1
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Waizumi R, Hirayama C, Tomita S, Iizuka T, Kuwazaki S, Jouraku A, Tsubota T, Yokoi K, Yamamoto K, Sezutsu H. A major endogenous glycoside hydrolase mediating quercetin uptake in Bombyx mori. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011118. [PMID: 38232119 PMCID: PMC10824415 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Quercetin is a common plant flavonoid which is involved in herbivore-plant interactions. Mulberry silkworms (domestic silkworm, Bombyx mori, and wild silkworm, Bombyx mandarina) take up quercetin from mulberry leaves and accumulate the metabolites in the cocoon, thereby improving its protective properties. Here we identified a glycoside hydrolase, named glycoside hydrolase family 1 group G 5 (GH1G5), which is expressed in the midgut and is involved in quercetin metabolism in the domestic silkworm. Our results suggest that this enzyme mediates quercetin uptake by deglycosylating the three primary quercetin glycosides present in mulberry leaf: rutin, quercetin-3-O-malonylglucoside, and quercetin-3-O-glucoside. Despite being located in an unstable genomic region that has undergone frequent structural changes in the evolution of Lepidoptera, GH1G5 has retained its hydrolytic activity, suggesting quercetin uptake has adaptive significance for mulberry silkworms. GH1G5 is also important in breeding: defective mutations which result in discoloration of the cocoon and increased silk yield are homozygously conserved in 27 of the 32 Japanese white-cocoon domestic silkworm strains and 12 of the 30 Chinese ones we investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryusei Waizumi
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Chikara Hirayama
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Shuichiro Tomita
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Iizuka
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Seigo Kuwazaki
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Akiya Jouraku
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Takuya Tsubota
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Kakeru Yokoi
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Kimiko Yamamoto
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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2
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Urbán-Duarte D, Tomita S, Sakai H, Sezutsu H, De La Torre-Sánchez JF, Kainoh Y, Furukawa S, Uchino K. An Effective Chemical Permeabilization of Silkworm Embryos. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:bioengineering10050563. [PMID: 37237633 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10050563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The lipid layer surrounding the vitelline membrane of insect eggs has a critical role in the waterproofing and desiccation resistance of embryos. However, this lipid layer also prevents the flux of chemicals into the embryos, such as cryoprotectants, which are required for successful cryopreservation. The permeabilization studies of silkworm embryos remain insufficient. Therefore, in this study, we developed a permeabilization method to remove the lipid layer in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and examined factors affecting the viability of dechorionated embryos, including the types and exposure times of chemicals and embryonic stages. Among the chemicals used, hexane and heptane were effective for permeabilization, whereas Triton X-100 and Tween-80 were less effective. Regarding the embryonic stages, there were significant differences between 160 and 166 h after egg laying (AEL) at 25 °C. Consequently, we found that the treatment of 160 AEL embryos with hexane for 30 s was the best condition for the permeability and viability of embryos, in which over 62% of the permeabilized embryos grew up to the second larval instar and their moths could lay fertilized eggs. Our method can be used for various purposes, including permeability investigations using other chemicals and embryonic cryopreservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Urbán-Duarte
- Centro Nacional de Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Tepatitlán de Morelos 47600, Jalisco, Mexico
| | - Shuichiro Tomita
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroki Sakai
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - José Fernando De La Torre-Sánchez
- Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria en Agricultura Familiar, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Ojuelos 47540, Jalisco, Mexico
| | - Yooichi Kainoh
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba 305-8572, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Seiichi Furukawa
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba 305-8572, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Keiro Uchino
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan
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3
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Waizumi R, Tsubota T, Jouraku A, Kuwazaki S, Yokoi K, Iizuka T, Yamamoto K, Sezutsu H. Highly accurate genome assembly of an improved high-yielding silkworm strain, Nichi01. G3 (Bethesda) 2023; 13:jkad044. [PMID: 36814357 PMCID: PMC10085791 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
The silkworm (Bombyx mori) is an important lepidopteran model insect and an industrial domestic animal traditionally used for silk production. Here, we report the genome assembly of an improved Japanese strain Nichi01, in which the cocoon yield is comparable to that of commercial silkworm strains. The integration of PacBio Sequel II long-read and ddRAD-seq-based high-density genetic linkage map achieved the highest quality genome assembly of silkworms to date; 22 of the 28 pseudomolecules contained telomeric repeats at both ends, and only four gaps were present in the assembly. A total of 452 Mbp of the assembly with an N50 of 16.614 Mbp covered 99.3% of the complete orthologs of the lepidopteran core genes. Although the genome sequence of Nichi01 and that of the previously reported low-yielding tropical strain p50T assured their accuracy in most regions, we corrected several regions, misassembled in p50T, in our assembly. A total of 18,397 proteins were predicted using over 95 Gb of mRNA-seq derived from 10 different organs, covering 96.9% of the complete orthologs of the lepidopteran core genes. The final assembly and annotation files are available in KAIKObase (https://kaikobase.dna.affrc.go.jp/index.html) along with a genome browser and BLAST searching service, which would facilitate further studies and the breeding of silkworms and other insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryusei Waizumi
- Silkworm Research Group, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Takuya Tsubota
- Silkworm Research Group, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Akiya Jouraku
- Silkworm Research Group, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Seigo Kuwazaki
- Silkworm Research Group, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Kakeru Yokoi
- Silkworm Research Group, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Iizuka
- Silkworm Research Group, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Kimiko Yamamoto
- Silkworm Research Group, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Silkworm Research Group, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
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4
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Morinaga S, Tsubota T, Takasu Y, Sezutsu H, Touhara K. Role of a single odorant receptor in the chemotaxis behavior of Bombyx mori. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2023; 87:646-648. [PMID: 36990645 DOI: 10.1093/bbb/zbad036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Silkworm (Bombyx mori), an insect herbivore, is attracted to cis-jasmone released from mulberry leaves. Its olfactory receptor, BmOr56, specifically responds to cis-jasmone. In this study, we constructed a BmOr56 deletion line and found that the attractive behavior of cis-jasmone was completely lost in the mutant, suggesting the involvement of a single receptor in this specific chemoattractive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Morinaga
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuya Tsubota
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yoko Takasu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Kazushige Touhara
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Tokyo, Japan
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5
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Tsubota T, Sakai H, Sezutsu H. Genome Editing of Silkworms. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2637:359-374. [PMID: 36773160 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3016-7_27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Silkworm is a lepidopteran insect that has been used as a model for a wide variety of biological studies. The microinjection technique is available, and it is possible to cause transgenesis as well as target gene disruption via the genome editing technique. TALEN-mediated knockout is especially effective in this species. We also succeeded in the precise and efficient integration of a donor vector using the precise integration into target chromosome (PITCh) method. Here we describe protocols for ZFN (zinc finger nuclease)-, TALEN (transcription activator-like effector nuclease)-, and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing as well as the PITCh technique in the silkworm. We consider that all of these techniques can contribute to the further promotion of various biological studies in the silkworm and other insect species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Tsubota
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroki Sakai
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
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6
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Kajiura H, Tatematsu KI, Nomura T, Miyazawa M, Usami A, Tamura T, Sezutsu H, Fujiyama K. Insights into the quality of recombinant proteins produced by two different Bombyx mori expression systems. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18502. [PMID: 36323753 PMCID: PMC9628610 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22565-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an attractive host for recombinant protein production due to its high expression efficiency, quality, and quantity. Two expression systems have been widely used for recombinant protein production in B. mori: baculovirus/silkworm expression system and transgenic silkworm expression system. Both expression systems enable high protein production, but the qualities of the resulting recombinant proteins have not been well evaluated. In this study, we expressed bovine interferon γ (IFN-γ) using the two systems and examined the quality of the resulting proteins in terms of N-glycosylation and protein cleavage. Both expression systems successfully produced IFN-γ as an N-glycoprotein. Although the production in the baculovirus/silkworm expression system was much more efficient than that in the transgenic silkworm expression system, unexpected variants of IFN-γ were also produced in the former system due to the different N-glycosylation and C-terminal truncations. These results indicate that while high protein production could be achieved in the baculovirus/silkworm expression system, unintentional protein modification might occur, and therefore protein expression in the transgenic silkworm expression system is preferable from the point-of-view of N-glycosylation of the recombinant protein and evasion of unexpected attack by a protease in B. mori.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Kajiura
- grid.136593.b0000 0004 0373 3971International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-Oka, Suita-Shi, Osaka, 565-0871 Japan ,grid.136593.b0000 0004 0373 3971Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (OTRI), Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-Oka, Suita-Shi, Osaka, 565-0871 Japan
| | - Ken-ichiro Tatematsu
- grid.416835.d0000 0001 2222 0432Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634 Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Nomura
- grid.419812.70000 0004 1777 4627Sysmex Corporation, 1548 Ooaza Shimookudomi, Sayama, Saitama 350-1332 Japan
| | - Mitsuhiro Miyazawa
- grid.416835.d0000 0001 2222 0432Division of Biomaterial Sciences, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634 Japan
| | - Akihiro Usami
- grid.419812.70000 0004 1777 4627Sysmex Corporation, 1548 Ooaza Shimookudomi, Sayama, Saitama 350-1332 Japan
| | - Toshiki Tamura
- grid.416629.e0000 0004 0377 2137Silk Science and Technology Research Institute, 1053, Iikura, Ami-Machi, Ibaraki, 300-0324 Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- grid.416835.d0000 0001 2222 0432Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634 Japan
| | - Kazuhito Fujiyama
- grid.136593.b0000 0004 0373 3971International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-Oka, Suita-Shi, Osaka, 565-0871 Japan ,grid.136593.b0000 0004 0373 3971Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (OTRI), Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-Oka, Suita-Shi, Osaka, 565-0871 Japan ,grid.10223.320000 0004 1937 0490Osaka University Cooperative Research Station in Southeast Asia (OU:CRS), Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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7
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Yamada N, Mise Y, Yonemura N, Uchino K, Zabelina V, Sezutsu H, Iizuka T, Tamura T. Abolition of egg diapause by ablation of suboesophageal ganglion in parental females is compatible with genetic engineering methods. J Insect Physiol 2022; 142:104438. [PMID: 36049569 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2022.104438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microinjection of genetic material into non-diapause eggs is required for genetic engineering of silkworms. Besides diapause could be useful for maintaining transgenic lines, a drawback of this technology is that most standard silkworm strains and experimental lines of interest produce diapausing eggs. Several approaches have been developed to abolish diapause but none are very efficient. Here, we investigated the ablation of the suboesophageal ganglion (SG) in female pupae, which is a source of the hormone required to trigger egg diapause, as a mean to abolish diapause. We showed that SG-ablation is a reliable method to produce nondiapause eggs. Additionally, the challenge associated with lower fecundity of females with SG ablation was resolved by injecting pilocarpine into the mated female. We also investigated the suitability of nondiapause eggs laid by SG-ablated females for transgenesis, targeted mutagenesis, and induction of parthenogenetic development. Our results demonstrated SG-ablation to be a useful and simple method for expanding the possibilities associated with genetic engineering in silkworms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuto Yamada
- Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan.
