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New and highly efficient expression systems for expressing selectively foreign protein in the silk glands of transgenic silkworm

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Abstract

We constructed three different fibroin H-chain expression systems to estimate the efficacy of producing recombinant proteins in the cocoon of transgenic silkworms. The results showed that the three different EGFP/H-chain fusion genes were all expressed selectively in the posterior silk gland of the transgenic silkworm. The recombinant protein content of transgenic silkworm cocoons is up to 15% (w/w) when using the most highly efficient H-chain expression system. To our knowledge, in comparison with silkworm silk gland expression systems in the literature, the highly efficient expression system developed in this study is the most efficient silkworm silk gland expression system to date. This expression system is the best candidate for foreign gene production and for creation of novel functional silk material. The results suggested the N-terminal domain and the intron of the H-chain gene are important in the secretion of fibroin and its transcription, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by Hi-Tech Research and Development (863) Program of China (2006AA10A117), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project (No. 20070420722 and 200801221), the Fund for Foreign Scholars in University Research and Teaching Programs (No. B07045). Aichun Zhao designed and performed the research, analyzed the data and wrote the paper. Tianfu Zhao and Yuansong Zhang helped in the preparation for microinjection. Qingyou Xia, Cheng Lu, Zeyang Zhou, and Masao Nakagaki, received some financial aid for the research. Zhonghuai Xiang provided the majority of the financial aid for the research. All vectors and/or transgenic animals described in this paper can be obtained from the corresponding author (Aichun Zhao).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Key Sericultural Laboratory of Agricultural Ministry, Institute of Sericulture and Systems Biology, Southwest University, 400716, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China

    Aichun Zhao, Tianfu Zhao, Qingyou Xia, Cheng Lu, Zeyang Zhou, Zhonghuai Xiang & M. Nakagaki

  2. Department of Applied Biology, Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda, 386-8567, Japan

    Tianfu Zhao & M. Nakagaki

  3. College of Textile and Garment, Southwest University, 400716, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China

    Yuansong Zhang

Authors
  1. Aichun Zhao
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  2. Tianfu Zhao
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  3. Yuansong Zhang
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  4. Qingyou Xia
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  5. Cheng Lu
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  6. Zeyang Zhou
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  7. Zhonghuai Xiang
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  8. M. Nakagaki
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Correspondence to Aichun Zhao or Zhonghuai Xiang.

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Zhao, A., Zhao, T., Zhang, Y. et al. New and highly efficient expression systems for expressing selectively foreign protein in the silk glands of transgenic silkworm. Transgenic Res 19, 29–44 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-009-9295-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-009-9295-7

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