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Li S, Lao J, Sun Y, Hua X, Lin P, Wang F, Shen G, Zhao P, Xia Q. CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Editing of BmEcKL1 Gene Sequence Affected Silk Gland Development of Silkworms ( Bombyx mori). Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1907. [PMID: 38339188 PMCID: PMC10856159 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The silkworm (Bombyx mori) has served humankind through silk protein production. However, traditional sericulture and the silk industry have encountered considerable bottlenecks and must rely on major technological breakthroughs to keep up with the current rapid developments. The adoption of gene editing technology has nevertheless brought new hope to traditional sericulture and the silk industry. The long period and low efficiency of traditional genetic breeding methods to obtain high silk-yielding silkworm strains have hindered the development of the sericulture industry; the use of gene editing technology to specifically control the expression of genes related to silk gland development or silk protein synthesis is beneficial for obtaining silkworm strains with excellent traits. In this study, BmEcKL1 was specifically knocked out in the middle (MSGs) and posterior (PSGs) silk glands using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and ΔBmEcKL1-MSG and ΔBmEcKL1-PSG strains with improved MSGs and PSGs and increased silk production were obtained. This work identifies and proves that BmEcKL1 directly or indirectly participates in silk gland development and silk protein synthesis, providing new perspectives for investigating silk gland development and silk protein synthesis mechanisms in silkworms, which is of great significance for selecting and breeding high silk-yielding silkworm varieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shimin Li
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (S.L.); (J.L.); (X.H.); (P.L.); (F.W.); (G.S.); (P.Z.)
| | - Junjie Lao
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (S.L.); (J.L.); (X.H.); (P.L.); (F.W.); (G.S.); (P.Z.)
| | - Yue Sun
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (S.L.); (J.L.); (X.H.); (P.L.); (F.W.); (G.S.); (P.Z.)
| | - Xiaoting Hua
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (S.L.); (J.L.); (X.H.); (P.L.); (F.W.); (G.S.); (P.Z.)
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Ping Lin
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (S.L.); (J.L.); (X.H.); (P.L.); (F.W.); (G.S.); (P.Z.)
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (S.L.); (J.L.); (X.H.); (P.L.); (F.W.); (G.S.); (P.Z.)
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Guanwang Shen
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (S.L.); (J.L.); (X.H.); (P.L.); (F.W.); (G.S.); (P.Z.)
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Ping Zhao
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (S.L.); (J.L.); (X.H.); (P.L.); (F.W.); (G.S.); (P.Z.)
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
| | - Qingyou Xia
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China; (S.L.); (J.L.); (X.H.); (P.L.); (F.W.); (G.S.); (P.Z.)
- State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Biological Science Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
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Scanlan JL, Robin C. Phylogenomics of the Ecdysteroid Kinase-like (EcKL) Gene Family in Insects Highlights Roles in Both Steroid Hormone Metabolism and Detoxification. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae019. [PMID: 38291829 PMCID: PMC10859841 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary dynamics of large gene families can offer important insights into the functions of their individual members. While the ecdysteroid kinase-like (EcKL) gene family has previously been linked to the metabolism of both steroid molting hormones and xenobiotic toxins, the functions of nearly all EcKL genes are unknown, and there is little information on their evolution across all insects. Here, we perform comprehensive phylogenetic analyses on a manually annotated set of EcKL genes from 140 insect genomes, revealing the gene family is comprised of at least 13 subfamilies that differ in retention and stability. Our results show the only two genes known to encode ecdysteroid kinases belong to different subfamilies and therefore ecdysteroid metabolism functions must be spread throughout the EcKL family. We provide comparative phylogenomic evidence that EcKLs are involved in detoxification across insects, with positive associations between family size and dietary chemical complexity, and we also find similar evidence for the cytochrome P450 and glutathione S-transferase gene families. Unexpectedly, we find that the size of the clade containing a known ecdysteroid kinase is positively associated with host plant taxonomic diversity in Lepidoptera, possibly suggesting multiple functional shifts between hormone and xenobiotic metabolism. Our evolutionary analyses provide hypotheses of function and a robust framework for future experimental studies of the EcKL gene family. They also open promising new avenues for exploring the genomic basis of dietary adaptation in insects, including the classically studied coevolution of butterflies with their host plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack L Scanlan
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Charles Robin
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
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