| | - Yoshiko Mise
- Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Yonemura
- Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Keiro Uchino
- Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Valeriya Zabelina
- Biology Center CAS, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Iizuka
- Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Toshiki Tamura
- Institute of Sericulture and Silk Science, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki 300-0324, Japan
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8
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Inui T, Sezutsu H, Daimon T. MicroRNA let-7 is required for hormonal regulation of metamorphosis in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2022; 145:103784. [PMID: 35533806 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The heterochronic microRNA let-7, which was first identified in Caenorhabditis elegans, controls the timing of developmental programs, and let-7 triggers the onset of the juvenile-adult transition in bilaterians. The expression of let-7 is strongly induced during the last larval stage of C. elegans and is highly expressed in the late last instar larvae/nymphs of the fly Drosophila melanogaster and the cockroach Blattella germanica. In the silkworm Bombyx mori, the expression of let-7 remarkably increases in the corpus cardiacum-corpus allatum complex (CC-CA) at the beginning of the last larval instar and is maintained at high levels during this instar. To determine the biological function of let-7 in B. mori, we generated a let-7 knockout line and a transgenic UAS-let-7 line. The let-7 knockout larvae were developmentally arrested in the prepupal stage and became pupal-adult intermediates after apolysis. When let-7 was ubiquitously overexpressed under the transcriptional control of an Actin3-GAL4 driver, developmental timing and growth of larvae were severely impaired in the penultimate (L4) instar, and these larvae underwent precocious metamorphosis from L4. Furthermore, our results showed that reception and signaling of ecdysteroids and juvenile hormones (JHs) normally occurred in the absence of let-7, whereas the biosynthesis of ecdysone and JHs were affected by disruption and overexpression of let-7. Together, the present study demonstrates that let-7 is required for the coordination of the biosynthesis of ecdysone and JH to ensure the developmental transition during the metamorphosis of B. mori.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Inui
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwakecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi 1-2, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Takaaki Daimon
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwakecho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
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Zabelina V, Vrchotova M, Yonemura N, Sezutsu H, Tamura T, Klymenko V, Sehnal F, Zurovec M, Sehadova H, Sauman I. The Exact Timing of Microinjection of Parthenogenetic Silkworm Embryos Is Crucial for Their Successful Transgenesis. Front Physiol 2022; 13:822900. [PMID: 35399273 PMCID: PMC8990321 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.822900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of parthenogenetic silkworm (Bombyx mori) strains, which eliminate the problem of recombination, is a useful tool for maintaining transgenic clonal lines. The generation of genetically identical individuals is becoming an important tool in genetic engineering, allowing replication of an existing advantageous trait combination without the mixing that occurs during sexual reproduction. Thus, an animal with a particular genetic modification, such as the ability to produce transgenic proteins, can reproduce more rapidly than by natural mating. One obstacle to the widespread use of parthenogenesis in silkworm genetic engineering is the relatively low efficiency of downstream transgenesis techniques. In this work, we seek to optimize the use of transgenesis in conjunction with the production of parthenogenetic individuals. We found that a very important parameter for the introduction of foreign genes into a parthenogenetic strain is the precise timing of embryo microinjection. Our modification of the original method increased the efficiency of transgene injection as well as the survival rate of injected embryos. We also provide a detailed description of the methodological procedure including a graphical overview of the entire protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeriya Zabelina
- Biology Center CAS, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia.,National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Marketa Vrchotova
- Biology Center CAS, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Naoyuki Yonemura
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Toshiki Tamura
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan.,Silk Sciences and Technology Research Institute, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Vyacheslav Klymenko
- Faculty of Automation and Information Technology in Management, Ryazan State Radio Engineering University, Ryazan, Russia
| | - Frantisek Sehnal
- Biology Center CAS, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Michal Zurovec
- Biology Center CAS, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Hana Sehadova
- Biology Center CAS, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Ivo Sauman
- Biology Center CAS, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czechia.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czechia
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10
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Osanai-Futahashi M, Uchino K, Tamura T, Sezutsu H. The red egg gene as a novel effective egg color marker for silkworm transgenesis. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2022; 143:103728. [PMID: 35085769 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Ommochromes are major pigments involved in coloration of eggs, eyes, and epidermis of arthropods. The recessive homozygous of egg and eye color mutant of Bombyx mori, red egg (re), exhibits red eggs and dark red eyes instead of normal purplish-brown eggs and black eyes, due to a defect in ommochrome pigment synthesis. The gene responsible for the re mutant is a major facilitator superfamily transporter gene, Bm-re. Here, we demonstrate that the re phenotype can be effectively rescued by an intact Bm-re gene driven by the Bombyx Actin A3 promoter or the baculovirus Immediate Early 1 promoter, indicating that the Bm-re gene can be used as a marker gene for visual screening of transgenic silkworms. The coloration of eggs rescued by the Bm-re transgene could be distinguished from that of host mutant eggs from diapausing period through head pigmentation stage. This allows transgenic screening at earlier embryonic stages and over a longer time period compared to conventional 3xP3 fluorescent markers, without requiring the skill and equipment to detect stemmata fluorescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mizuko Osanai-Futahashi
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ibaraki University, 2-1-1, Bunkyo, Mito, Ibaraki, 310-8512, Japan; Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2, Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan.
| | - Keiro Uchino
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2, Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Toshiki Tamura
- Silk Science and Technology Research Institute, 1053, Iikura, Ami-machi, Ibaraki, 300-0324, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2, Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
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11
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Tanaka Y, Yoshimura T, Hakamata M, Saito C, Sumitani M, Sezutsu H, Hemmi H, Ito T. Identification and characterization of a serine racemase in the silkworm Bombyx mori. J Biochem 2022; 172:17-28. [PMID: 35325141 DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvac026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The pupae of lepidopterans contain high concentrations of endogenous d-serine. In the silkworm Bombyx mori, d-serine is negligible during the larval stage but increases markedly during the pupal stage, reaching 50% of the total free serine. However, the physiological function of d-serine and the enzyme responsible for its production are unknown. Herein, we identified a new type of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent serine racemase (SR) that catalyzes the racemization of l-serine to d-serine in B. mori. This silkworm SR (BmSR) has an N-terminal PLP-binding domain that is homologous to mammalian SR and a C-terminal putative ligand-binding regulatory-like domain (ACT-like domain) that is absent in mammalian SR. Similar to mammalian SRs, BmSR catalyzes the racemization and dehydration of both serine isomers. However, BmSR is different from mammalian SRs as evidenced by its insensitivity to Mg2+/Ca2+ and Mg-ATP-which are required for activation of mammalian SRs-and high d-serine dehydration activity. At the pupal stage, the SR activity was predominantly detected in the fat body, which was consistent with the timing and localization of BmSR expression. The results are an important first step in elucidating the physiological significance of d-serine in lepidopterans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yui Tanaka
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furou-chou, Chikusa, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Tohru Yoshimura
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furou-chou, Chikusa, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Maho Hakamata
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furou-chou, Chikusa, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Chiaki Saito
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furou-chou, Chikusa, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Megumi Sumitani
- Silkworm Research Group, Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Silkworm Research Group, Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hisashi Hemmi
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furou-chou, Chikusa, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Tomokazu Ito
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furou-chou, Chikusa, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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12
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Urbán-Duarte D, Tomita S, Sakai H, Sezutsu H, De La Torre-Sánchez JF, Kainoh Y, Furukawa S, Uchino K. Effect of chemical dechorionation on silkworm embryo viability. J Insect Physiol 2022; 137:104327. [PMID: 34762918 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The chorion covering/protecting insect egg, which has some effective functions such as providing mechanical strength, protecting eggs from external environments, and keeping moisture adjustment, is one of the principal barriers to manipulation, cryopreservation, and study of insect embryos. Here we evaluated the silkworm embryo viability after dechorionation using chemical reagents. We have developed an easy and effective method for chemical dechorionation that enables embryos to develop in culture, so that the larvae could normally grow. Eggs attached to a nylon net were treated with potassium hydroxide (KOH) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) to remove the chorion, washed with the Grace's insect medium, and then cultured using a dry-moist method which we created. The most effective treatment with regard to embryonic development, hatching, and production of second instar larvae was 30% KOH for 7 min and 2% NaClO for 5 min at 27 °C. Embryos at later embryonic stages were more tolerant to chemical dechorionation and over 75% of embryos treated at 168 h-old (Stage 25, appearance of taenidium) survived to the second larval instar, moreover, the larvae derived from the dechorionated embryos have developed into the moths which can lay the fertilized eggs. Our method would contribute to the establishment of cryopreservation using embryos and analysis of silkworm embryogenesis and might also be applicable to other insect species.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Urbán-Duarte
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan; Centro Nacional de Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco 47600, Mexico
| | - Shuichiro Tomita
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hiroki Sakai
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - José Fernando De La Torre-Sánchez
- Centro Nacional de Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco 47600, Mexico
| | - Yooichi Kainoh
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Seiichi Furukawa
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Keiro Uchino
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan.
