Studies on the posterior silk gland of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. 3. Ultrastructural changes of posterior silk gland cells in the fourth larval instar

Autophagy regulates whitefly-symbiont metabolic interactions

Nutritional symbionts are restricted to specialized host cells called bacteriocytes in various insect orders. These symbionts can provide essential nutrients to the host. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the regulation of these insect-symbiont metabolic associations remain largely unclear. The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci MEAM1, hosts Portiera and Hamiltonella bacteria in the same bacteriocyte. In this study, the induction of autophagy by chemical treatment and gene silencing decreased symbiont titers, and essential amino acid (EAA) and B vitamin contents. In contrast, the repression of autophagy in bacteriocytes via Atg8 silencing increased symbiont titers, and amino acid and B vitamin contents. Furthermore, dietary supplementation with non-EAAs or B vitamins alleviated autophagy in whitefly bacteriocytes, elevated TOR (target of rapamycin) expression and increased symbiont titers. TOR silencing restored symbiont titers in whiteflies after dietary supplementation with B vitamins. These data suggest that Portiera and Hamiltonella evade autophagy of the whitefly bacteriocytes by activating the TOR pathway via providing essential nutrients. Taken together, we demonstrated that autophagy plays a critical role in regulating the metabolic interactions between the whitefly and two intracellular symbionts. Therefore, this study reveals that autophagy is an important cellular basis for bacteriocyte evolution and symbiosis persistence in whiteflies. The whitefly symbiosis unravels the interactions between cellular and metabolic functions of bacteriocytes. Importance Nutritional symbionts, which are restricted to specialized host cells called bacteriocytes, can provide essential nutrients for many hosts. However, the cellular mechanisms of regulation of animal-symbiont metabolic associations have been largely unexplored. Here, using the whitefly-Portiera/Hamiltonella endosymbiosis, we demonstrate autophagy regulates the symbiont titers, and thereby alters the essential amino acid and B vitamin contents. For persistence in the whitefly bacteriocytes, Portiera and Hamiltonella alleviate autophagy by activating the TOR (target of rapamycin) pathway through providing essential nutrients. Therefore, we demonstrate that autophagy plays a critical role in regulating the metabolic interactions between the whitefly and two intracellular symbionts. This study also provides insight into the cellular basis of bacteriocyte evolution and symbiosis persistence in the whitefly. The mechanisms underlying the role of autophagy in whitefly symbiosis could be widespread in many insect nutritional symbioses. These findings provide new avenue for whitefly control via regulating autophagy in the future.

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

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.

Developmental and transcriptomic features characterize defects of silk gland growth and silk production in silkworm naked pupa mutant

The silkworm Bombyx mori is a well-characterized model organism for studying the silk gland development and silk production process. Using positional cloning and gene sequencing, we have previously reported that a truncated fibroin heavy chain was responsible for silkworm naked pupa (Nd) mutant. However, the mechanisms by which the mutant FibH causes developmental defects and secretion-deficiency of the silk gland remain to be fully elucidated. Here, silk gland's developmental features, histomorphology, and transcriptome analyses were used to characterize changes in its structure and gene expression patterns between Nd mutant and WT/Dazao. Whole larval stage investigation showed that Nd-PSG undergoes an arrested/delayed development, which eventually resulted in a gland degeneration. By using section staining and transmission electron microscope, a blockade in intracellular vesicle transport from endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi apparatus (secretion-deficiency) and an increased number of autophagosomes and lysosomes were found in Nd-PSG's cytoplasm. Next, by using RNA sequencing and comparative transcriptomic analysis, 2178 differentially expressed genes were identified between Nd-PSG and WT-PSG, among which most of the DEGs associated with cellular stress responses (autophagy, ubiquitin-proteasome system, and heat shock response) were significantly up-regulated in Nd-PSG, suggesting that mutant FibH perturbed cellular homeostasis and resulted in an activation of adaptive responses in PSG cells. These findings reveal the molecular mechanism of the Naked pupa (Nd) mutation and provide insights into silk gland development as well as silk protein production in silkworm Bombyx mori.

