G-quadruplex is involved in the regulation of BmSGF1 expression in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Yanfei Chen; Jin Li; Kangkang Niu; Yuling Peng; Qisheng Song; Qili Feng

doi:10.1111/1744-7917.13334

G-quadruplex is involved in the regulation of BmSGF1 expression in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Insect Sci. 2024 Mar 4. doi: 10.1111/1744-7917.13334. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yanfei Chen^{1

2

3}, Jin Li^{2

3}, Kangkang Niu^{2

3}, Yuling Peng^{2

3}, Qisheng Song⁴, Qili Feng^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ School of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan, China.
² Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
³ Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Division of Plant Science & Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA.

PMID: 38439572
DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13334

Abstract

Advanced DNA structures, such as the G-quadruplex (G4) and the i-motif, are widely but not randomly present in the genomes of many organisms. A G4 structure was identified in the promoter of the silk gland factor-1 gene (SGF1), which is the main regulatory gene for silk production in Bombyx mori. In this study, a BmSGF1 G4^-/- homozygous mutant was generated with the G4 sequence knocked out. The promoter activity of BmSGF1 was lowered in the BmSGF1 G4^-/- mutant. Pyridostatin (PDS) stabilized the G4 structure and increased the promoter activity of BmSGF1, whereas anti-sense oligonucleotide (ASO) complementary to the G4 sequence suppressed the promoter activity of BmSGF1. Compared with wild-type larvae, the deletion of the BmSGF1 G4 structure decreased both the expression of BmSGF1 and the fibroin heavy chain gene BmFib-H in the posterior silk gland and the weight of the cocoons. Overall, these results suggest that the promoter G4 structure of BmSGF1 participates in the transcription regulation of the BmSGF1 gene in the silkworm.

Keywords: BmSGF1 G4; Bombyx mori; CRISPR/Cas9; silk production.

Abstract

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