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Masuoka Y, Cao W, Jouraku A, Sakai H, Sezutsu H, Yokoi K. Co-Expression Network and Time-Course Expression Analyses to Identify Silk Protein Regulatory Factors in Bombyx mori. Insects 2022; 13:insects13020131. [PMID: 35206705 PMCID: PMC8924882 DOI: 10.3390/insects13020131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary Previous studies have reported how the silk production ability of Bombyx mori can be enhanced, but the mechanism that regulates silk protein genes remains unclear. We performed co-expression network analysis using networkz, an in-house program, which led to the identification of 91 transcription factors were co-expressed with silk protein genes. Of them, 13 transcripts were identified to be novel regulatory factors by time-course expression analysis during the fifth instar larvae stage. Their expression patterns were highly relevant to those of silk protein genes. Our results suggest that the two-step expression screening was robust and highly sensitive to screen relative genes, and a complex mechanism regulates silk protein production in B. mori. The novel candidates that were identified herein can serve as key genes to develop methods to enhance the silk protein production ability of B. mori. Abstract Bombyx mori is an important economic insect and an animal model in pharmacomedical research. Although its physiology has been studied for many years, the mechanism via which silk protein genes are regulated remains unclear. In this study, we performed two-step expression screening, namely co-expression network and time-course expression analyses to screen silk protein regulation factors. A co-expression network analysis using RNA-seq data that were obtained from various tissues, including the silk glands of B. mori, was performed to identify novel silk protein regulatory factors. Overall, 91 transcription factors, including some known ones, were found to be co-expressed with silk protein genes. Furthermore, time-course expression analysis during the fifth instar larvae stage revealed that the expression pattern of 13 novel transcription factors was highly relevant to that of silk protein genes and their known regulatory factor genes. In particular, the expression peak of several transcription factors (TFs) was detected before the expression of silk protein genes peak. These results indicated that a larger number of genes than expected may be involved in silk protein regulation in B. mori. Functional analyses of function-unknown transcription factors should enhance our understanding of this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudai Masuoka
- Insect Design Technology Module, Division of Insect Advanced Technology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan;
- Research Center for Agricultural Information Technology (RCAIT), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-31-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba 305-0856, Ibaraki, Japan;
- Correspondence: (Y.M.); (K.Y.); Tel.: +81-29-838-6129 (Y.M. & K.Y.)
| | - Wei Cao
- Research Center for Agricultural Information Technology (RCAIT), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-31-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba 305-0856, Ibaraki, Japan;
| | - Akiya Jouraku
- Insect Design Technology Module, Division of Insect Advanced Technology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan;
| | - Hiroki Sakai
- Silkworm Research Module, Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan; (H.S.); (H.S.)
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Silkworm Research Module, Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan; (H.S.); (H.S.)
| | - Kakeru Yokoi
- Insect Design Technology Module, Division of Insect Advanced Technology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Ibaraki, Japan;
- Research Center for Agricultural Information Technology (RCAIT), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-31-1 Kannondai, Tsukuba 305-0856, Ibaraki, Japan;
- Correspondence: (Y.M.); (K.Y.); Tel.: +81-29-838-6129 (Y.M. & K.Y.)
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14
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Tatematsu KI, Ikeda M, Wakabayashi Y, Yamamura T, Kikuchi K, Noguchi J, Sezutsu H. Silkworm recombinant bovine zona pellucida protein 4 (bZP4) as a potential female immunocontraceptive antigen; impaired sperm-oocyte interaction and ovarian dysfunction. J Reprod Dev 2021; 67:402-406. [PMID: 34670878 PMCID: PMC8668373 DOI: 10.1262/jrd.2021-103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Porcine zona pellucida proteins (ZPs) have been utilized as female immunocontraceptive antigens. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential use of silkworm recombinant bovine ZP4 as an alternative. When the protein was injected with monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) - an immuno-stimulative agent - into two female goats, marked elevation of the anti-ZP4 titer was detected. Application of the purified specific IgG to a porcine in vitro fertilization system reduced the sperm penetration rate. In one goat, the cyclic profile of serum progesterone disappeared as the anti-ZP4 titer increased. Histological examination of the ovaries revealed degeneration of antral follicles with sparse infiltration of inflammatory cells in the theca, indicating that autoimmune oophoritis had been induced. Together, the present results suggest that recombinant ZP4 disturbs fertilization and exerts a pathogenic effect on follicle development in goats, thus indicating its potential as a female immunocontraceptive antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu
- Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Mitsumi Ikeda
- Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Wakabayashi
- Division of Advanced Feeding Technology Research, Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO, Ibaraki 305-0901, Japan
| | - Takashi Yamamura
- Division of Advanced Feeding Technology Research, Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO, Ibaraki 305-0901, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Kikuchi
- Division of Biomaterial Sciences, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Junko Noguchi
- New Technology Promotion Section, Strategic Planning Headquarters, NARO, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Division of Silk-Producing Insect Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
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15
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Tada H, Takahashi H, Yamada K, Masuda K, Nagata Y, Uchida M, Shino M, Ida S, Mito I, Matsuyama T, Oyama T, Tatematsu KI, Sezutsu H, Takeda S, Chikamatsu K. Dynamic alterations of circulating T lymphocytes and the clinical response in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with nivolumab. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2021; 71:851-863. [PMID: 34463793 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-021-03042-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has been recognized as a novel therapeutic option for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, only approximately 20-30% of patients with recurrent/metastatic (R/M) HNSCC benefit. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying the response to ICIs remain unclear. We investigated the proportion, activation status, and expression level of immune checkpoint molecules in circulating T cell subsets in R/M HNSCC patients treated with nivolumab using flow cytometry and mass cytometry, and then determined whether treatment response was associated with these values. We also assessed the changes in the frequency of tumor-associated antigens, MAGE-A4 and p53, -specific T cells prior to and after nivolumab treatment using the IFN-γ ELISPOT assay. The proportion of activated CD4+ and CD8+ TEMRA cells significantly increased in the disease-controlled patients but not in disease-progressed patients. As expected, the expression of PD-1 in T cells markedly decreased regardless of the therapeutic response. Meanwhile, T cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 expression on CD8+ T cells was significantly higher in patients with disease progression than in disease-controlled patients after treatment. The frequency of the tumor-associated antigens, MAGE-A4- and p53-specific T cells, was not correlated with clinical responses; however, in the disease-controlled patients, the frequency of MAGE-A4-specific T cells was significantly augmented. We concluded that in R/M HNSCC patients treated with nivolumab, circulating T cells show dynamic alterations depending on treatment efficacy. An analysis of the immunokinetics of circulating T cells could thus provide new insights into rational therapeutic strategies in cancer immunotherapy for HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroe Tada
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 3718511, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Takahashi
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 3718511, Japan
| | - Kanae Yamada
- Division of Molecular Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma, 376-8515, Japan
| | - Kei Masuda
- Department of Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
| | - Yurino Nagata
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 3718511, Japan
| | - Miho Uchida
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 3718511, Japan
| | - Masato Shino
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 3718511, Japan
| | - Shota Ida
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 3718511, Japan
| | - Ikko Mito
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 3718511, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Matsuyama
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 3718511, Japan
| | - Tetsunari Oyama
- Department of Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Shigeki Takeda
- Division of Molecular Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma, 376-8515, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Chikamatsu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 3718511, Japan.
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16
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Zabelina V, Takasu Y, Sehadova H, Yonemura N, Nakajima K, Sezutsu H, Sery M, Zurovec M, Sehnal F, Tamura T. Mutation in Bombyx mori fibrohexamerin (P25) gene causes reorganization of rough endoplasmic reticulum in posterior silk gland cells and alters morphology of fibroin secretory globules in the silk gland lumen. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 135:103607. [PMID: 34102294 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2021.103607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Larvae of many lepidopteran species produce a mixture of secretory proteins, known as silk, for building protective shelters and cocoons. Silk consists of a water-insoluble silk filament core produced in the posterior silk gland (PSG) and a sticky hydrophilic coating produced by the middle silk gland (MSG). In Bombyx mori, the fiber core comprises three proteins: heavy chain fibroin (Fib-H), light chain fibroin (Fib-L) and fibrohexamerin (Fhx, previously referred to as P25). To learn more about the role of Fhx, we used transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) mutagenesis and prepared a homozygous line with a null mutation in the Fhx gene. Our characterization of cocoon morphology and silk quality showed that the mutation had very little effect. However, a detailed inspection of the secretory cells in the posterior silk gland (PSG) of mid-last-instar mutant larvae revealed temporary changes in the morphology of the endoplasmic reticulum. We also observed a morphological difference in fibroin secretory globules stored in the PSG lumen of Fhx mutants, which suggests that their fibroin complexes have a slightly lower solubility. Finally, we performed an LC-MS-based quantitative proteomic analysis comparing mutant and wild-type (wt) cocoon proteins and found a high abundance of a 16 kDa secretory protein likely involved in fibroin solubility. Overall, our study shows that whilst Fhx is dispensable for silk formation, it contributes to the stability of fibroin complexes during intracellular transport and affects the morphology of fibroin secretory globules in the PSG lumen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeriya Zabelina
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan; Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Yoko Takasu
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hana Sehadova
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Naoyuki Yonemura
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Kenichi Nakajima
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Michal Sery
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Zurovec
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Frantisek Sehnal
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Sciences, University of South Bohemia, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Toshiki Tamura
- Institute of Sericulture, Iikura 1053, 300-0324, Ami-machi, Ibaraki, Japan.
