title: Bmovo-1 regulates ovary size in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.
abstract: The regulation of antagonistic OVO isoforms is critical for germline formation and differentiation in Drosophila. However, little is known about genes related to ovary development. In this study, we cloned the Bombyx mori ovo gene and investigated its four alternatively spliced isoforms. BmOVO-1, BmOVO-2 and BmOVO-3 all had four C2H2 type zinc fingers, but differed at the N-terminal ends, while BmOVO-4 had a single zinc finger. Bmovo-1, Bmovo-2 and Bmovo-4 showed the highest levels of mRNA in ovaries, while Bmovo-3 was primarily expressed in testes. The mRNA expression pattern suggested that Bmovo expression was related to ovary development. RNAi and transgenic techniques were used to analyze the biological function of Bmovo. The results showed that when the Bmovo gene was downregulated, oviposition number decreased. Upregulation of Bmovo-1 in the gonads of transgenic silkworms increased oviposition number and elevated the trehalose contents of hemolymph and ovaries. We concluded that Bmovo-1 was involved in protein synthesis, contributing to the development of ovaries and oviposition number in silkworms.
authors.affiliation: School of Biology & Basic Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University, Suzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Renyu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: School of Biology & Basic Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University, Suzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: School of Biology & Basic Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University, Suzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Guangli
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: School of Biology & Basic Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
authors.forename: Moli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Biology & Basic Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
authors.forename: Gaoxu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: School of Biology & Basic Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: School of Biology & Basic Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zuowei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: School of Biology & Basic Medical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University, Suzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Chengliang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D012831:Bombyx / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009929:Organ Size; D010053:Ovary / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D010058:Oviposition; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms