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Li Z, You L, Zhang Q, Yu Y, Tan A. A Targeted In-Fusion Expression System for Recombinant Protein Production in Bombyx mori. Front Genet 2022; 12:816075. [PMID: 35058975 PMCID: PMC8763709 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.816075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an economically important insect that synthesizes large amounts of silk proteins in its silk gland to make cocoons. In recent years, germline transformation strategies advanced the bioengineering of the silk gland as an ideal bioreactor for mass production of recombinant proteins. However, the yield of exogenous proteins varied largely due to the random insertion and gene drift caused by canonical transposon-based transformation, calling for site-specific and stable expression systems. In the current study, we established a targeted in-fusion expression system by using the transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN)-mediated targeted insertion to target genomic locus of sericin, one of the major silk proteins. We successfully generated chimeric Sericin1-EGFP (Ser-2A-EGFP) transformant, producing up to 3.1% (w/w) of EGFP protein in the cocoon shell. With this strategy, we further expressed the medically important human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) and the protein yield in both middle silk glands, and cocoon shells reached to more than 15-fold higher than the canonical piggyBac-based transgenesis. This natural Sericin1 expression system provides a new strategy for producing recombinant proteins by using the silkworm silk gland as the bioreactor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqian Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China.,Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, The Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, China.,Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Lang You
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China.,Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, The Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Qichao Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China.,Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, The Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Ye Yu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China.,Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, The Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Anjiang Tan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Sericultural Biology and Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China.,Key Laboratory of Silkworm and Mulberry Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, The Sericultural Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang, China
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2
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Wang F, Ji YT, Tian C, Wang YC, Xu S, Wang RY, Yang QQ, Zhao P, Xia QY. An inducible constitutive expression system in Bombyx mori mediated by phiC31 integrase. INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 28:1277-1289. [PMID: 32803790 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Inducible gene-expression systems play important roles in gene functional assays in the post-genome era. Streptomyces phage-derived phiC31 integrase, which mediates an irreversible site-specific cassette exchange between the phage attachment site (attP) and the bacterial attachment site (attB), provides a promising option for the construction of a controllable gene-expression system. Here, we report a phiC31 integrase-mediated promoter flip system (FLIP) for the inducible expression of target genes in silkworm (Bombyx mori). First, we constructed a FLIP reporter system, in which a BmAct4 promoter with enhanced translational efficiency was flanked by the attB and attP sites in a head-to-head orientation and further linked in a reverse orientation to a DsRed reporter gene. The coexpression of a C-terminal modified phiC31-NLS integrase carrying a simian virus 40 (SV40) nuclear localization signal (NLS) effectively flipped the BmAct4 promoter through an attB/attP exchange, thereby activating the downstream expression of DsRed in a silkworm embryo-derived cell line, BmE. Subsequently, the FLIP system, together with a system continuously expressing the phiC31-NLS integrase, was used to construct binary transgenic silkworm lines. Hybridization between FLIP and phiC31-NLS transgenic silkworm lines resulted in the successful flipping of the BmAct4 promoter, with an approximately 39% heritable transformation efficiency in silkworm offspring, leading to the constitutive and high-level expression of DsRed in silkworms, which accounted for approximately 0.81% of the silkworm pupal weight. Our successful development of the FLIP system offers an effective alternative for manipulating gene expression in silkworms and other lepidopteran species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan-Ting Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Chi Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yuan-Cheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Shen Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ri-Yuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qian-Qian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ping Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qing-You Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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Effects of Osiris9a on Silk Properties in Bombyx mori Determined by Transgenic Overexpression. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21051888. [PMID: 32164252 PMCID: PMC7084798 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21051888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Osiris is an insect-specific gene family with multiple biological roles in development, phenotypic polymorphism, and protection. In the silkworm, we have previously identified twenty-five Osiris genes with high evolutionary conservation and remarkable synteny among several insects. Bombxy moriOsiris9a (BmOsi9a) is expressed only in the silk gland, particularly in the middle silk gland (MSG). However, the biological function of BmOsi9a is still unknown. In this study, we overexpressed BmOsi9a in the silk gland by germline transgene expression. BmOsi9a was overexpressed not only in the MSG but also in the posterior silk gland (PSG). Interestingly, BmOsi9a could be secreted into the lumen in the MSG but not in the PSG. In the silk fiber, overexpressed BmOsi9a interacted with Sericin1 in the MSG, as confirmed by a co-immunoprecipitation assay. The overexpression of BmOsi9a altered the secondary structure and crystallinity of the silk fiber, thereby changing the mechanical properties. These results provide insight into the mechanisms underlying silk proteins secretion and silk fiber formation.