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Tsubota T, Yoshioka T, Jouraku A, Suzuki TK, Yonemura N, Yukuhiro K, Kameda T, Sezutsu H. Transcriptomic analysis of the bagworm moth silk gland reveals a number of silk genes conserved within Lepidoptera. Insect Sci 2021; 28:885-900. [PMID: 32589338 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Lepidopteran insects produce cocoons with unique properties. The cocoons are made of silk produced in the larval tissue silk gland and our understanding of the silk genes is still very limited. Here, we investigated silk genes in the bagworm moth Eumeta variegata, a species that has recently been found to produce extraordinarily strong and tough silk. Using short-read transcriptomic analysis, we identified a partial sequence of the fibroin heavy chain gene and its product was found to have a C-terminal structure that is conserved within nonsaturniid species. This is in accordance with the presence of fibroin light chain/fibrohexamerin genes and it is suggested that the bagworm moth is producing silk composed of fibroin ternary complex. This indicates that the fibroin structure has been evolutionarily conserved longer than previously thought. Other than fibroins we identified candidates for sericin genes, expressed strongly in the middle region of the silk gland and encoding serine-rich proteins, and other silk genes, that are structurally conserved with other lepidopteran homologues. The bagworm moth is thus considered to be producing conventional lepidopteran type of silk. We further found a number of genes expressed in a specific region of the silk gland and some genes showed conserved expression with Bombyx mori counterparts. This is the first study allowing comprehensive silk gene identification and expression analysis in the lepidopteran Psychidae family and should contribute to the understanding of silk gene evolution as well as to the development of novel types of silk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Tsubota
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Taiyo Yoshioka
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Silk Materials Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Akiya Jouraku
- Insect Genome Research and Engineering Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Takao K Suzuki
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Yonemura
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Kenji Yukuhiro
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Silk Materials Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tsunenori Kameda
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Silk Materials Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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18
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Zabelina V, Yonemura N, Uchino K, Iizuka T, Mochida Y, Takemura Y, Klymenko V, Sezutsu H, Sehnal F, Tamura T. Production of cloned transgenic silkworms by breeding non-diapausing parthenogenetic strains. J Insect Physiol 2021; 132:104265. [PMID: 34097982 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Clonal transgenic silkworms are useful for the functional analysis of insect genes and for the production of recombinant proteins. Such silkworms have previously been created using an existing ameiotic parthenogenetic strain. However, the process was labor intensive, and the efficiency of producing transgenic silkworms was very low. To overcome this issue, we developed a more convenient and efficient method by breeding non-diapausing parthenogenetic strains. The strains produced non-diapausing eggs only when the embryogenesis of the parent eggs was performed at low temperatures, which could then be used for injecting vector plasmids. This demonstrated that transgenic silkworms could be produced with greater ease and efficiency. To breed the strains, we crossed the existing parthenogenetic strains with bivoltine strains and made F1 and F2 from each cross. Then we selected the silkworms whose eggs have a high ability of parthenogenesis and became non-diapausing. We also demonstrated that the germplasm could be cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. Thus, this method increases the efficiency and ease of using genetically engineered silkworms to analyze gene function and produce recombinant proteins, potentially impacting various industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeriya Zabelina
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Yonemura
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Keiro Uchino
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Iizuka
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Yuji Mochida
- Institute of Sericulture, Iikura 1053, 300-0324 Ami-machi, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yoko Takemura
- Institute of Sericulture, Iikura 1053, 300-0324 Ami-machi, Ibaraki, Japan
| | | | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | | | - Toshiki Tamura
- Institute of Sericulture, Iikura 1053, 300-0324 Ami-machi, Ibaraki, Japan.
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19
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Kiyoshi M, Tatematsu KI, Tada M, Sezutsu H, Shibata H, Ishii-Watabe A. Structural insight and stability of TNFR-Fc fusion protein (Etanercept) produced by using transgenic silkworms. J Biochem 2021; 169:25-33. [PMID: 32766842 PMCID: PMC7868081 DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvaa092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic proteins expressed using transgenic animals have been of great interest for several years. Especially, transgenic silkworm has been studied intensively because of its ease in handling, low-cost, high-yield and unique glycosylation patterns. However, the physicochemical property of the therapeutic protein expressed in transgenic silkworm remains elusive. Here, we constructed an expression system for the TNFR-Fc fusion protein (Etanercept) using transgenic silkworm. The TNFR-Fc fusion protein was employed to N-glycan analysis, which revealed an increased amount of afucosylated protein. Evidence from surface plasmon resonance analysis showed that the TNFR-Fc fusion protein exhibit increased binding affinity for Fcγ receptor IIIa and FcRn compared to the commercial Etanercept, emphasizing the profit of expression system using transgenic silkworm. We have further discussed the comparison of higher order structure, thermal stability and aggregation of the TNFR-Fc fusion protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Kiyoshi
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Biologicals, National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26, Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Minoru Tada
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Biologicals, National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26, Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hiroko Shibata
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Biologicals, National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26, Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan
| | - Akiko Ishii-Watabe
- Division of Biological Chemistry and Biologicals, National Institute of Health Sciences, 3-25-26, Tonomachi, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 210-9501, Japan
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20
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Yokoi K, Tsubota T, Jouraku A, Sezutsu H, Bono H. Reference Transcriptome Data in Silkworm Bombyx mori. Insects 2021; 12:519. [PMID: 34205145 PMCID: PMC8228281 DOI: 10.3390/insects12060519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Herein, we performed RNA-seq analysis of ten major tissues/subparts of silkworm larvae. The sequences were mapped onto the reference genome assembly and the reference transcriptome data were successfully constructed. The reference data provided a nearly complete sequence for sericin-1, a major silk gene with a complex structure. We also markedly improved the gene model for other genes. The transcriptomic expression was investigated in each tissue and a number of transcripts were identified that were exclusively expressed in tissues such as the testis. Transcripts strongly expressed in the midgut formed tight genomic clusters, suggesting that they originated from tandem gene duplication. Transcriptional factor genes expressed in specific tissues or the silk gland subparts were also identified. We successfully constructed reference transcriptome data in the silkworm and found that a number of transcripts showed unique expression profiles. These results will facilitate basic studies on the silkworm and accelerate its applications, which will contribute to further advances in lepidopteran and entomological research as well as the practical use of these insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kakeru Yokoi
- Insect Genome Research and Engineering Unit, Division of Applied Genetics, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan;
- Research Center for Agricultural Information Technology (RCAIT), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Kintetsu Kasumigaseki Building Kasumigaseki 3-5-1, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0013, Japan
| | - Takuya Tsubota
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan; (T.T.); (H.S.)
| | - Akiya Jouraku
- Insect Genome Research and Engineering Unit, Division of Applied Genetics, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan;
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan; (T.T.); (H.S.)
| | - Hidemasa Bono
- Database Center for Life Science (DBCLS), Joint Support-Center for Data Science Research, Research Organization of Information and Systems, 1111 Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan;
- Program of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 3-10-23 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima City, Hiroshima 739-0046, Japan
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21
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Yamada K, Masuda K, Ida S, Tada H, Bando M, Abe K, Tatematsu KI, Sezutsu H, Oyama T, Chikamatsu K, Takeda S. In vitro assessment of antitumor immune responses using tumor antigen proteins produced by transgenic silkworms. J Mater Sci Mater Med 2021; 32:58. [PMID: 33999320 PMCID: PMC8128804 DOI: 10.1007/s10856-021-06526-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The evaluation of antitumor immune responses is essential for immune monitoring to predict clinical outcomes as well as treatment efficacies in cancer patients. In this study, we produced two tumor antigen (TA) proteins, melanoma antigen family A4 and wild type p53, using TG silkworm systems and evaluated anti-TA-specific immune responses by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assays in patients with head and neck cancer. Eleven (61.1%) of 18 patients showed significant IFN-γ production in response to at least one TA; however, the presence of TA-specific immune responses did not significantly contribute to better prognosis (overall survival, p = 0.1768; progression-free survival, p = 0.4507). Further studies will need to be performed on a larger scale to better assess the clinical significance of these systems. The production of multiple TA proteins may provide new avenues for the development of immunotherapeutic strategies to stimulate a potent and specific immune response against tumor cells as well as precise assessment of antitumor immune responses in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanae Yamada
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Division of Molecular Science, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma, 376-8515, Japan
| | - Kei Masuda
- Department of Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
| | - Shota Ida
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
| | - Hiroe Tada
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
| | - Minori Bando
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Division of Molecular Science, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma, 376-8515, Japan
| | - Kanako Abe
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Division of Molecular Science, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma, 376-8515, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Tetsunari Oyama
- Department of Pathology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Chikamatsu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan.
| | - Shigeki Takeda
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Division of Molecular Science, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma, 376-8515, Japan.
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22
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Watanabe M, Bhawal UK, Takemoto S, Nishiyama N, Nakahara Y, Tatematsu KI, Sezutsu H, Kuwabara N, Minamisawa T, Shiba K, Asakura T. Bio-functionalized titanium surfaces with modified silk fibroin carrying titanium binding motif to enhance the ossific differentiation of MC3T3-E1. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 118:2585-2596. [PMID: 33818762 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Silk fibroin (SF) from Bombyx mori has superior properties as both a textile and a biomaterial, and has been used to functionalize the surfaces of various medical inorganic materials including titanium (Ti). In this study, we endowed SF with reversible binding ability to Ti by embedding a titanium binding motif (minTBP-1 and RKLPDA). Artificial SF proteins were first created by conjugating gene cassettes for SF motif (AGSGAG) and minTBP-1 motif with different ratios, which have been shown to bind reversibly to Ti surfaces in quartz crystal microbalance analyses. Based on these results, the functionalized SF (TiBP-SF) containing the designed peptide [TS[(AGSGAG)3 AS]2 RKLPDAS]8 was prepared from the cocoon of transgenic B. mori, which accelerates the ossific differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells when coated on titanium substrates. Thus, TiBP-SF presents an alternative for endowing the surfaces of titanium materials with osseointegration functionality, which would allow the exploration of potential applications in the medical field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mai Watanabe
- Division of Protein Engineering, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Koto, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ujjal K Bhawal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Research Institute of Oral Science, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Matsudo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Shinji Takemoto
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Iwate Medical University, Yahaba, Iwate, Japan
| | - Norihiro Nishiyama
- Department of Dental Biomaterials, Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Matsudo, Chiba, Japan
| | - Yuichi Nakahara
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Nobuo Kuwabara
- Gunma Sericultural Technology Center, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Tamiko Minamisawa
- Division of Protein Engineering, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Koto, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kiyotaka Shiba
- Division of Protein Engineering, Cancer Institute, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Koto, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Asakura
- Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
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23
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Yokoyama T, Saito S, Shimoda M, Kobayashi M, Takasu Y, Sezutsu H, Kato Y, Tominaga M, Mizoguchi A, Shiomi K. Comparisons in temperature and photoperiodic-dependent diapause induction between domestic and wild mulberry silkworms. Sci Rep 2021; 11:8052. [PMID: 33850226 PMCID: PMC8044193 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87590-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The bivoltine strain of the domestic silkworm, Bombyx mori, has two generations per year. It shows a facultative diapause phenotype determined by environmental conditions, including photoperiod and temperature, and nutrient conditions during embryonic and larval development of the mother. However, it remains unclear how the environmental signals received during development are selectively utilized as cues to determine alternative diapause phenotypes. We performed a comparative analysis between the Kosetsu strain of B. mori and a Japanese population of the wild mulberry silkworm B. mandarina concerning the hierarchical molecular mechanisms in diapause induction. Our results showed that for the Kosetsu, temperature signals during the mother’s embryonic development predominantly affected diapause determination through the thermosensitive transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and diapause hormone (DH) signaling pathways. However, embryonic diapause in B. mandarina was photoperiod-dependent, although the DH signaling pathway and thermal sensitivity of TRPA1 were conserved within both species. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that TRPA1-activated signals are strongly linked to the signaling pathway participating in diapause induction in Kosetsu to selectively utilize the temperature information as the cue because temperature-dependent induction was replaced by photoperiodic induction in the TRPA1 knockout mutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Yokoyama
- Department of United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, 183-8509, Japan
| | - Shigeru Saito
- Division of Cell Signaling, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Misato Shimoda
- Gunma Sericultural Technology Center, Maebashi, 371-0852, Japan
| | - Masakazu Kobayashi
- Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda, Nagano, 386-8567, Japan
| | - Yoko Takasu
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), Tsukuba, 305-8602, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS), Tsukuba, 305-8602, Japan
| | - Yoshiomi Kato
- International Christian University, Mitaka, 181-8585, Japan
| | - Makoto Tominaga
- Division of Cell Signaling, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Akira Mizoguchi
- Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Aichi Gakuin University, Nisshin, 470-0195, Japan
| | - Kunihiro Shiomi
- Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda, Nagano, 386-8567, Japan.
