Article
Microbiology
Junhong Wei, Youpeng Fan, Xiaoling Jing, Zhihui Fei, Chunfeng Li, Guoqing Pan, Jialing Bao, Zeyang Zhou
Summary: In this study, a recombinant BmBac-UPS baculovirus vector system was constructed for foreign protein production and gene delivery. The ability of the system to form polyhedra in silkworm cells was confirmed through co-infection experiments. The recombinant viruses also showed efficient infection and polyhedron formation in transgenic silkworm cell lines.
Article
Fisheries
Jacopo Fabrello, Maria Pagano, Federica Arrigo, Maria Ciscato, Francesco Boldrin, Salvatore Giacobbe, Caterina Porcino, Marilena Briglia, Maria Cristina Guerrera, Antonino Germana, Caterina Faggio, Valerio Matozzo
Summary: This study investigated the haemolymph cells and ctenidia of the Mediterranean spiny oyster, Spondylus gaederopus, aiming to detect new bioindicators in the marine environment. The study found that spiny oysters have relatively low number of circulating cells, rich granulocytes with lysosomes, and complex organization of ctenidia. These features suggest that spiny oysters may be promising bioindicators, but further research is needed to evaluate their physiological responses to stress.
FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Agronomy
Kejie Li, Zhanqi Dong, Minhui Pan
Summary: This review article focuses on several common silkworm pests and their pathogenic mechanisms, with an emphasis on breeding for disease resistance. The advantages and disadvantages of transgenic technology and gene-editing systems are compared, and current strategies and technologies for breeding silkworm disease resistance are summarized. The paper also discusses the future application prospects of these technologies.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xuan Pan, Yan Luo, Nachuan Liao, Ya Zhang, Miao Xiao, Peng Chen, Cheng Lu, Zhanqi Dong
Summary: This study demonstrates the successful use of CRISPR/Cpf1 multiplex genome editing technology in insect genome engineering. The researchers were able to introduce mutations at multiple loci simultaneously and observed no impact on economic traits. Additionally, the multiplex genome editing approach significantly increased the antiviral response and affected viral gene transcription and replication.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xuedong Chen, Yongfeng Wang, Yujun Wang, Qiuying Li, Xinyin Liang, Guang Wang, Yang-Hu Sima, Shiqing Xu, Jianglan Li, Ruji Peng
Summary: Transgenic modification of silkworms has been used to engineer new silk fibers with improved production efficiency and resistance to alkaline conditions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Liang Huang, Zhan-Qi Dong, Fei-Fang Dong, Xi-Bo Yu, Zhi-Gang Hu, Na-Chuan Liao, Peng Chen, Cheng Lu, Min-Hui Pan
Summary: In this study, a transgenic silkworm was generated using the CRISPR/Cas9 system to knockout the BmNPV inhibitor of apoptosis 2 (iap2) gene. Economic traits and growth tests showed no differences between the knockout strain and control groups, but a significant reduction in mortality rate and delay in onset time were observed after knocking out BmNPV iap2. Overall, gene editing of BmNPV iap2 was found to effectively inhibit BmNPV replication and proliferation, providing a new strategy for antiviral research.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mizuko Osanai-Futahashi, Keiro Uchino, Toshiki Tamura, Hideki Sezutsu
Summary: Ommochromes are important pigments involved in the coloration of arthropods. This study focused on the red egg (re) mutant of Bombyx mori, which has red eggs and dark red eyes due to a defect in ommochrome pigment synthesis. The researchers discovered that the Bm-re gene, a major facilitator superfamily transporter gene, can rescue the re phenotype and be used as a marker gene for visual screening of transgenic silkworms. Transgenic screening with the Bm-re gene allows for earlier and longer screening compared to conventional fluorescent markers.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Xueqin Mao, Dongxu Xing, Die Liu, Haoran Xu, Luyu Hou, Ping Lin, Qingyou Xia, Ying Lin, Guanwang Shen
Summary: In this study, the egt gene was successfully transformed into B. bassiana, leading to increased efficacy and coverage against silkworm larvae. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of improving entomopathogenic fungi using genetic engineering.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Riyuan Wang, Yuancheng Wang, Jianxin Song, Chi Tian, Xinyuan Jing, Ping Zhao, Qingyou Xia
Summary: In this study, a novel cocoon self-degumming method was established by genetically overexpressing trypsinogen protein in the sericin layer of silk thread. Compared to the conventional hot-alkaline degumming technique, the self-degumming method achieved self-degumming under mild conditions and resulted in silk fibers with better quality and more biologically active sericin protein products.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xuehua Jia, Xiaoyu Pang, Yajie Yuan, Qiang Gao, Ming Lu, Guangxian Zhang, FangYing Dai, Tianfu Zhao
Summary: The study revealed the migration of PB transposons in Bombyx mori, leading to loss of exogenous genes and impacting the stability of transgenic lines. Therefore, when using PB transposons as a vector, it is crucial to evaluate and take necessary measures to prevent re-migration for genetic stability.
