title: Genome-Wide Identification, Characterization and Expression Analysis of the Solute Carrier 6 Gene Family in Silkworm (Bombyx mori).
abstract: The solute carrier 6 (SLC6) gene family, initially known as the neurotransmitter transporters, plays vital roles in the regulation of neurotransmitter signaling, nutrient absorption and motor behavior. In this study, a total of 16 candidate genes were identified as SLC6 family gene homologs in the silkworm (Bombyx mori) genome. Spatio-temporal expression patterns of silkworm SLC6 gene transcripts indicated that these genes were highly and specifically expressed in midgut, brain and gonads; moreover, these genes were expressed primarily at the feeding stage or adult stage. Levels of expression for most midgut-specific and midgut-enriched gene transcripts were down-regulated after starvation but up-regulated after re-feeding. In addition, we observed that expression levels of these genes except for BmSLC6-15 and BmGT1 were markedly up-regulated by a juvenile hormone analog. Moreover, brain-enriched genes showed differential expression patterns during wandering and mating processes, suggesting that these genes may be involved in modulating wandering and mating behaviors. Our results improve our understanding of the expression patterns and potential physiological functions of the SLC6 gene family, and provide valuable information for the comprehensive functional analysis of the SLC6 gene family.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China. 13098784616@163.com.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China. lhw888718@163.com.
authors.forename: Huawei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China. eidoloncqm@126.com.
authors.forename: Quanmei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China. wangxin1-4@163.com.|Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Chongqing 400715, China. wangxin1-4@163.com.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China. xiongy0823@126.com.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China. zhaop@swu.edu.cn.|Chongqing Engineering and Technology Research Center for Novel Silk Materials, Chongqing 400715, China. zhaop@swu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D049750:Genome, Insect / Q000235:genetics*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D050480:Plasma Membrane Neurotransmitter Transport Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D050480:Plasma Membrane Neurotransmitter Transport Proteins
keywords: Bombyx mori; expression pattern; motor behavior; nutrient absorption; the solute carrier 6 (SLC6) gene