20-Hydroxyecdysone stimulates nuclear accumulation of BmNep1, a nuclear ribosome biogenesis-related protein in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The pathway of communication between endocrine hormones and ribosome biogenesis critical for physiological adaptation is largely unknown. Nucleolar essential protein 1 (Nep1) is an essential gene for ribosome biogenesis and is functionally conserved in many in vertebrate and invertebrate species. In this study, we cloned Bombyx mori Nep1 (BmNep1) due to its high expression in silk glands of silkworms on day 3 of the fifth instar. We found that BmNep1 mRNA and protein levels were upregulated in silk glands during fourth-instar ecdysis and larval-pupal metamorphosis. By immunoprecipitation with the anti-BmNep1 antibody and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses, it was shown that BmNep1 probably interacts with proteins related to ribosome structure formation. Immunohistochemistry, biochemical fractionation and immunocytochemistry revealed that BmNep1 is localized to the nuclei in Bombyx cells. Using BmN cells originally derived from ovaries, we demonstrated that 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) induced BmNep1 expression and stimulated nuclear accumulation of BmNep1. Under physiological conditions, BmNep1 was also upregulated in ovaries during larval-pupal metamorphosis. Overall, our results indicate that the endocrine hormone 20E facilitates nuclear accumulation of BmNep1, which is involved in nuclear ribosome biogenesis in Bombyx.

BmCREC is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident protein and required for ER/Golgi morphology

Silkworm posterior silkgland is a model for studying intracellular trafficking. Here, using this model, we identify several potential cargo proteins of BmKinesin-1 and focus on one candidate, BmCREC. BmCREC (also known as Bombyx mori DNA supercoiling factor, BmSCF) was previously proposed to supercoil DNA in the nucleus. However, we show here that BmCREC is localized in the ER lumen. Its C-terminal tetrapeptide HDEF is recognized by the KDEL receptor, and subsequently it is retrogradely transported by coat protein I (COPI) vesicles to the ER. Lacking the HDEF tetrapeptide of BmCREC or knocking down COPI subunits results in decreased ER retention and simultaneously increased secretion of BmCREC. Furthermore, we find that BmCREC knockdown markedly disrupts the morphology of the ER and Golgi apparatus and leads to a defect of posterior silkgland tube expansion. Together, our results clarify the ER retention mechanism of BmCREC and reveal that BmCREC is indispensable for maintaining ER/Golgi morphology.

The development of branched silk gland nuclei

Nuclei in the giant polyploid silk gland cells of Calpodes ethlius grow by endomitosis and can develop hundreds of branches during larval life. The shape of the these nuclei is characteristic for each region of the gland. We have found shape to be correlated with arrangement of the nuclear matrix. Scanning electron microscopy showed nuclear matrices with shapes similar to those of feulgen stained nuclei. Profiles of isolated matrices seen by transmission electron microscopy had filaments aligned parallel to the long axis of nuclear branches. DNA stained by Hoechst had a similar parallel alignment within the branches. Nuclear shape may be maintained by a small number of components, since electrophoretic analysis showed only a few abundant polypeptides in the matrix fraction. Silk gland nuclei have some of the same nuclear matrix antigens found in smaller, more regularly shaped, eukaryote nuclei.

Metabolic allometry during development and metamorphosis of the silkworm Bombyx mori: analyses, patterns, and mechanisms

Intraspecific allometric (scaling) relationships for metabolism, which have received little examination compared to interspecific relationships, reflect a complex interplay of organogenesis, growth, and shifting physiologies. In this study of the silkworm Bombyx mori, we hypothesized that allometric relationships for metabolism both across all developmental stages and within each stage would not reflect conventional scaling coefficients (e.g., b not equal to 0.75). Histology, gross morphology, body surface and cross-sectional area, total lipid content, and cytochrome c oxidase activity levels (as evidence of the total metabolic potential of mitochondria) were determined across development. Also measured were oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and the respiratory exchange ratio. The overall slope, b, in the allometric equation relating to body mass across all developmental stages was 0.82, not greatly different from the value of 0.75 typical of interspecific data. However, within larval instars II-V and in prepupae, b varied between 0.99 and 1.49, far higher than hypothesized. Thus, in B. mori, an analytical approach that lumps all developmental stages hides interinstar variability. Morphological and biochemical data suggest that observed scaling patterns in B. mori are likely correlated with changes in overall mitochondrial density rather than with specific changes in body proportion of tissues with higher intrinsic metabolic intensity.

