title: The Bmdsx transgene including trimmed introns is sex-specifically spliced in tissues of the silkworm, Bombyx mori.
abstract: Bmdsx is an orthologue of the sex-determining gene doublesex (dsx) and known to be sex-specifically expressed in various tissues of the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Its pre-mRNA is sex-specifically spliced and encodes female-specific or male-specific polypeptides. The open reading frame of Bmdsx consists of 5 exons, of which exons 3 and 4 are female-specific and its pre-mRNA was known to undergo default processing to generate the female-type mRNA. Previous reports have shown that the mechanism of splicing of the doublesex gene is different in Drosophila melanogaster and Bombyx mori. However, intron 4 is so long that it is difficult to identify the intronic cis-element(s) required for male-specific splicing of Bmdsx pre-mRNA using Bmdsx minigenes whose introns are shortened in various manners. As a first step toward discovery of the cis-element, the Bmdsx mini gene, which consisted of exon 1 and 5 and internally shortened introns 2 to 4, was constructed, and transgenic silkworms expressing this construct were generated. Bmdsx pre-mRNA transcribed derived from transgene was sex-specifically spliced. This result shows that the mini gene contained the information necessary for the correct regulation of alternative splicing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Funaguma
authors.forename: Masataka G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Toshiki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimada
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D012831:Bombyx / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D023061:Gene Order / Q000235:genetics; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000235:genetics; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections / Q000379:methods; D038941:Polypyrimidine Tract-Binding Protein / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012737:Sex Factors; D014170:Transformation, Genetic; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C442431:Bmdsx protein, Bombyx mori; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D038941:Polypyrimidine Tract-Binding Protein