Journal of Insect Biotechnology and Sericology
Online ISSN : 1884-7978
Print ISSN : 1346-8073
ISSN-L : 1346-8073
Volume 93, Issue 2
Displaying 1-1 of 1 articles from this issue
Regular Article
  • Zefu Wan, Takuya Tsubota, Keiro Uchino, Hideki Sezutsu, Takaaki Daimon
    2024Volume 93Issue 2 Pages 2_013-2_021
    Published: 2024
    Released on J-STAGE: September 25, 2024
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

     Genome editing is a powerful genetic approach for studying gene function by disrupting target genes or integrating exogenous genes into the targeted regions of the genome. In insects, highly efficient gene knockouts have been achieved across various species. However, the efficiency of gene knock-in is much lower compared with gene knockout, particularly when a long gene cassette is integrated into the genome by homology-directed repair (HDR) of double-strand breaks (DSBs). An alternative approach for gene knock-in is microhomologymediated end-joining (MMEJ), which uses microhomology to precisely insert exogenous genes into target loci and has been successful for several genes in the silkworm. To further evaluate its efficacy and broader application, we performed MMEJ-knock-in in the silkworm targeting the Fibroin-L (Fib-L) gene. We inserted a whole knock-in donor plasmid (~4.5 kb) carrying an eye-specific fluorescent marker gene (3xP3-DsRed2) into the first exon of Fib-L. Our results indicated that the whole donor plasmid was efficiently and precisely inserted into the target site. Notably, all larvae carrying the precise knock-in allele exhibited red fluorescence in the posterior silk gland, in addition to the eyes, suggesting that the inserted 3xP3-DsRed2 trapped the enhancer of the original Fib-L, which is specifically expressed in the posterior silk gland. Taken together, our results indicate that MMEJ is a promising and feasible approach for efficient and precise gene knock-in in the silkworm.

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