Lulin Huang, Tingcai Cheng, Pingzhen Xu, Ting Fang, Qingyou Xia
Journal of Insect Science 12 (40), 1-24, (1 March 2012) https://doi.org/10.1673/031.012.4001
KEYWORDS: transcription factors, silkworm, sexual dimorphism, pathogens, developmental stages, bacterial injection, multiple tissues, oral infection
Transcription factors are present in all living organisms, and play vital roles in a wide range of biological processes. Studies of transcription factors will help reveal the complex regulation mechanism of organisms. So far, hundreds of domains have been identified that show transcription factor activity. Here, 281 reported transcription factor domains were used as seeds to search the transcription factors in genomes of Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) and four other model insects. Overall, 666 transcription factors including 36 basal factors and 630 other factors were identified in B. mori genome, which accounted for 4.56% of its genome. The silkworm transcription factors' expression profiles were investigated in relation to multiple tissues, developmental stages, sexual dimorphism, and responses to oral infection by pathogens and direct bacterial injection. These all provided rich clues for revealing the transcriptional regulation mechanism of silkworm organ differentiation, growth and development, sexual dimorphism, and response to pathogen infection.