MOLECULAR GENETICS AND GENOMICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaoqian Xie, Xin Wang, Qingsong Liu, Yi Li, Zhaoming Dong, Lingyan Wang, Qingyou Xia, Ping Zhao
Summary: This study investigated the transcriptional regulation mechanism of the ASSCP2 gene and identified the -357 to -257 sequence as the key region responsible for its regulation. The study also discovered the ASG-specific transcription factor Sox-2, which binds to the -357 to -257 sequence and regulates the tissue-specific expression of ASSCP2.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Linrong Wan, Wenfu Xiao, Ziyan Huang, Anlian Zhou, Yaming Jiang, Bangxing Zou, Binbin Liu, Cao Deng, Youhong Zhang
Summary: This article systematically identified and analyzed small open reading frames (smORFs) in the silkworm, finding 738 highly reliable smORFs and 34,401 possible smORFs. It also identified differentially expressed and tissue-specific-expressed smORFs, which may be closely related to tissue characteristics and functions.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hao Li, Xuan Zhang, Hongsheng Zheng, Yinfeng Fan, Tingcai Cheng, Chun Liu
Summary: This study for the first time successfully prepared polyclonal antibodies against sericin, confirmed their specificity through dot blot, immunoblotting, and mass spectrometry, and revealed the molecular differences of sericin in different regions and strains of silkworms. Immunohistochemistry showed the different distribution of sericin in the middle silk gland, providing a possible molecular detection method for biological products containing silkworm sericin.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Geoffrey W. Meissner, Aljoscha Nern, Zachary Dorman, Gina M. DePasquale, Kaitlyn Forster, Theresa Gibney, Joanna H. Hausenfluck, Yisheng He, Nirmala A. Iyer, Jennifer Jeter, Lauren Johnson, Rebecca M. Johnston, Kelley Lee, Brian Melton, Brianna Yarbrough, Christopher T. Zugates, Jody Clements, Cristian Goina, Hideo Otsuna, Konrad Rokicki, Robert R. Svirskas, Yoshinori Aso, Gwyneth M. Card, Barry J. Dickson, Erica Ehrhardt, Jens Goldammer, Masayoshi Ito, Dagmar Kainmueller, Wyatt Korff, Lisa Mais, Ryo Minegishi, Shigehiro Namiki, Gerald M. Rubin, Gabriella R. Sterne, Tanya Wolff, Oz Malkesman, FlyLight Project Team
Summary: Precise and repeatable genetic access to specific neurons is important in Drosophila neuroscience, and the GAL4/UAS method is commonly used for neuronal targeting. However, current methods lack single-cell resolution for reliable cell type identification. This study introduces the use of MultiColor FlpOut labeling to generate cellular resolution confocal images at a large scale, and provides searchable images of 74,000 adult central nervous systems on the NeuronBridge website. This resource can bridge the gap between electron microscopy and light microscopy in identifying individual neurons and improve prediction of split-GAL4 combinations targeting specific neurons.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Guanwang Shen, Die Liu, Haoran Xu, Jinxin Wu, Luyu Hou, Chunyan Yang, Qingyou Xia, Ping Lin
Summary: This study demonstrates that accelerating energy metabolism promotes embryonic development and enhances motility in hatched silkworms. It provides a novel perspective on the relationship between energy metabolism and embryonic development in other insects.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Masato Kiyoshi, Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu, Minoru Tada, Hideki Sezutsu, Hiroko Shibata, Akiko Ishii-Watabe
Summary: This study presents the expression of TNFR-Fc fusion protein using transgenic silkworm, showing increased amounts of afucosylated protein and enhanced binding affinity for specific receptors compared to commercial Etanercept. The comparison of higher order structure, thermal stability, and aggregation of the TNFR-Fc fusion protein is also discussed.
JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takaaki Daimon, Takashi Koyama, Gaku Yamamoto, Hideki Sezutsu, Christen K. Mirth, Tetsuro Shinoda
Summary: This study reveals that the Hox gene Scr plays a crucial role in regulating the number of larval molts in silkworms by controlling the synthesis of molting hormones in the larval prothoracic gland. Differential expression levels of Scr among the M alleles result in varying growth ratios, ultimately determining the number of larval molts. This unexpected role of Hox genes in hormone biosynthesis highlights their additional function in influencing animal physiology and evolutionary life history traits.
Article
Oncology
Hiroe Tada, Hideyuki Takahashi, Kanae Yamada, Kei Masuda, Yurino Nagata, Miho Uchida, Masato Shino, Shota Ida, Ikko Mito, Toshiyuki Matsuyama, Tetsunari Oyama, Ken-Ichiro Tatematsu, Hideki Sezutsu, Shigeki Takeda, Kazuaki Chikamatsu
Summary: This study found that in patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC treated with nivolumab, circulating T cells show dynamic alterations in activation status and immune checkpoint molecule expression levels, which may be associated with treatment response. The frequency of MAGE-A4-specific T cells significantly increased in patients with disease control.
