Identification of the gene responsible for the spherulocyte-lacking mutant in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

Research Project

Project/Area Number	25850228
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Insect science
Research Institution	The University of Tokyo
Principal Investigator	KIUCHI Takashi 東京大学, 農学生命科学研究科, 助教 (60622892)
Project Period (FY)	2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,420,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,020,000) Fiscal Year 2014: ¥2,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000) Fiscal Year 2013: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
Keywords	カイコ突然変異体 / 血球 / 小球細胞 / 分化系譜 / ゲノム編集 / 遺伝学 / 分子生物学
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Hemocytes of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, are classified into five subsets. It is believed that those functions are basically involved in immune system. However, the function and the origin of spherulocytes are completely unknown. To solve these mysteries, we use the silkworm mutant which lack spherulocyte. We narrowed the responsible gene for the spherulocyte-lacking mutant by genetic strategy. A deletion in a candidate gene was identified in the mutant strain. We also developed the genetic engineering methods to introduce the mutation in a target gene. The function of the candidate gene in spherulocyte differentiation will be elucidated by the developed method. Furthermore, the artificial spherulocyte-lacking silkworm can reveal the function and origin of spherulocyte.