Construction of a Transgenic Silkworm Carrying the Fibroin Gene of the Japanese Oak Silkworm, Antheraea yamamai

We describe the generation of transgenic silkworm that carrying the chimeric fibroin light chain (L-chain) gene. Previously, we have cloned the complete fibroin L-chain gene from the silkworm Baekok-Jam, Bombyx mori, and the complete fibroin gene from the oak silkworm, Antheraea yamamai. The 444 bp repetitive sequence of A. yamamai fibroin gene was inserted into the exon 6 of B. mori fibroin L-chain gene to produce chimeric fibroin L-chain gene. The chimeric fibroin L-chain gene was cloned into the polyhedrin gene site of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) to yield a recombinant baculovirus as a fibroin gene targeting vector, One-day-old fifth instar female silkworm larvae were injected with the recombinant baculovirus and then mated with normal male moths. Genomic DNA from their progenies was extracted and screened for the desired targeting event by using PCR and Southern blot analysis. The analysis showed that the chimeric fibroin gene had intergrated into the L-chain gene on the genome by homologous recombination and was transmitted through generations. The transgenic silkworm carrying the chimeric fibroin gene were approximately 43.2% in $F_2$ generation, and the silkworms synthesized the fusion protein in cocoons layer.