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24
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Daimon T, Koyama T, Yamamoto G, Sezutsu H, Mirth CK, Shinoda T. The Number of Larval Molts Is Controlled by Hox in Caterpillars. Curr Biol 2021; 31:884-891.e3. [PMID: 33308417 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Animals with exoskeletons molt for further growth. In insects, the number of larval (or nymphal) molts varies inter- and intra-specifically, and it is widely accepted that the variation in the number of larval molts is an adaptive response to diverse environmental conditions.1-5 However, the molecular mechanism that underlies the variety and plasticity in the number of larval molts is largely unknown. In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, there are strains that molt three, four, or five times, and these numbers are determined by allelic variation at a single autosomal locus, Moltinism (M).6-9 Here, we demonstrate that the Hox gene Sex combs reduced (Scr) is responsible for the phenotypes of the M locus. Scr is selectively expressed in the larval prothoracic gland (PG), an endocrine organ that produces molting hormones.2Scr represses the biosynthesis of molting hormones in the PG, thereby regulating the incremental increase in body size during each larval instar. Our experiments consistently suggest that the differential expression levels of Scr among the three M alleles result in different growth ratios that ultimately lead to the different number of larval molts. Although the role of Hox genes in conferring segmental identity along the body axis and in molding segment-specific structure later in development has been well established,10-13 the present study identifies an unexpected role of Hox gene in hormone biosynthesis. This new role means that, in addition to shaping segment-specific morphology, Hox genes also drive the evolution of life history traits by regulating animal physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaaki Daimon
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan; National Agricultural and Food Research Organization, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan; Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal; Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
| | - Takashi Koyama
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal; Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200, Denmark
| | - Gaku Yamamoto
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- National Agricultural and Food Research Organization, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Christen K Mirth
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras 2780-156, Portugal; School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Tetsuro Shinoda
- National Agricultural and Food Research Organization, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan; Faculty of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Fukushima University, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan
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25
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Hernandez-Reyes CA, Fukushima S, Shigaki S, Kurabayashi D, Sakurai T, Kanzaki R, Sezutsu H. Identification of Exploration and Exploitation Balance in the Silkmoth Olfactory Search Behavior by Information-Theoretic Modeling. Front Comput Neurosci 2021; 15:629380. [PMID: 33597856 PMCID: PMC7882484 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2021.629380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects search for and find odor sources as their basic behaviors, such as when looking for food or a mate. This has motivated research to describe how they achieve such behavior under turbulent odor plumes with a small number of neurons. Among different insects, the silk moth has been studied owing to its clear motor response to olfactory input. In past studies, the "programmed behavior" of the silk moth has been modeled as the average duration of a sequence of maneuvers based on the duration of periods without odor hits. However, this model does not fully represent the fine variations in their behavior. In this study, we used silk moth olfactory search trajectories from an experimental virtual reality device. We achieved an accurate input by using optogenetic silk moths that react to blue light. We then modeled such trajectories as a probabilistic learning agent with a belief of possible source locations. We found that maneuvers mismatching the programmed behavior are related to larger entropy decrease, that is, they are more likely to increase the certainty of the belief. This implies that silkmoths include some stochasticity in their search policy to balance the exploration and exploitation of olfactory information by matching or mismatching the programmed behavior model. We believe that this information-theoretic representation of insect behavior is important for the future implementation of olfactory searches in artificial agents such as robots.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shumpei Fukushima
- Department of Systems and Control Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan.,MHPS Ltd., Takasago, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Shigaki
- Department of Systems Innovation, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Daisuke Kurabayashi
- Department of Systems and Control Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Sakurai
- Department of Agricultural Innovation for Sustainability, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Atsugi, Japan
| | - Ryohei Kanzaki
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
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26
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Tsuchiya R, Kaneshima A, Kobayashi M, Yamazaki M, Takasu Y, Sezutsu H, Tanaka Y, Mizoguchi A, Shiomi K. Maternal GABAergic and GnRH/corazonin pathway modulates egg diapause phenotype of the silkworm Bombyx mori. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2020028118. [PMID: 33443213 PMCID: PMC7817158 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020028118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Diapause represents a major developmental switch in insects and is a seasonal adaptation that evolved as a specific subtype of dormancy in most insect species to ensure survival under unfavorable environmental conditions and synchronize populations. However, the hierarchical relationship of the molecular mechanisms involved in the perception of environmental signals to integration in morphological, physiological, behavioral, and reproductive responses remains unclear. In the bivoltine strain of the silkworm Bombyx mori, embryonic diapause is induced transgenerationally as a maternal effect. Progeny diapause is determined by the environmental temperature during embryonic development of the mother. Here, we show that the hierarchical pathway consists of a γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic and corazonin signaling system modulating progeny diapause induction via diapause hormone release, which may be finely tuned by the temperature-dependent expression of plasma membrane GABA transporter. Furthermore, this signaling pathway possesses similar features to the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) signaling system for seasonal reproductive plasticity in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoma Tsuchiya
- Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda 386-8567, Japan
| | - Aino Kaneshima
- Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda 386-8567, Japan
| | - Masakazu Kobayashi
- Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda 386-8567, Japan
| | - Maki Yamazaki
- Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda 386-8567, Japan
| | - Yoko Takasu
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 305-8634 Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 305-8634 Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Tanaka
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 305-8634 Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Akira Mizoguchi
- Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Aichi Gakuin University, Nisshin 470-0195, Japan
| | - Kunihiro Shiomi
- Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda 386-8567, Japan;
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27
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Noguchi J, Ikeda M, Kikuchi K, Dang-Nguyen TQ, Kasashima M, Tatematsu KI, Sezutsu H, Furusawa T. Successful activation of rat T lymphocytes by sperm specific antigens in vitro. J Reprod Dev 2020; 66:599-605. [PMID: 33012735 PMCID: PMC7768165 DOI: 10.1262/jrd.2020-106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune orchitis is a condition related to cellular immunity. A disease model involving transfer of T lymphocytes activated by known antigens would be useful for defining pathogenical molecules. Since no method for activating rat T cells using specific antigens is available, we started the study to develop the method. T cells were collected from draining lymph nodes of immunized rats, then co-cultured with syngeneic splenocytes as antigen-presenting cells (APC) in antigen-supplemented medium (= stimulation). The cells were then incubated in medium without antigens and APC (= resting). Repetitive stimulation and resting increased the number of the T cells more than 100-fold. The antigen-specific activation was demonstrated by cell proliferation assay and ELISA assay for interferon gamma. Flow cytometry revealed that > 95% of the cells expressed tumor necrosis factor alpha, a cytokine responsible for autoimmune orchitis. The present method will provide a new procedure to evaluate antigenicity of sperm molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junko Noguchi
- Division of Animal Sciences, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Mitsumi Ikeda
- Division of Animal Sciences, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Kikuchi
- Division of Animal Sciences, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Thanh Quang Dang-Nguyen
- Division of Animal Sciences, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Megumi Kasashima
- Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu
- Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Tadashi Furusawa
- Division of Animal Sciences, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
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Maruta R, Takaki K, Yamaji Y, Sezutsu H, Mori H, Kotani E. Effects of transgenic silk materials that incorporate FGF-7 protein microcrystals on the proliferation and differentiation of human keratinocytes. FASEB Bioadv 2020; 2:734-744. [PMID: 33336160 PMCID: PMC7734426 DOI: 10.1096/fba.2020-00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The silk glands of silkworms produce large quantities of fibroin, which is a protein that can be physically processed and used as a biodegradable carrier for cell growth factors in tissue engineering applications. Meanwhile, protein microcrystals known as polyhedra, which are derived from cypovirus 1, have been used as a vehicle to protect and release encapsulated cell growth factors. We report the generation of transgenic silkworms that express recombinant fibroblast growth factor-7 (FGF-7) fused with the polyhedron-encapsulating signal in polyhedra produced in the middle (MSG) and posterior (PSG) silk glands. Immunofluorescence showed that polyhedra from silk glands are associated with FGF-7. The MSG and PSG from transgenic silkworms were processed into fine powdery materials, from which FGF-7 activity was released to stimulate the proliferation of human keratinocyte epidermal cells. Powders from PSGs exhibited higher FGF-7 activity than those from MSGs. Moreover, PSG powder showed a gradual release of FGF-7 activity over a long period and induced keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation in 3D culture to promote the formation of stratified epidermis expressing positive differentiation marker proteins. Our results indicate that powdery materials incorporating the FGF-7-polyhedra microcrystals from silk glands are valuable for developing cell/tissue engineering applications in vivo and in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rina Maruta
- Department of Applied BiologyKyoto Institute of TechnologyKyotoJapan
| | - Keiko Takaki
- Department of Applied BiologyKyoto Institute of TechnologyKyotoJapan
| | - Yuka Yamaji
- Department of Applied BiologyKyoto Institute of TechnologyKyotoJapan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological SciencesNational Agriculture and Food Research OrganizationTsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - Hajime Mori
- Department of Applied BiologyKyoto Institute of TechnologyKyotoJapan
| | - Eiji Kotani
- Department of Applied BiologyKyoto Institute of TechnologyKyotoJapan
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29
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Yuzawa T, Matsuoka M, Sumitani M, Aoki F, Sezutsu H, Suzuki MG. Transgenic and knockout analyses of Masculinizer and doublesex illuminated the unique functions of doublesex in germ cell sexual development of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. BMC Dev Biol 2020; 20:19. [PMID: 32957956 PMCID: PMC7504827 DOI: 10.1186/s12861-020-00224-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Background Masculinizer (Masc) plays a pivotal role in male sex determination in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Masc is required for male-specific splicing of B. mori doublesex (Bmdsx) transcripts. The male isoform of Bmdsx (BmdsxM) induces male differentiation in somatic cells, while females express the female isoform of Bmdsx (BmdsxF), which promotes female differentiation in somatic cells. Our previous findings suggest that Masc could direct the differentiation of genetically female (ZW) germ cells into sperms. However, it remains unclear whether Masc directly induces spermatogenesis or if it promotes male differentiation in germ cells indirectly by inducing the expression of BmdsxM. Results In this study, we performed genetic analyses using the transgenic line that expressed Masc, as well as various Bmdsx knockout lines. We found that Masc-expressing females with a homozygous mutation in BmdsxM showed normal development in ovaries. The formation of testis-like tissues was abolished in these females. On the other hand, Masc-expressing females carrying a homozygous mutation in BmdsxF exhibited almost complete male-specific development in gonads and germ cells. These results suggest that BmdsxM has an ability to induce male development in germ cells as well as internal genital organs, while BmdsxF inhibits BmdsxM activity and represses male differentiation. To investigate whether MASC directly controls male-specific splicing of Bmdsx and identify RNAs that form complexes with MASC in testes, we performed RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) using an anti-MASC antibody. We found that MASC formed a complex with AS1 lncRNA, which is a testis-specific factor involved in the male-specific splicing of Bmdsx pre-mRNA. Conclusions Taken together, our findings suggest that Masc induces male differentiation in germ cells by enhancing the production of BmdsxM. Physical interaction between MASC and AS1 lncRNA may be important for the BmdsxM expression in the testis. Unlike in the Drosophila dsx, BmdsxM was able to induce spermatogenesis in genetically female (ZW) germ cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that the role of dsx in germ cell sexual development is different between insect species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohisa Yuzawa
- AIR WATER INC, 4-9-4 Hatchobori, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0032, Japan.,Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan
| | - Misato Matsuoka
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan.,SHINYUSHA, 1-12 Kanda Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-0051, Japan
| | - Megumi Sumitani
- Genetically Modified Organism Research Center, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Owashi, Tsukuba, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Fugaku Aoki
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Genetically Modified Organism Research Center, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Owashi, Tsukuba, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Masataka G Suzuki
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan.
