Chromosome composition of parthenogenetic silkworms induced by hot water treatment: Are parthenogenetic silkworms truly clonal individuals?

Abstract

 To demonstrate that parthenogenetic silkworms and the silkworms used to induce them are genetically identical, we conducted molecular genetic and cytological analyses of chromosome composition in the parthenogenetic moths. Ovarian eggs were extracted from mother moths and exposed to hot water to induce parthenogenetic development. Molecular genetic analysis confirmed that the autosomes of mother moths and the resulting parthenogenetic moths shared the same genotype. Histological analysis and trait observation in the subsequent generation of parthenogenetic silkworms revealed that the parthenogenetic moths were diploid with a ZW sex chromosome type. Therefore, parthenogenetic moths induced by hot water were clonal copies of the mother moth. These findings indicate that parthenogenetic silkworms induced by hot water treatment are clonal individuals derived from the mother moth.