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Chitin synthase A: a novel epidermal development regulation gene in the larvae of Bombyx mori

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Abstract

Chitin synthase is the key regulatory enzyme for chitin synthesis and excretion in insects, as well as a specific target of insecticides. The chitin synthase A gene (BmChsA) cloned from Bombyx mori, the model species of lepidopteran, is an epidermis-specific expressed gene during the molting stage. Knockdown BmChsA gene in 3rd instar larvae increased the number of non-molting and abnormal molting larvae. Exposure to nikkomycin Z, a chitin synthase inhibitor downregulated the expression of BmChsA and decreased the amount of epidermis chitin during the molting process. The thickness of the new epidermis and its dense structure varied greatly. The exogenous hormones significantly upregulated the expression of BmChsA with low levels of endogenous MH and high levels of endogenous JH immediately after molting. With low levels of endogenous hormones during the mulberry intake process, BmChsA was rarely upregulated by exogenous hormones. With high levels of endogenous MH and low levels of endogenous JH during the molting stage, we did not detect the upregulation of BmChsA by exogenous hormones. The expression of BmChsA was regulated by endocrine hormones, which directly affected the chitin synthesis-dependent epidermal regeneration and molting process.

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Acknowledgments

The present work was supported by the National High-Tech R&D Program of China (863 Program) (Grant No. 2011AA100306), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31172264), Provincial Key Technology R&D Program of Jiangsu (Project No. BE2011327-1), and Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China

    Weiwei Zhuo, Yan Fang, Lingfei Kong, Xi Li, Yanghu Sima & Shiqing Xu

  2. National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology & Ecology, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China

    Weiwei Zhuo, Yan Fang, Lingfei Kong, Yanghu Sima & Shiqing Xu

  3. Key Laboratory of Puerh Tea Science, Ministry of Education, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, China

    Xi Li

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  1. Weiwei Zhuo
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  2. Yan Fang
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  4. Xi Li
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Correspondence to Shiqing Xu.

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Zhuo, W., Fang, Y., Kong, L. et al. Chitin synthase A: a novel epidermal development regulation gene in the larvae of Bombyx mori . Mol Biol Rep 41, 4177–4186 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-014-3288-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-014-3288-1

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