Inhibition of Period Gene Expression Causes Repression of Cell Cycle Progression and Cell Growth in the Bombyx mori Cells

Jian-Feng Qiu; Xue Li; Wen-Zhao Cui; Xiao-Fei Liu; Hui Tao; Kun Yang; Tai-Ming Dai; Yang-Hu Sima; Shi-Qing Xu

doi:10.3389/fphys.2019.00537

Inhibition of Period Gene Expression Causes Repression of Cell Cycle Progression and Cell Growth in the Bombyx mori Cells

Front Physiol. 2019 May 3:10:537. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00537. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Jian-Feng Qiu^{1

2}, Xue Li^{1

2}, Wen-Zhao Cui^{1

2}, Xiao-Fei Liu^{1

2}, Hui Tao^{1

2}, Kun Yang^{1

2}, Tai-Ming Dai^{1

2}, Yang-Hu Sima^{1

2}, Shi-Qing Xu^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
² Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology and Ecology (IABE), Soochow University, Suzhou, China.

Abstract

Circadian clock system disorders can lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation, but the molecular mechanism remains unknown. We used a Bombyx mori animal model of single Period gene (BmPer) expression to investigate this mechanism. A slow growing developmental cell model (Per-KD) was isolated from a B. mori ovarian cell line (BmN) by continuous knock down of BmPer expression. The effects of BmPer expression knockdown (Per-KD) on cell proliferation and apoptosis were opposite to those of m/hPer1 and m/hPer2 in mammals. The knockdown of BmPer expression led to cell cycle deceleration with shrinking of the BmN cell nucleus, and significant inhibition of nuclear DNA synthesis and cell proliferation. It also promoted autophagy via the lysosomal pathway, and accelerated apoptosis via the caspase pathway.

Keywords: Bombyx mori; Period gene; apoptosis; autophagy; cell cycle; ovarian cell line.