SRA

This study aims to bridge the gap in our knowledge of Philippine-reared silkworm by analyzing the gene expression profiles in the silkworm silk glands through next generation sequencing. RNA was isolated from the silk glands of 5th instar larvae and mRNA-enriched libraries were sequenced with NextSeq 500 (Illumina). To compare gene expression profiles of strains from CAR (Benguet) and TCMO (Misamis Oriental), DESeq2 analysis was performed. DESeq2 found 476 differentially expressed genes (222 upregulated, 254 downregulated) in CAR strains when compared to TCMO strains. Genes were mapped to protein IDs from the NCBI nr database and GO terms were assigned by mapping to the latest annotation data from KAIKObase. Enrichment of GO terms was analyzed using R package goseq. Among the top DEGs are myrosinase, heat shock proteins, serine protease inhibitors, dehydrogenases, and regulators of juvenile hormone. GO term enrichment analysis reveals overrepresentation of GO terms related to the biological processes nucleotide metabolism and biosynthesis, lipid and carbohydrate metabolic processes, regulation of transcription, and molecular functions related to nucleotide binding, protein binding, and metal binding, catalytic activity, oxidoreductase activity, and hydrolase activity. This study provides for the first time valuable information on the transcriptome of B. mori strains in the Philippines, which are adapted to the tropical environment. The transcriptome assemblies may serve as a resource for studies intended to improve local strains, particularly for increasing silk production. Overall design: Silk gland mRNA profiles of 3 Philippine silkworm strains, 3 bioreplicates each strain