes resulting in increased cell size, endomitosis, the number of protein synthesis organelles, the expression of fibroin genes in the PSG, and eventually silk yield. Additionally, as we reported previously using the binary GAL4/UAS system, transgenic silkworms overexpressing Ras1CA with the hr3 enhancer and the Fil promoter also showed improved silk yield. Unfortunately, the hybrid progeny of YorkieCA-overexpressing silkworms and Ras1CA-overexpressing silkworms did not show overlapping improved silk yield due to the failure to increase expression of both Yorkie and Ras1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panli Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Shumin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Hong-Sheng Song
- College of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Guozheng Zhang
- College of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, China
| | - Qiangqiang Jia
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, Institute of Insect Sciences and School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.
| | - Sheng Li
- Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, Institute of Insect Sciences and School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.
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