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Zhang T, Liu R, Luo Q, Qu D, Chen T, Yao O, Xu H. Expression and characterization of recombinant human VEGF165 in the middle silk gland of transgenic silkworms. Transgenic Res 2019; 28:601-609. [PMID: 31541344 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-019-00173-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Recombinant human vascular endothelial growth factor (rhVEGF) has important applications in therapeutic angiogenesis and inhibition of VEGF-mediated pathological angiogenesis. Previous studies have shown that rhVEGF can be produced in several expression systems, including Escherichia coli, yeasts, insect cells and mammalian cells. However, little is known regarding the effective production of this protein in organs of live organisms. Here, we report for the first time the expression and characterization of rhVEGF165 in the middle silk gland (MSG) of the transgenic silkworm line S1-V165. Our results confirmed that (1) rhVEGF165 was highly expressed in MSG cells and was secreted into the cocoon of S1-V165; (2) the dimeric form of rhVEGF165 could be easily dissolved from S1-V165 cocoons using an alkaline solution; (3) rhVEGF165 extracted from S1-V165 cocoons exhibited slightly better cell proliferative activity than the hVEGF165 standard in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. This study provides an alternative strategy for the production of bioactive rhVEGF165 using the MSG of transgenic silkworms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Rongpeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Qin Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Dawei Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Tao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Ou Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Hanfu Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, College of Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
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Wang Y, Xu S, Wang R, Chen W, Hou K, Tian C, Ji Y, Yang Q, Yu L, Lu Z, Zhao P, Xia Q, Wang F. Genetic fabrication of functional silk mats with improved cell proliferation activity for medical applications. Biomater Sci 2019; 7:4536-4546. [PMID: 31536077 DOI: 10.1039/c9bm01285k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Functional silk mats with improved cell proliferation activity are promising medical materials to accelerate damaged wound healing and tissue repair. In this study, novel functional silk mats were fabricated from human fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-containing cocoons generated by expressing human acid FGF1 and basic FGF2 in silkworms. First, functional silk mats containing FGF1 and FGF2 proteins alone or in combination were fabricated by physically cutting genetically engineered cocoons. Compared to those of normal silk mats, the physical properties of these functional silk mats such as silk fibre diameter, internal secondary structure, and mechanical properties were significantly changed. The expressed FGF1 and FGF2 proteins in these silk mats were efficiently and gradually released over 15 days. Moreover, these silk mats significantly promoted NIH/3T3 cell proliferation and growth by activating the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, and the silk mat containing FGF1 and FGF2 proteins showed higher cell proliferation. Importantly, this silk mat caused no obvious cytotoxicity or cell inflammation. These results suggest that these functional silk mats have potential medical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuancheng Wang
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng Xu
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Riyuan Wang
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenjing Chen
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Kai Hou
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Chi Tian
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanting Ji
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Qianqian Yang
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Ling Yu
- Institute for Clean Energy & Advanced Materials, Faculty of Materials & Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhisong Lu
- Institute for Clean Energy & Advanced Materials, Faculty of Materials & Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Ping Zhao
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingyou Xia
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China and Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Wang
- Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China. and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Sericultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China and Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, People's Republic of China
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Xin HH, Zhang DP, Chen RT, Cai ZZ, Lu Y, Liang S, Miao YG. TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR Bmsage PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN SILK GLAND GENERATION IN SILKWORM, Bombyx mori. ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 90:59-69. [PMID: 25917878 DOI: 10.1002/arch.21244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Salivary gland secretion is altered in Drosophila embryos with loss of function of the sage gene. Saliva has a reduced volume and an increased electron density according to transmission electron microscopy, resulting in regions of tube dilation and constriction with intermittent tube closure. However, the precise functions of Bmsage in silkworm (Bombyx mori) are unknown, although its sequence had been deposited in SilkDB. From this, Bmsage is inferred to be a transcription factor that regulates the synthesis of silk fibroin and interacts with another silk gland-specific transcription factor, namely, silk gland factor-1. In this study, we introduced a germline mutation of Bmsage using the Cas9/sgRNA system, a genome-editing technology, resulting in deletion of Bmsage from the genome of B. mori. Of the 15 tested samples, seven displayed alterations at the target site. The mutagenesis efficiency was about 46.7% and there were no obvious off-target effects. In the screened homozygous mutants, silk glands developed poorly and the middle and posterior silk glands (MSG and PSG) were absent, which was significantly different from the wild type. The offspring of G0 mosaic silkworms had indel mutations causing 2- or 9-bp deletions at the target site, but exhibited the same abnormal silk gland structure. Mutant larvae containing different open-reading frames of Bmsage had the same silk gland phenotype. This illustrated that the mutant phenotype was due to Bmsage knockout. We conclude that Bmsage participates in embryonic development of the silk gland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hu-hu Xin
- Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Deng-pan Zhang
- Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui-ting Chen
- Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Zi-zheng Cai
- Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Lu
- Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Liang
- Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Yun-gen Miao
- Institute of Sericulture and Apiculture, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
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Wang H, Wang L, Wang Y, Tao H, Yin W, SiMa Y, Wang Y, Xu S. High yield exogenous protein HPL production in the Bombyx mori silk gland provides novel insight into recombinant expression systems. Sci Rep 2015; 5:13839. [PMID: 26370318 PMCID: PMC4570194 DOI: 10.1038/srep13839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The silk gland of Bombyx mori (BmSG) has gained significant attention by dint of superior synthesis and secretion of proteins. However, the application of BmSG bioreactor is still a controversial issue because of low yields of recombinant proteins. Here, a 3057 bp full-length coding sequence of Hpl was designed and transformed into the silkworm genome, and then the mutant (Hpl/Hpl) with specific expression of Hpl in posterior BmSG (BmPSG) was obtained. In the mutants, the transcription level of Fib-L and P25, and corresponding encoding proteins, did not decrease. However, the mRNA level of Fib-H was reduced by 71.1%, and Fib-H protein in the secreted fibroin was decreased from 91.86% to 71.01%. The mRNA level of Hpl was 0.73% and 0.74% of Fib-H and Fib-L, respectively, while HPL protein accounted for 18.85% of fibroin and 15.46% of the total amount of secreted silk protein. The exogenous protein was therefore very efficiently translated and secreted. Further analysis of differentially expressed gene (DEG) was carried out in the BmPSG cells and 891 DEGs were detected, of which 208 genes were related to protein metabolism. Reduced expression of endogenous silk proteins in the BmPSG could effectively improve the production efficiency of recombinant exogenous proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Wang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Lu Wang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yulong Wang
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Hui Tao
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Weimin Yin
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yanghu SiMa
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yujun Wang
- R&D Division, Okamoto Corporation, Nara 635-8550, Japan
| | - Shiqing Xu
- School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.,National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
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