Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Bombyx mori is an economically important insect and a model organism for studying lepidopteran and arthropod biology. Using a highly efficient CRISPR/Cas9 system, we showed that this system could mediate highly efficient targeted genome editing of a single gene locus, large chromosomal deletion or inversion, and also multiplex genome editing of 6 genes simultaneously in BmNs cell line derived from B. mori. The simplicity and high efficiency of our system provide unprecedented possibilities for researchers to implement precise and sophisticated manipulation of a chosen B...

During the last decade, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as fine tuners of gene expression in various biological processes including host-pathogen interactions. Apart from the role of host encoded miRNAs in host-virus interactions, recent studies have also indicated the key role of virus-encoded miRNAs in the regulation of host defense responses. In the present study, we show that bmnpv-miR-3, a Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) encoded miRNA, regulates the expression of DNA binding protein (P6.9) and other late genes, vital for the late stage of viral infection in the host, Bombyx mori...

Insect development and metamorphosis are regulated by the coordination of ecdysone and juvenile hormones. Insect microRNAs (miRNAs) also act in insect development and metamorphosis by regulating genes in the ecdysone cascade. Although hundreds of insect miRNAs have been identified, the physiological functions of most remain poorly understood. Here, we report that a conserved insect miRNA, microRNA-281 (miR-281), regulates the ecdysone receptor (EcR), in an isoform-specific manner in the silkworm Bombyx mori...