CANCER IMMUNOLOGY IMMUNOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
David Urban-Duarte, Shuichiro Tomita, Hiroki Sakai, Hideki Sezutsu, Jose Fernando De La Torre-Sanchez, Yooichi Kainoh, Seiichi Furukawa, Keiro Uchino
Summary: The chorion covering insect eggs is an important barrier to manipulate, cryopreserve, and study insect embryos. Researchers have developed a chemical dechorionation method that improves silkworm embryo viability and allows for successful embryo development through culture.
JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Yudai Masuoka, Wei Cao, Akiya Jouraku, Hiroki Sakai, Hideki Sezutsu, Kakeru Yokoi
Summary: This study identified novel regulatory factors for silk protein genes in Bombyx mori through co-expression network and time-course expression analysis. The results suggest that silk protein production in B. mori is regulated by a complex mechanism, and the newly identified candidate genes can be used to develop methods to enhance silk protein production.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tomohiro Inui, Hideki Sezutsu, Takaaki Daimon
Summary: The let-7 microRNA controls the timing of developmental programs and triggers the juvenile-adult transition in various organisms. In Bombyx mori, let-7 is required for the coordination of ecdysone and juvenile hormone biosynthesis during metamorphosis.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mizuko Osanai-Futahashi, Keiro Uchino, Toshiki Tamura, Hideki Sezutsu
Summary: Ommochromes are important pigments involved in the coloration of arthropods. This study focused on the red egg (re) mutant of Bombyx mori, which has red eggs and dark red eyes due to a defect in ommochrome pigment synthesis. The researchers discovered that the Bm-re gene, a major facilitator superfamily transporter gene, can rescue the re phenotype and be used as a marker gene for visual screening of transgenic silkworms. Transgenic screening with the Bm-re gene allows for earlier and longer screening compared to conventional fluorescent markers.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hiroyuki Kajiura, Takanori Eguchi, Keiro Uchino, Ken-ichiro Tatematsu, Toshiki Tamura, Hideki Sezutsu, Kazuhito Fujiyama
Summary: N-glycosylation is an important post-translational modification in eukaryotic cells. The study focused on the GlcNAc extension of N-glycan in the silkworm Bombyx mori. The analysis revealed that GlcNAc extension-related genes showed differential expression profiles during different stages, leading to changes in N-glycan structures.
JOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCE AND BIOENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Valeriya Zabelina, Marketa Vrchotova, Naoyuki Yonemura, Hideki Sezutsu, Toshiki Tamura, Vyacheslav Klymenko, Frantisek Sehnal, Michal Zurovec, Hana Sehadova, Ivo Sauman
Summary: The use of parthenogenetic silkworm strains is useful for maintaining transgenic clonal lines, but the efficiency of downstream transgenesis techniques is relatively low. This study aims to optimize the use of transgenesis in parthenogenetic individuals and found that the timing of embryo microinjection is a crucial parameter. The modification of the original method increased the efficiency of transgene injection and survival rate.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Hiroshi Hamamoto, Suresh Panthee, Atmika Paudel, Suguru Ohgi, Yutaka Suzuki, Koichi Makimura, Kazuhisa Sekimizu
Summary: In this study, we performed in vivo RNA-sequencing analysis to investigate the gene expression of Staphylococcus aureus during infection in mouse liver. Our results showed that the gene expression of S. aureus was affected by changes in the host environment, such as the upregulation of hypoxia response genes and immune response genes. Genes related to anaerobic respiration and metal transporters exhibited different expression patterns at different time points post-infection.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Junhao Fu, Yosuke Nakata, Hiroaki Itoh, Suresh Panthee, Hiroshi Hamamoto, Kazuhisa Sekimizu, Masayuki Inoue
Summary: Lysocin E and WAP-8294A2 are natural products with potent antibacterial activities against Gram-positive bacteria. However, one of the components is susceptible to oxidative degradation, which hinders their development as antibacterial drugs. Therefore, researchers replaced the susceptible component with more oxidation-resistant aromatics and successfully synthesized six analogues with stable antioxidative abilities.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yosuke Nakata, Junhao Fu, Hiroaki Itoh, Suresh Panthee, Hiroshi Hamamoto, Kazuhisa Sekimizu, Masayuki Inoue
Summary: This study developed a method to synthesize five tryptophan isomers and applied them in solid-phase peptide synthesis. The substitution at position C3 was found to affect the structure and function of peptides and proteins. The synthesis of the five isomers was achieved through peptide elongation, resin-based macrocyclization, and global deprotection, and their reduced antibacterial activity highlighted the importance of the precise three-dimensional structure of tryptophan in lysocin E. This approach provides a new strategy for analyzing and modifying the specific functions of tryptophan-containing peptides and proteins.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)