title: Genetic marking of sex using a W chromosome-linked transgene.
abstract: Many species belonging to the order Lepidoptera are major pests in agriculture and arboriculture. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an eco-friendly and highly efficient genetically targeted pest management approach. In many cases, it is preferable to release only sterile males in an SIT program, and efficient sexing strategies are crucial to the successful large-scale implementation of SIT. In the present study, we established 160 transgenic silkworm (Bombyx mori) lines to test the possibility of genetic sexing using a W chromosome-linked transgene, which is thought to be the best sexing strategy for lepidopteran species. One transgenic line with a female-specific expression pattern of reporter gene was obtained. The expression level of the W-linked transgene was comparable with autosomal insertions and was stable for 17 continuous generations. Molecular characterization showed this line contained a single copy of the reporter gene on the W chromosome, and the integration site was TTAG in contig W-BAC-522N19-C9. The feasibility of using a W chromosome-linked transgene demonstrated here and the possible improvements discussed will provide valuable information for other lepidopteran pests. The novel W chromosome-linked transgenic line established in this study will serve as an important resource for fundamental research with the silkworm B. mori.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China.
authors.forename: Sanyuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Xiaogang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jitao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fei
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hanfu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Qingyou
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D012831:Bombyx / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D008297:Male; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012730:Sex Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics*; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers
keywords: Genetic sexing; Pest management; Silkworm; Sterile insect technique; Transgene; W chromosome