Bombyx mori Jun gene is involved in endoreplication of silk gland cells by regulating S-phase cell cycle genes

作者：Peng Chen, Lanxing Wang, Yanbi Long, Zihan Peng, Cai Jing, Siyi Wei, Xinyue Jia, Mingli Zhang, Zhanqi Dong, Xin Ding, Cheng Lu, Min‐Hui Pan · 发表于：Journal of Advanced Research · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.jare.2025.07.029 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Silk-based biomaterials and applications、Silkworms and Sericulture Research、Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects

• The JNK signaling pathway is involved in silkworm cell cycle and silk gland endoreplication regulation. • The BmJun gene inhibits cell cycle progression, DNA synthesis rate, and cell division capacity. • BmJun knockout in the MSG enlarges MSG cells, increases MSG diameter, and elevates both silk diameter and yield. • The BmJun gene binds to the promoters of the BmCDK2 , BmCyclinA and BmCyclinE genes to negatively regulate their expression. Endoreplication as a variant of the cell cycle is an important avenue of development and reproduction for organisms. Endoreplication-induced polyploid cells are pivotal in ensuring the normal size and function of tissues and organs. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that a multitude of signaling pathways exert regulatory effects on endoreplication, and the regulatory network still needs further clarification. Herein, we uncovered the contributions of the JNK signaling pathway and the downstream BmJun gene to the silkworm cell cycle and silk gland endoreplication. Our data indicated that the BmJun gene induced G0/G1 phase arrest in BmN-SWU1 cells, decreased the rate of DNA synthesis, inhibited the process of cell division in the M phase, and decreased the proliferative activity of the cells. We revealed that BmJun knockout in the middle silk gland (MSG) resulted in a 30 % enlargement of the cells, triggering a 20 % expansion of the MSG diameter and a thickening of cocoon silk filaments by 17 %, accompanied by a 16 % increase in ...