Programmed cell death in the larval salivary glands of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

The morphological and histochemical features of degeneration in honeybee (Apis mellifera) salivary glands were investigated in 5th instar larvae and in the pre-pupal period. The distribution and activity patterns of acid phosphatase enzyme were also analysed. As a routine,the larval salivary glands were fixed and processed for light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.Tissue sections were subsequently stained with haematoxylin -eosin,bromophenol blue,silver,or a variant of the critical electrolyte concentration (CEC) method.Ultrathin sections were contrasted with uranyl acetate and lead citrate.Glands were processed for the histochemical and cytochemical localization of acid phosphatase,as well as biochemical assay to detect its activity pattern. Acid phosphatase activity was histochemically detected in all the salivary glands analysed.The cytochemical results showed acid phosphatase in vesicles, Golgi apparatus and lysosomes during the secretory phase and,additionally, in autophagic structures and luminal secretion during the degenerative phase. These findings were in agreement with the biochemical assay. At the end of the 5th instar, the glandular cells had a vacuolated cytoplasm and pyknotic nuclei, and epithelial cells were shed into the glandular lumen.The transition phase from the 5th instar to the pre-pupal period was characterized by intense vacuolation of the basal cytoplasm and release of parts of the cytoplasm into the lumen by apical blebbing; these blebs contained cytoplasmic RNA, rough endoplasmic reticule and, occasionally, nuclear material. In the pre-pupal phase, the glandular epithelium showed progressive degeneration so that at the end of this phase only nuclei and remnants of the cytoplasm were observed.The nuclei were pyknotic,with peripheral chromatin and blebs. The gland remained in the haemolymph and was recycled during metamorphosis. The programmed cell death in this gland represented a morphological form intermediate between apoptosis and autophagy.

Structural reorganization of the rough endoplasmic reticulum without size expansion accounts for dexamethasone-induced secretory activity in AR42J cells

A striking reorganization of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) from a tubulo-vesicular (TV-RER) to a stacked cisternal (SC-RER) configuration was observed when the secretory activity of AR42J cells, a cell line derived from a rat pancreatic acinar carcinoma, was induced by dexamethasone. Treatment with 10 nM dexamethasone resulted in a 6.6-fold increase in the intracellular and a 4.6-fold increase in the secreted amylase activity, respectively. On the basis of the morphometric analysis of thin-section electron micrographs it has been previously reported that this increase in secretory activity is accompanied by a 2.4-fold or 30-fold increase in the size of the RER. We have developed a new biochemical method to determine the size of the RER by quantifying the membrane-bound ribosomes. Using this procedure we did not detect any change in the size of the RER after induction of an active secretory state in AR42J cells. Electron microscopic observation showed the predominance of SC-RER in dexamethasone-treated cells compared to the abundance of TV-RER in control cells. Laser scanning confocal microscopy showed a patchy distribution of ER staining in dexamethasone-treated cells compared to more basal localization in control cells. On the basis of our observations we conclude that in AR42J cells the increase in secretory activity induced by dexamethasone is accompanied by a reorganization of the RER rather than by an increase in ER surface area, as reported by others. Our results suggest that SC-RER is a biosynthetically more efficient form of the RER, which is found predominantly in actively secreting cells.

