Aspartate Decarboxylase is Required for a Normal Pupa Pigmentation Pattern in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori
作者单位：State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology College of Biotechnology Southwest University Key Laboratory for Sericulture Functional Genomics and Biotechnology of Agricultural Ministry Southwest University Institute of Entomology and Molecular Biology College of Life Sciences Chongqing Normal University
会议名称：《第十二届家（柞）蚕遗传育种暨良种繁育学术研讨会》
会议日期：2016年
学科分类：090504[农学-特种经济动物饲养（含：蚕、蜂等）] 0905[农学-畜牧学] 09[农学]
摘 要：The pigmentation pattern of Lepidoptera varies greatly in different development stages. To date, the effects of key genes in the melanin metabolism pathway on larval and adult body color are distinct, yet the effects on pupal pigmentation remains unclear. In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, the black pupa(bp) mutant is only specifically melanized at the pupal stage. Using positional cloning, we found that a mutation in the Aspartate decarboxylase gene(BmADC) is causative in the bp mutant. In the bp mutant, a SINE-like transposon with a length of 493 bp was detected .2 kb upstream of the transcriptional start site of BmADC. This insertion causes a sharp reduction in BmADC transcript levels in bp mutants, leading to deficiency of β-alanine and N-β-alanyl dopamine(NBAD), but accumulation of dopamine. Following injection of β-alanine into bp mutants, the color pattern was reverted that of the wild-type silkworms. Additionally, melanic pupae resulting from knock-down of BmADC in the wild-type strain were obtained. These findings show that BmADC plays a crucial role in melanin metabolism and in the pigmentation pattern of the silkworm pupal stage. Finally, this study contributes to a better understanding of pupa pigmentation patterns in Lepidoptera.