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30
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Nakaya H, Tatematsu KI, Sezutsu H, Kuwabara N, Koibuchi N, Takeda S. Secretory expression of thyroid hormone receptor using transgenic silkworms and its DNA binding activity. Protein Expr Purif 2020; 176:105723. [PMID: 32768455 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2020.105723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Silkworms are economically important insects that have the ability to produce large amounts of silk. They have mass breeding methods and silk glands, which are specialized tissues that secrete silk fibroin and sericin. Thus, the production of recombinant proteins in a transgenic silkworm system is a promising approach. We developed a silkworm, Bombyx mori, as a host expression insect for recombinant proteins and successfully produced different proteins including antibodies, glycoproteins, and membrane receptors. The thyroid hormone receptor (TR) is a regulatory factor for many physiological phenomena. It is a lipophilic protein that has DNA-binding and ligand-binding domains. Based on our previous experiences, it was inferred that the recombinant TR easily formed aggregates and precipitates which is potentially due to an unstructured hinge domain. We applied the silkworm expression system to produce mice TRβ1 that was fused with glutathione S-transferase. Using 160 larvae, the yield of the recombinant GST-TRβ was approximately 4 mg, and the purified GST-TRβ completely retained its physiological activity. Our results indicated that the recombinant TRβ was secreted extracellularly using the silk fibroin signal peptide sequence. Moreover, we found that the expression system of silkworms was applicable to nuclear proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirofumi Nakaya
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Division of Molecular Science, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma, 376-8515, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Nobuo Kuwabara
- Gunma Sericultural Technology Center, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8570, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Koibuchi
- Department of Integrative Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, 3-39-22 Showa-machi Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan
| | - Shigeki Takeda
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Division of Molecular Science, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma, 376-8515, Japan.
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31
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Suzuki TK, Tomita S, Sezutsu H. Multicomponent structures in camouflage and mimicry in butterfly wing patterns. J Morphol 2020; 280:149-166. [PMID: 30556951 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 09/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how morphological structures are built is essential for appreciating the morphological complexity and divergence of organisms. One representative case of morphological structures is the camouflage and mimicry of butterfly wing patterns. Some previous studies have questioned whether camouflage and mimicry are truly structures, considering that they rely on coloration. Nevertheless, our recent study revealed that the leaf pattern of Kallima inachus butterfly wings evolved through the combination of changes in several pigment components in a block-wise manner; it remains unclear whether such block-wise structures are common in other cases of camouflage and mimicry in butterflies and how they come about. Previous studies focused solely on a set of homologous components, termed the nymphalid ground plan. In the present study, we extended the scope of the description of components by including not only the nymphalid ground plan but also other common components (i.e., ripple patterns, dependent patterns, and color fields). This extension allowed us to analyze the combinatorial building logic of structures and examine multicomponent structures of camouflage and mimicry in butterfly wing patterns. We investigated various patterns of camouflage and mimicry (e.g., masquerade, crypsis, Müllerian mimicry, Batesian mimicry) in nine species and decomposed them into an assembly of multiple components. These structural component analyses suggested that camouflage and mimicry in butterfly wing patterns are built up by combining multiple types of components. We also investigated associations between components and the kinds of camouflage and mimicry. Several components are statistically more often used to produce specific types of camouflage or mimicry. Thus, our work provides empirical evidence that camouflage and mimicry patterns of butterfly wings are mosaic structures, opening up a new avenue of studying camouflage, and mimicry from a structural perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takao K Suzuki
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Shuichiro Tomita
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Ibaraki, Japan
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32
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Muhonja L, Yamanouchi H, Yang CC, Kuwazaki S, Yokoi K, Kameda T, Sezutsu H, Jouraku A. Genome-wide SNP marker discovery and phylogenetic analysis of mulberry varieties using double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing. Gene 2020; 726:144162. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2019.144162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Suzuki TK, Koshikawa S, Kobayashi I, Uchino K, Sezutsu H. Modular cis-regulatory logic of yellow gene expression in silkmoth larvae. Insect Mol Biol 2019; 28:568-577. [PMID: 30737958 PMCID: PMC6849593 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Colour patterns in butterflies and moths are crucial traits for adaptation. Previous investigations have highlighted genes responsible for pigmentation (ie yellow and ebony). However, the mechanisms by which these genes are regulated in lepidopteran insects remain poorly understood. To elucidate this, molecular studies involving dipterans have largely analysed the cis-regulatory regions of pigmentation genes and have revealed cis-regulatory modularity. Here, we used well-developed transgenic techniques in Bombyx mori and demonstrated that cis-regulatory modularity controls tissue-specific expression of the yellow gene. We first identified which body parts are regulated by the yellow gene via black pigmentation. We then isolated three discrete regulatory elements driving tissue-specific gene expression in three regions of B. mori larvae. Finally, we found that there is no apparent sequence conservation of cis-regulatory regions between B. mori and Drosophila melanogaster, and no expression driven by the regulatory regions of one species when introduced into the other species. Therefore, the trans-regulatory landscapes of the yellow gene differ significantly between the two taxa. The results of this study confirm that lepidopteran species use cis-regulatory modules to control gene expression related to pigmentation, and represent a powerful cadre of transgenic tools for studying evolutionary developmental mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. K. Suzuki
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)TsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - S. Koshikawa
- Faculty of Environmental Earth ScienceHokkaido UniversitySapporo060‐0810Japan
| | - I. Kobayashi
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)TsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - K. Uchino
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)TsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - H. Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO)TsukubaIbarakiJapan
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Yamamoto DS, Sumitani M, Kasashima K, Sezutsu H, Matsuoka H, Kato H. A synthetic male-specific sterilization system using the mammalian pro-apoptotic factor in a malaria vector mosquito. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8160. [PMID: 31160726 PMCID: PMC6547752 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44480-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Conditional cell death systems are useful for various aspects of basic science with a wide range of applications, including genetic pest control. We recently demonstrated that expression of the mammalian pro-apoptotic factor, B-cell leukaemia/lymphoma 2-associated X protein (Bax), can induce apoptosis in specific tissues by using tissue specific promoters in silkworm and mosquito. Here, we newly identified a functional promoter in the Asian malaria vector, Anopheles stephensi, which enables gene expression specifically in the testis. We produced a transgenic mosquito line that expresses mouse Bax under the control of this testis-specific promoter. Transgenic mosquito males exhibited aberrant testes without functional sperm and complete sterility, whereas transgenic females maintained normal fecundity. Despite their abnormal testes, the transgenic males maintained normal function of male accessory glands and typical mating behaviour. As a result of mating with these males, females showed refractoriness to further mating. These results suggest that transgenic males induce female sterility via mating. The mosquito is one of the most important disease vectors, and the control of their population benefits global public health. Thus, this Bax-mediated synthetic male-specific sterilization system could be applied to population control of mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke S Yamamoto
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University, Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan.
