Heterosis and differential gene expression in hybrids and parents in Bombyx mori by digital gene expression profiling.
Heterosis is a concern to all breeders, but the mechanism of heterosis remains unknown. In F1 organisms, genetic material is inherited from the two parents and theoretically, heterosis might be caused by differences in gene expression or modification. Differential gene expression was analyzed in hybrids and parents in Bombyx mori. The results showed that there were significant changes in gene expression in the fat body involving biological regulation, cellular and metabolic processes. Consistent trends in expression patterns covering different hybrid combinations were seen in 74 genes. Moreover, these differential gene expression patterns included overdominance, dominance, and additive effects. By correlating these patterns with economic traits, a potential relationship was found. Differential gene expression was seen in different cross combinations and in different sexes. In addition, a regulatory mechanism involving metabolism and ErbB signaling pathways was also found, suggesting that such a network might also be related to heterosis in Bombyx mori. Together, our data provide a comprehensive overview and useful resource for transcriptional analysis of heterosis of Bombyx mori.
1] Department of Applied Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China [2] Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Hua
H
Wang
1] Department of Applied Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China [2] Department of Immunology, Nankai University School of Medicine, Tianjin 300071, China.
Yan
Y
Fang
Department of Applied Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
Lipeng
L
Wang
Department of Applied Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
Wenjuan
W
Zhu
Department of Applied Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
Haipeng
H
Ji
Department of Applied Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
Haiying
H
Wang
1] Department of Applied Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China [2] National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
Shiqing
S
Xu
1] Department of Applied Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China [2] National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
Yanghu
Y
Sima
D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000235:genetics*; D005216:Fat Body / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D063990:Gene Ontology; D017344:Genes, Insect / Q000235:genetics*; D006823:Hybrid Vigor / Q000235:genetics*; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D040582:Inheritance Patterns; D008297:Male; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction