Abstract
The sericin-1 gene encoding a glue protein is expressed in the middle silk gland (MSG) of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. A member of the class III POU domain transcription factors, POU-M1, was cloned as the factor bound to the SC site of the sericin-1 promoter and has been proposed to be a positive transcription factor. In this study, we analyzed the expression pattern of the POU-M1 gene in fourth and fifth instars in comparison with the pattern of the sericin-1 gene. The POU-M1 gene was expressed strongly in the region anterior to the sericin-1-expressing portion of the silk gland at both feeding stages. As the sericin-1-expressing region expands from the posterior to middle portions of the MSG in the fifth instar, the POU-M1-expressing region retreated from the middle to anterior portion. Introduction of the expression vector of POU-M1 into the silk glands by gene gun technology repressed promoter activity of the sericin-1 gene, suggesting that POU-M1 regulates the sericin-1 gene negatively. An in vitro binding assay showed that POU-M1 bound not only to the SC site but also to other promoter elements newly detected in vivo. Another spatiotemporal specific factor MIC binds to these elements, and POU-M1 competed with MIC to bind at the −70 site essential for promoter activity. These results suggest that POU-M1 is involved in restricting the anterior boundary of the sericin-1-expressing region in the silk gland by inhibiting the binding of the transcriptional activator to the promoter elements.
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We are grateful to Dr. Nishita and Ms. Kosaka for helpful discussions and technical assistance.
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Kimoto, M., Kitagawa, T., Kobayashi, I. et al. Inhibition of the binding of MSG-intermolt-specific complex, MIC, to the sericin-1 gene promoter and sericin-1 gene expression by POU-M1/SGF-3. Dev Genes Evol 222, 351–359 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00427-012-0418-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00427-012-0418-4