| | - Megumi Sumitani
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Katsumi Kasashima
- Division of Functional Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Jichi Medical University, Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Matsuoka
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University, Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Hirotomo Kato
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University, Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan
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35
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Shigaki S, Haigo S, Hernandez Reyes C, Sakurai T, Kanzaki R, Kurabayashi D, Sezutsu H. Analysis of the role of wind information for efficient chemical plume tracing based on optogenetic silkworm moth behavior. Bioinspir Biomim 2019; 14:046006. [PMID: 31026859 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ab1d34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Many animals use olfactory information to search for feeding areas and other individuals in real time and with high efficiency. We focus on the chemical plume tracing (CPT) ability of male silkworm moths and investigate an efficient CPT strategy for an autonomous robot. In the case of flying insects, the wind direction is an important factor in CPT, because the wind carries odors amongst other environmental information. However, whether the same phenomenon occurs in the walking silkworm moth has not been investigated. Therefore, we examine how the silkworm moth uses wind information during CPT. To accurately investigate the response to the wind direction, we introduce an optogenetic approach that replaces the odor stimulation with light stimulation, allowing us to separate the 'wind stimulus' from the 'odor stimulus'. We examine how the moth uses wind direction information in a biological experiment, and find that the movement speed is significantly reduced when the wind speed is relatively fast (1.0 m s-1). By implementing this phenomenon in an autonomous robot, we can improve the successful search rate over that of the conventional moth-inspired algorithm. Regarding the search time, the proposed algorithm finds the odor source faster in a low-frequency odorant emission environment, whereas the search is slower than the conventional method when the odor frequency is higher. Therefore, switching from the use of wind direction information to odor information according to the frequency with which the odor is encountered leads to efficient CPT performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunsuke Shigaki
- Department of System Innovation, Osaka University, 1-2 Machikaneyama-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-8531, Japan. Author to whom correspondence may be addressed
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Ikeda K, Daimon T, Sezutsu H, Udaka H, Numata H. Involvement of the Clock Gene period in the Circadian Rhythm of the Silkmoth Bombyx mori. J Biol Rhythms 2019; 34:283-292. [DOI: 10.1177/0748730419841185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In Lepidoptera, the roles of period ( per) and the negative feedback involving this gene in circadian rhythm are controversial. In the present study, we established a per knockout strain using TALEN in Bombyx mori, and compared eclosion and hatching rhythms between the per-knockout and wild-type strains to examine whether per is actually involved in these rhythms. The generated per knockout allele was considered null, because it encoded an extensively truncated form of PERIOD (198 aa due to a 64-bp deletion in exon 7, in contrast to 1113 aa in the wild-type protein). In this per knockout strain, circadian rhythms in eclosion and hatching were disrupted. Under LD cycles, however, a steep peak existed at 1 h after lights-on in both eclosion and hatching, and was considered to be produced by a masking effect—a direct response to light. In the per-knockout strain, temporal expression changes of per and timeless ( tim) were also lost. The expression levels of tim were continuously high, probably due to the loss of negative feedback by per and tim. In contrast, the expression levels of per were much lower in the per knockout strain than in the wild type at every time point. From these results, we concluded that per is indispensable for circadian rhythms, and we suggest that the negative feedback loop of the circadian rhythm involving per functions for the production of behavioral rhythms in B. mori.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kento Ikeda
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takaaki Daimon
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- National Agriculture Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Hiroko Udaka
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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37
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Yamamoto K, Higashiura A, Hirowatari A, Yamada N, Tsubota T, Sezutsu H, Nakagawa A. Characterisation of a diazinon-metabolising glutathione S-transferase in the silkworm Bombyx mori by X-ray crystallography and genome editing analysis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16835. [PMID: 30443011 PMCID: PMC6237972 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35207-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously, we found an unclassified glutathione S-transferase 2 (bmGSTu2) in the silkworm Bombyx mori that conjugates glutathione to 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and also metabolises diazinon, an organophosphate insecticide. Here, we provide a structural and genome-editing characterisation of the diazinon-metabolising glutathione S-transferase in B. mori. The structure of bmGSTu2 was determined at 1.68 Å by X-ray crystallography. Mutation of putative amino acid residues in the substrate-binding site showed that Pro13, Tyr107, Ile118, Phe119, and Phe211 are crucial for enzymatic function. bmGSTu2 gene disruption resulted in a decrease in median lethal dose values to an organophosphate insecticide and a decrease in acetylcholine levels in silkworms. Taken together, these results indicate that bmGSTu2 could metabolise an organophosphate insecticide. Thus, this study provides insights into the physiological role of bmGSTu2 in silkworms, detoxification of organophosphate insecticides, and drug targets for the development of a novel insecticide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohji Yamamoto
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Kyushu University Graduate School, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Akifumi Higashiura
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.,Department of Virology, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan
| | - Aiko Hirowatari
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Kyushu University Graduate School, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Naotaka Yamada
- Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Kyushu University Graduate School, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Takuya Tsubota
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Atsushi Nakagawa
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
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Shigaki S, Fikri MR, Hernandez Reyes C, Sakurai T, Ando N, Kurabayashi D, Kanzaki R, Sezutsu H. Animal-in-the-loop system to investigate adaptive behavior. Adv Robot 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/01691864.2018.1511473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Shigaki
- Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - M. R. Fikri
- Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - T. Sakurai
- The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - N. Ando
- The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - R. Kanzaki
- The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - H. Sezutsu
- National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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Suganuma M, Nomura T, Higa Y, Kataoka Y, Funaguma S, Okazaki H, Suzuki T, Fujiyama K, Sezutsu H, Tatematsu KI, Tamura T. N-glycan sialylation in a silkworm-baculovirus expression system. J Biosci Bioeng 2018; 126:9-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2018.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Revised: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Sezutsu H, Sumitani M, Kondo M, Kobayashi I, Takasu Y, Suzuki T, Yonemura N, Iizuka T, Uchino K, Tamura T, Tsubota T, Tatematsu KI. Construction of a Platform for the Development of Pharmaceutical and Medical Applications Using Transgenic Silkworms. YAKUGAKU ZASSHI 2018; 138:863-874. [DOI: 10.1248/yakushi.17-00202-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
| | - Megumi Sumitani
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
| | - Mari Kondo
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo
| | - Isao Kobayashi
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
| | - Yoko Takasu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
| | - Takao Suzuki
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
| | - Naoyuki Yonemura
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
| | - Tetsuya Iizuka
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
| | - Keiro Uchino
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
| | - Toshiki Tamura
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
| | - Takuya Tsubota
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
| | - Ken-ichiro Tatematsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
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Baba A, Matsushita S, Kitayama K, Asakura T, Sezutsu H, Tanimoto A, Kanekura T. Silk fibroin produced by transgenic silkworms overexpressing the Arg‐Gly‐Asp motif accelerates cutaneous wound healing in mice. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 2018; 107:97-103. [DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.34098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Atsunori Baba
- Department of DermatologyGraduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima UniversitySakuragaoka Kagoshima Japan
| | - Shigeto Matsushita
- Department of DermatologyGraduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima UniversitySakuragaoka Kagoshima Japan
| | - Kasumi Kitayama
- Department of BiotechnologyTokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyKoganei Tokyo Japan
| | - Tetsuo Asakura
- Department of BiotechnologyTokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyKoganei Tokyo Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological SciencesTsukuba Ibaraki Japan
| | - Akihide Tanimoto
- Department of Molecular and Cellular PathologyGraduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima UniversitySakuragaoka Kagoshima Japan
| | - Takuro Kanekura
- Department of DermatologyGraduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima UniversitySakuragaoka Kagoshima Japan
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Motokawa Y, Kokubo M, Kuwabara N, Tatematsu KI, Sezutsu H, Takahashi H, Sakakura K, Chikamatsu K, Takeda S. Melanoma antigen family A4 protein produced by transgenic silkworms induces antitumor immune responses. Exp Ther Med 2018; 15:2512-2518. [PMID: 29563979 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2018.5703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent clinical trials with the aim of developing tumor antigen (TA)-specific cancer vaccines against a number of malignancies have focused on the identification of TAs presented by tumor cells and recognized by T cells. In the present study, the TA melanoma antigen family A4 (MAGE-A4) protein was produced using a transgenic (TG) silkworm system. Using in vitro stimulation, it was subsequently determined whether MAGE-A4 protein induced MAGE-A4-specific T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy donors. TG silkworm lines expressing a MAGE-A4 gene under an upstream activating sequence (UAS) were mated with those expressing a yeast transcription activator protein (GAL4) at the middle silk glands (MSGs) and embryos that harbored both the GAL4 and UAS constructs were selected. Recombinant MAGE-A4 protein was extracted from the MSGs of TG silkworms and evaluated using SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis. It was observed that MAGE-A4 produced by the TG silkworm system successfully induced MAGE-A4-specific CD4+ T cell responses. Furthermore, MAGE-A4-specific CD4+ T cells recognized antigen-presenting cells when pulsed with a MAGE-A4+ tumor cell lysate. The present data suggests that recombinant tumor antigen production using the TG silkworm system may be a novel tool in the preparation of cancer vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Motokawa
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Division of Molecular Science, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515, Japan
| | - Michifumi Kokubo
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Division of Molecular Science, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515, Japan
| | - Nobuo Kuwabara
- Gunma Sericultural Technology Center, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8570, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Center, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Center, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Takahashi
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
| | - Koichi Sakakura
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Chikamatsu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
| | - Shigeki Takeda
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Division of Molecular Science, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515, Japan
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Hara C, Morishita K, Takayanagi-Kiya S, Mikami A, Uchino K, Sakurai T, Kanzaki R, Sezutsu H, Iwami M, Kiya T. Refinement of ectopic protein expression through the GAL4/UAS system in Bombyx mori: application to behavioral and developmental studies. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11795. [PMID: 28924263 PMCID: PMC5603595 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12102-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Silkmoth, Bombyx mori, is one of the important model insects in which transgenic techniques and the GAL4/UAS system are applicable. However, due to cytotoxicity and low transactivation activity of GAL4, effectiveness of the GAL4/UAS system and its application in B. mori are still limited. In the present study, we refined the previously reported UAS vector by exploiting transcriptional and translational enhancers, and achieved 200-fold enhancement of reporter GFP fluorescence in the GAL4/UAS system. Enhanced protein expression of membrane-targeted GFP and calcium indicator protein (GCaMP5G) drastically improved visualization of fine neurite structures and neural activity, respectively. Also, with the refined system, we generated a transgenic strain that expresses tetanus toxin light chain (TeTxLC), which blocks synaptic transmission, under the control of GAL4. Ectopic TeTxLC expression in the sex pheromone receptor neurons inhibited male courtship behavior, proving effectiveness of TeTxLC on loss-of-function analyses of neural circuits. In addition, suppression of prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) or insulin-like peptide (bombyxin) secretion impaired developmental timing and growth rate, respectively. Furthermore, we revealed that larval growth is sex-differentially regulated by these peptide hormones. The present study provides important technical underpinnings of transgenic approaches in silkmoths and insights into mechanisms of postembryonic development in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiho Hara
- Division of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Koudai Morishita
- Division of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Seika Takayanagi-Kiya
- Division of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Akihisa Mikami
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Keiro Uchino
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Takeshi Sakurai
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Ryohei Kanzaki
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Masafumi Iwami
- Division of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan
| | - Taketoshi Kiya
- Division of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan.
