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Comparative Silk Transcriptomics Illuminates Distinctive Impact of Artificial Selection in Silkworm Modern Breeding
Kesen Zhu1,2, Yanfei Chen3, Lei Chen4
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University , Guangzhou 510631, China.
Modern silkworm breeding significantly alters gene expression in silk glands, shifting resources for enhanced silk production. This study reveals key genetic changes driving improved cocoon quality and yield in domesticated silkworms.
Area of Science:
- * Genomics and Molecular Biology
- * Animal Breeding and Genetics
- * Biochemistry
Background:
- * Silkworm (Bombyx mori) evolution involves domestication and selective breeding for silk production.
- * The genetic mechanisms underlying the improvement phase of silkworm breeding remain poorly understood.
- * Understanding gene expression changes is crucial for optimizing silk yield and quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate the transcriptomic landscape of silk glands in wild, early domestic, and improved silkworms.
- * To identify genes and pathways affected by modern breeding processes.
- * To elucidate the genetic basis for enhanced silk production in improved silkworms.
Main Methods:
- * Systematic comparison of larval silk gland transcriptomes using RNA sequencing.
- * Differential gene expression analysis to identify significant gene changes between silkworm groups.
- * Hierarchical clustering to analyze overall transcriptomic divergence.
- * Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis to identify affected biological processes.
Main Results:
- * Improved silkworms exhibit significant transcriptomic divergence from wild and early domestic counterparts.
- * Silk cocoon protein genes are upregulated in improved silkworms, but not in early domestic ones.
- * A specific set of 1671 improved silkworm-specific differentially expressed genes (IS-DEGs) were identified.
- * IS-DEGs are enriched in organonitrogen compound catabolism and protein post-translational modification (upregulated) and basic biosynthesis pathways (downregulated).
- * GDAP2 identified as a candidate gene potentially involved in silk behavior and robustness.
Conclusions:
- * Modern silkworm breeding induces rapid and substantial changes in silk gland gene expression.
- * Breeding strategies may optimize nitrogen resource allocation towards silk production.
- * The findings highlight the role of gene regulation in improving silk yield and quality, potentially involving brain behavior and robustness.