Stimulation of fibroin synthesis elicits ultrastructural modifications in spider silk secretory cells

Electron microscopic studies of unstimulated and stimulated spider fibroin glands show that the fibroin synthesis stimulus evokes visible changes in both the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus of their secretory epithelium. Gradual increase in distension of the reticulum accompanies the increase of evoked fibroin synthetic activity. The flattened translucent Golgi vesicles, seen in inactive cells, display a gradual increase in size and number, also with time. The stimulation also elicits a gradual transition in the gland's luminal membrane, during which the microvilli on the lining gradually disappear acquiring an electron dense appearance. Correlations of the observed transitions to the gland's increase in rate of elicited synthetic activity are discussed. The parallelisms between the ultrastructural modifications observed in the spider secretory cells with those described in the silkworm glands during their progression through the fifth instar have been stressed.

The programming of silk-gland development in Bombyx mori. I. Effects of experimental starvation on growth, silk production, and autolysis during the fifth larval instar studied by electron microscopy

The cytological development of the silk gland has been studied by light and electron microscopy in silkworms experimentally starved at different periods of the natural feeding stage during the fifth instar. When newly molted animals are not provided with food, no sign of growth is observed. Starvation initiated early during the obligatory feeding period, stops cell growth and development of the organelles involved in protein synthesis and secretion, whereas it induces the appearance of organelles concerned with autolysis. These effects are reversible if starvation is not prolonged beyond two days. Starvation during the facultative feeding period, at the time of massive fibroin production, results in quantitative and qualitative modifications of organelles related to the decrease of fibroin production and the onset of autolysis. Rough endoplasmic reticulum, responsible for fibroin synthesis, forms transitory whorls. Fibroin transport via the Gjolgi apparatus and secretion of the protein into the gland lumen decrease parallel to fibroin synthesis, so that no fibroin storage can be detected in any organelle. After food deprivation, autophagosomes and secondary lysosomes rapidly develop in the cytopolasm, and if starvation continues portions opf the cytoplasm are sequestered and completely destroyed. If animals are refed, fibroin production is resumed and autolysis declines. These ultrastructural alterations of the silk gland during experimental starvation are very similar to those observed during the periods of physiological starvation (molt and cocoon spinning) and generally considered to be under hormonal control. Our results raise the question of the nature of interactions between alimentary and hormonal factors which control silk-gland development.

DNA synthesis and endomitoses in the giant nuclei of the silkgland of Bombyx mori

At the first symptoms of organisation of the silkgland in the embryo, mitoses stop and nuclei start to grow. Through autoradiographic studies, performed after sequenced labeling with [3H] and [14C] thymidine, the durations of the different phases of DNA synthesis cycles (T = 42 to 48 h, S = 22 to 25 h, G = 20 to 23 h) are established. These durations are in fact identical during the second and the third instar, and the same, whatever region is concerned : posterior, middle or anterior parts. A model has been established to account for the distribution of the S phases during the second and third instars. The DNA synthesis in all nuclei of a given region has been followed during the first four instars by labelling with [3H]thymidine. The activity goes through maxima and minima, depending on the percent of nuclei synthesizing DNA and their synchronism, both being characteristic of each region; long resting periods are observed during the molting stages of the first three instars in the middle and the anterior parts. The coincidence is obvious between the maxima and minima and respectively the S and G phases of the model. DNA assays agree with the distribution of cycles established by autoradiography if one admits that each cycle does lead to a doubling of the amount of DNA. The overall DNA synthesis from the diploid value is estimated to correspond to 18-19 endomitoic cycles in the nucleic of the posterior part, 19-20 cycles of those of the middle part and 13 in those of the anterior part. The analysis of chromosome structures, by squashing the nuclear content, shows that existence of a complete endomitotic cycle: the doubling of chromosomes is associated with condensed structures, alternating with a decondensed state of chromatin, responsible for the DNA synthesis. The female heterochromatin undergoes a restricted morphological cycle delayed with respect to bulk chromatin. It is characterized by a late DNA duplication and by non dispersed daughter chromosomes. Some of these aspects are, to a lesser extent, reproduced in groups of autosomic chromosomes.

