The Silkworm Knowledgebase is a web-based repository for the curation, integration and study of silkworm genetic and genomic data and presents the silkworm genome and related information in systematic and graphical ways for the convenience of in-depth comparative studies.
The complete nucleotide sequence of the mitogenome from Chinese oak silkmoth, Antheraea pernyi (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) is determined and two aligned sequence blocks with a length of more than 50 bp and 90% of the sequence identity were identified in the A+T-rich region of the Saturniaceae and Bombycoidae species.
It is found that the domesticated silkworms are clearly genetically differentiated from the wild ones, but they have maintained large levels of genetic variability, suggesting a short domestication event involving a large number of individuals.
Phylogenetic analysis, genomic organization and expression profiles provide an overview for the silkworm UGTs and facilitate their functional studies in future.
This work identified apoptosis-related genes in the silkworm Bombyx mori and compared them to those from insects, mammals, and nematodes and hypothesized that the classic intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways potentially are active in BombyX mori.
It is demonstrated for the first time that the parasitic genomes can expand, instead of shrink, through several common molecular mechanisms such as gene duplication, horizontal gene transfer, and transposable element expansion.
B. mori has the largest number of insect COE genes characterized to date, and expression evidence indicated that the expanded genes were specifically expressed in midgut, integument and head, implying that these genes may have important roles in detoxifying secondary metabolites of mulberry leaves, contaminants in diet and odorants.
The genomic and genetic characterization of the complete centromere of rice chromosome 3 and histone modification patterns consistent with euchromatin support the hypothesis that centromeres can evolve from gene-containing genomic regions.
The highly efficient expression system developed in this study is the most efficient silkworm silk gland expression system to date and is the best candidate for foreign gene production and for creation of novel functional silk material.