Effects of BmKIT 3 R gene transfer on pupal development of Bombyx mori Linnaeus using a Gal4/UAS binary transgenic system.

The pupal stage of the silkworm Bombyx mori Linnaeus lasts for approximately two weeks. However, prolongation of pupal duration would reduce the labor required to process and dry fresh cocoons. This study investigated the effects of BmKIT3R gene (from the Chinese scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch) transfer on the pupal development of B. mori using a Gal4/UAS binary transgenic system. Gal4 driven by a pupa-specific promoter BmWCP4 (from a B. mori wing-cuticle protein gene) or PDP (from a B. mori cocoonase gene), and BmKIT3R driven by a UAS cis-acting element were used to construct novel piggyBac-derived plasmids containing a neomycin-resistance gene (neo) controlled by the Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) ie-1 (immediate-early gene) promoter and a green fluorescent protein gene (gfp) under the control of the B. mori actin 3 (A3) promoter. The vector was transferred into silkworm eggs by sperm-mediated gene transfer. Transgenic silkworms were produced after screening for neo and gfp genes, and gene t...