A novel Lozenge gene in silkworm, Bombyx mori regulates the melanization response of hemolymph. Issue 1 (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xu, Man; Wang, Xue; Tan, Juan; Zhang, Kui; Guan, Xi; Patterson, Laurence H.; Ding, Hanfei; Cui, Hongjuan
• Is Part Of: Developmental and comparative immunology. Volume 53:Issue 1(2015)
• Page Start: 191
• Page End: 198
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: Immunology -- Periodicals; Developmental immunology -- Periodicals; 616.079
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2015.07.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0145-305X

Abstract

<abstract xml:lang="en" abstract-type="author" id="abs0010"> <title id="sectitle0010">Abstract</title> <sec> <p id="abspara0010">Runt-related (RUNX) transcription factors are evolutionarily conserved either in vertebrate or invertebrate. <italic>Lozenge</italic> (<italic>Lz</italic>), a members of RUNX family as well as homologue of AML-1, functions as an important transcription factor regulating the hemocytes differentiation. In this paper, we identified and characterized RUNX family especially <italic>Lz</italic> in silkworm, which is a lepidopteran model insect. The gene expression analysis illustrated that <italic>BmLz</italic> was highly expressed in hemocytes throughout the whole development period, and reached a peak in glutonous stage. Over-expression of <italic>BmLz</italic> in silkworm accelerated the melanization process of hemolymph, and led to instantaneously up-regulation of prophenoloxidases (PPOs), which were key enzymes in the melanization process. Further down-regulation of <italic>BmLz</italic> expression by RNA interference resulted in the significant delay of melanization reaction of hemolymph. These findings suggested that <italic>BmLz</italic> regulated the melanization process of hemolymph by inducing PPOs expression, and played a critical role in innate immunity defense in silkworm.</p> </sec> </abstract>