Genome ‐wide CRISPR screening reveals key genes and pathways associated with 20‐hydroxyecdysone signal transduction in the silkworm (Bombyx mori)

In this study, we used our silkworm CRISPR library and large-scale genome-wide screening to analyze the key genes in the silkworm 20E signaling pathway and their mechanisms of action. Functional annotation showed that 20E regulates key proteins in processes that mainly occur in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that 20E can activate phosphorylation and may affect innate immunity, interfere with intracellular nutrition and energy metabolism, and eventually cause cell apoptosis. The screening results were experimentally validated by generating cells with knockout alleles of the relevant genes, which had increased tolerance to 20E. Our findings provide a panoramic overview of signaling in response to 20E in the silkworm, underscoring the utility of genome-wide CRISPR mutant libraries in deciphering hormone signaling pathways and the mechanisms that regulate metamorphosis in insects.

Source: Insect Science - June 27, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Hao Sun, Jingya Chen, Ruolin Wang, Dan Liu, Na Zhang, Tong Zhang, Ling Jia, Sanyuan Ma, Qingyou Xia Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research