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Sumitani M, Kondo M, Kasashima K, Endo H, Nakamura K, Misawa T, Tanaka H, Sezutsu H. Characterization of Bombyx mori mitochondrial transcription factor A, a conserved regulator of mitochondrial DNA. Gene 2016; 608:103-113. [PMID: 28027964 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2016.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
In the present study, we initially cloned and characterized a mitochondrial transcription factor A (Tfam) homologue in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Bombyx mori TFAM (BmTFAM) localized to mitochondria in cultured silkworm and human cells, and co-localized with mtDNA nucleoids in human HeLa cells. In an immunoprecipitation analysis, BmTFAM was found to associate with human mtDNA in mitochondria, indicating its feature as a non-specific DNA-binding protein. In spite of the low identity between BmTFAM and human TFAM (26.5%), the expression of BmTFAM rescued mtDNA copy number reductions and enlarged mtDNA nucleoids in HeLa cells, which were induced by human Tfam knockdown. Thus, BmTFAM compensates for the function of human TFAM in HeLa cells, demonstrating that the mitochondrial function of TFAM is highly conserved between silkworms and humans. BmTfam mRNA was strongly expressed in early embryos. Through double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-based RNA interference (RNAi) in silkworm embryos, we found that the knockdown of BmTFAM reduced the amount of mtDNA and induced growth retardation at the larval stage. Collectively, these results demonstrate that BmTFAM is a highly conserved mtDNA regulator and may be a good candidate for investigating and modulating mtDNA metabolism in this model organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megumi Sumitani
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan.
| | - Mari Kondo
- Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8562, Chiba, Japan
| | - Katsumi Kasashima
- Division of Functional Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Endo
- Division of Functional Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan
| | - Kaoru Nakamura
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Misawa
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Tanaka
- Insect-Microbe Research Unit, Division of Insect Sciences, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Division of Biotechnology, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi, Tsukuba 305-8634, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8562, Chiba, Japan.
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Tsubota T, Yamamoto K, Mita K, Sezutsu H. Gene expression analysis in the larval silk gland of the eri silkworm Samia ricini. Insect Sci 2016; 23:791-804. [PMID: 26178074 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Insects produce silk for a range of purposes. In the Lepidoptera, silk is utilized as a material for cocoon production and serves to protect larvae from adverse environmental conditions or predators. Species in the Saturniidae family produce an especially wide variety of cocoons, for example, large, golden colored cocoons and those with many small holes. Although gene expression in the silk gland of the domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) has been extensively studied, considerably fewer investigations have focused on members of the saturniid family. Here, we established expression sequence tags from the silk gland of the eri silkworm (Samia ricini), a saturniid species, and used these to analyze gene expression. Although we identified the fibroin heavy chain gene in the established library, genes for other major silk proteins, such as fibroin light chain and fibrohexamerin, were absent. This finding is consistent with previous reports that these latter proteins are lacking in saturniid silk. Recently, a series of fibrohexamerin-like genes were identified in the Bombyx genome. We used this information to conduct a detailed analysis of the library established here. This analysis identified putative homologues of these genes. We also found several genes encoding small silk protein molecules that are also present in the silk of other Lepidoptera. Gene expression patterns were compared between eri and domestic silkworm, and both conserved and nonconserved expression patterns were identified for the tested genes. Such differential gene expression might be one of the major causes of the differences in silk properties between these species. We believe that our study can be of value as a basic catalogue for silk gland gene expression, which will yield to the further understanding of silk evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Tsubota
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Kimiko Yamamoto
- Insect Genome Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Kazuei Mita
- Insect Genome Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Ibaraki, 305-8634, Japan
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Takasu Y, Kobayashi I, Tamura T, Uchino K, Sezutsu H, Zurovec M. Precise genome editing in the silkworm Bombyx mori using TALENs and ds- and ssDNA donors - A practical approach. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2016; 78:29-38. [PMID: 27569417 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2016.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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: 07/13/2016] [Revised: 08/19/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Engineered nucleases are able to introduce double stranded breaks at desired genomic locations. The breaks can be repaired by an error-prone non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) mechanism, or the repair process can be exploited to introduce precise DNA modifications by homology-directed repair (HDR) when provided with a suitable donor template. We designed a series of DNA donors including long dsDNA plasmids as well as short ssDNA oligonucleotides and compared the effectiveness of their utilization during gene targeting with highly efficient transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs). While the use of long dsDNA donors for the incorporation of larger DNA fragments in Bombyx is still a problem, short single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (ssODNs) are incorporated quite efficiently. We show that appropriately designed ssODNs were integrated into germ cells in up to 79% of microinjected individuals and describe in more detail the conditions for the precise genome editing of Bombyx genes. We specify the donor sequence requirements that affected knock-in efficiency, and demonstrate the successful applications of this method of sequence deletion, insertion and replacement in the Bombyx genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Takasu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Isao Kobayashi
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Toshiki Tamura
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Keiro Uchino
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, 1-2 Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8634, Japan
| | - Michal Zurovec
- Biology Centre of the ASCR, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
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Yamashita J, Kobayashi I, Tatematsu K, Sezutsu H, Noda K, Ishihara H. Sandwich ELISA Using a Mouse/Human Chimeric CSLEX-1 Antibody. Clin Chem 2016; 62:1516-1523. [PMID: 27591290 DOI: 10.1373/clinchem.2016.260968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An assay using a mouse antisialyl Lewis X (sLeX) antibody (CSLEX-1) is used clinically for screening and monitoring patients with breast cancer in Japan. However, the IgM isoform of CSLEX-1 is not preferred for the assay because the bulkiness of IgM generally causes poor accessibility to the antigen. To solve this problem, we developed an antisLeX mouse/human chimeric IgG antibody, CH-CSLEX-1, using transgenic silkworms. The performance of a homologous sandwich ELISA of CH-CSLEX1 was then evaluated. METHODS To generate CH-CSLEX-1, we used a GAL4/UAS binary gene expression system in transgenic silkworms. The reactivities of CSLEX-1 and CH-CSLEX-1 were determined in a Biacore analysis. To confirm antigen specificity, 3 antigens [sLeX, sLeA, and Lewis Y (LeY)] were used. RESULTS CH-CSLEX-1 formed correctly as an IgG class of immunoglobulin molecule with an isoelectric point close to the predicted value. The best combination for capturing and probing in a sandwich ELISA was determined as a homologous combination of CH-CSLEX-1. The CH-CSLEX-1 assay specifically detected sLeX, but not sLeA and LeY. A correlation analysis with 107 human samples showed good concordance between the conventional CSLEX-1 assay (homologous sandwich ELISA using CSLEX-1) and the CH-CSLEX-1 assay (r = 0.98). Moreover, the CH-CSLEX-1 assay was not affected by either human antimouse IgG antibodies (HAMA IgG) or HAMA IgM. CONCLUSIONS The mouse/human chimeric antibody CH-CSLEX-1 allowed the establishment of a highly specific sandwich ELISA for sLeX that was not affected by HAMA.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Yamashita
- R&D Department, Nittobo Medical Co., Ltd., Koriyama, Japan
| | - I Kobayashi
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - K Tatematsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - H Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - K Noda
- R&D Department, Nittobo Medical Co., Ltd., Koriyama, Japan
| | - H Ishihara
- R&D Department, Nittobo Medical Co., Ltd., Koriyama, Japan;
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Baba A, Kitayama K, Asakura T, Sezutsu H, Tanimoto A, Kanekura T. Silk fibroin produced by transgenic silkworms overexpressing the Arg-Gly-Asp motif accelerates cutaneous wound healing in mice. J Dermatol Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jdermsci.2016.08.447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Yamamoto DS, Sumitani M, Kasashima K, Sezutsu H, Matsuoka H. Inhibition of Malaria Infection in Transgenic Anopheline Mosquitoes Lacking Salivary Gland Cells. PLoS Pathog 2016; 12:e1005872. [PMID: 27598328 PMCID: PMC5012584 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria is an important global public health challenge, and is transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes during blood feeding. Mosquito vector control is one of the most effective methods to control malaria, and population replacement with genetically engineered mosquitoes to block its transmission is expected to become a new vector control strategy. The salivary glands are an effective target tissue for the expression of molecules that kill or inactivate malaria parasites. Moreover, salivary gland cells express a large number of molecules that facilitate blood feeding and parasite transmission to hosts. In the present study, we adapted a functional deficiency system in specific tissues by inducing cell death using the mouse Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) to the Asian malaria vector mosquito, Anopheles stephensi. We applied this technique to salivary gland cells, and produced a transgenic strain containing extremely low amounts of saliva. Although probing times for feeding on mice were longer in transgenic mosquitoes than in wild-type mosquitoes, transgenic mosquitoes still successfully ingested blood. Transgenic mosquitoes also exhibited a significant reduction in oocyst formation in the midgut in a rodent malaria model. These results indicate that mosquito saliva plays an important role in malaria infection in the midgut of anopheline mosquitoes. The dysfunction in the salivary glands enabled the inhibition of malaria transmission from hosts to mosquito midguts. Therefore, salivary components have potential in the development of new drugs or genetically engineered mosquitoes for malaria control. Malaria, transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes, represents an important global public health challenge. The salivary glands of mosquitoes are an attractive target tissue for malaria and vector control. We produced a transgenic strain inducing cell death in the salivary glands with a cell death effector molecule in the Asian malaria vector mosquito, Anopheles stephensi. This transgenic strain contained extremely low amounts of saliva. An analysis of this strain revealed that saliva plays an important role in probing as well as malaria infection in the midgut in a rodent malaria model. The dysfunction in the salivary glands enabled the inhibition of malaria transmission to mosquito midguts. Therefore, salivary components are also important in malaria control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke S. Yamamoto
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University, Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Megumi Sumitani
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Katsumi Kasashima
- Division of Functional Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, Jichi Medical University, Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan
| | - Hideki Sezutsu
- Transgenic Silkworm Research Unit, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Owashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Matsuoka
- Division of Medical Zoology, Department of Infection and Immunity, Jichi Medical University, Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, Japan
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