Journal
INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Volume 23, Issue 2, Pages 165-174Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/imb.12071
Keywords
oenocytoid; promoter identification; GAL4; transgenic silkworm; haemocyte
Categories
Funding
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (Agri-Health Translational Research Project)
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [25292202] Funding Source: KAKEN
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Insect haemocytes play significant roles in innate immunity. The silkworm, a lepidopteran species, is often selected as the model for studies into the functions of haemocytes in immunity; however, our understanding of the role of haemocytes remains limited because the lack of haemocyte promoters for transgene expression makes genetic manipulations difficult. In the present study, we aimed to establish transgenic silkworm strains expressing GAL4 in their haemocytes. First, we identified three genes with strong expression in haemocytes, namely, lp44, Haemocyte Protease 1 (HP1) and hemocytin. Transgenic silkworms expressing GAL4 under the control of the putative promoters of these genes were then established and expression was examined. Although GAL4 expression was not detected in haemocytes of HP1-GAL4 or hemocytin-GAL4 strains, lp44-GAL4 exhibited a high level of GAL4 expression, particularly in oenocytoids. GAL4 expression was also detected in the midgut but in no other tissues, indicating that GAL4 expression in this strain is mostly oenocytoid-specific. Thus, we have identified a promoter that enables oenocytoid expression of genes of interest. Additionally, the lp44-GAL4 strain could also be used for other types of research, such as the functional analysis of genes in oenocytoids, which would facilitate advances in our understanding of insect immunity.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available