Quantitative data on the Bombyx mori L. silkworm: a review

This paper summarizes a variety of quantitative data on the silkworm Bombyx mori, collected in the literature, to help building models on silk gland differentiation. The properites of the silk gland and their changes especially during the last larval instar have been reviewed (size, DNA, RNA amino acids, enzymes). The components of the silk (fibroin and sericin) are also studied (molecular weight, composition). Thus translation and transcription rates have been estimated. The relevant data on the fat body and the haemolymph are also given, as well as some characteristics of the oocyte/egg system.

The adaptation of the silkgland cell to the production of fibroin in Bombyx mori L

At the end of the larval life, the posterior silk gland of Bombyx mori is highly specialized in the biosynthesis of a specific protein : silk fibroin. The successive steps of fibroin production : amino supply, synthesis and secretion are described. Their analysis shows that fibroin synthesis is important enough to orient the overall cellular activities. Thus, the terminal differentiation of the posterior silk gland cell corresponds to the cells adaptation to the production of fibroin. Cytological and biochemical studies of the silk gland development show that specialization occurs discontinuously; the fourth molt, when fibroin is no more produced, is a phase of regression of the cellular adaptation whereas cell differentiation proceeds during the growth phase of the following fifth intermolt. After the spinning of the cocoon, the cells are lysed and disappear entirely at the nymphal stage. Biometrical analysis of silk production of different Bombyx strains in relation with the development of the proteosynthesis apparatus leads to the conclusion that the specific messenger RNA content determines the amount of synthetized fibroin. At maximum secretion, the mRNAF recruits almost all the cell ribosomes. The variations of the size of the proteosynthesis machinery are sufficient to explain the differences of productivity of the various silkworm strains. Different experimental factors affect silk production. Topical applications of juvenile hormone induce an increase of the RNA content and a consequent rise of the amount of secreted protein. In contrast, starvation reduces the silk production by acting at both transcriptonal and translational levels. Current researches on this system are devoted to the study of the differential gene expression, with particular interest to the regulation of the transcription of the specific fibroin messenger RNA.

Studies on the posterior silk gland of the silkworm Bombyx mori. VI. Distribution of microtubules in the posterior silk gland cells

There are two microtubule systems in the posterior silk gland cells. One is a radial microtubule system in which the microtubules run radially from the basal to the apical cytoplasm and in which fibroin globules (secretory granules of fibroin) and mitochondria are arranged along these microtubules, thus composing a "canal system" which is assumed to be responsible for the intracellular transport of fibroin globules. The other is a circular microtubule system in the apical cytoplasm which is composed of bundles of microtubules and microfilaments running in a circular arrangement around the glandular lumen at an interval of approximately 4 mum at the end of the fifth instar. This system is presumably concerned with secretion and/or intraluminal transport of fibroin.

Studies on the posterior silk gland of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. I. Growth of posterior silk gland cells and biosynthesis of fibroin during the fifth larval instar

Growth of the posterior silk gland and biosynthesis of fibroin during the fifth larval instar of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, have been studied. In accordance with the exponential increase in the wet weight of the gland, the amounts of DNA, RNA, protein, and lipids per animal increased rapidly in the early stage of the fifth instar (0-96 hr). Biosynthesis of fibroin, on the contrary, mainly proceeds in the later stage of the fifth instar (120-192 hr). Electron microscopical observations have shown that, in the very early stage (0-12 hr), a number of free ribosomes exist in the cytoplasm. Rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) with closely spaced cisternae was also observed. Then rough ER starts to proliferate rapidly, and at the same time lamellar ER is rapidly or gradually transformed into vesicular or tubular forms. In the later stage of the fifth instar (120-192 hr), the cytoplasm is mostly filled with tubular or vesicular ER. Golgi vacuoles, free vacuoles (fibroin globules), and mitochondria are also observed. It is concluded that in the early stage of the fifth instar the cellular structures necessary for the biosynthesis of fibroin are rapidly formed, while in the later stage the biosynthesis of fibroin proceeds at a maximum rate and utilizes these structures.