Effects of different diets on the growth and development of young silkworms

Abstract

To investigate the impact of different diets on the growth and development of the silkworm Bombyx mori (L.; Lepidoptera: Bombycidae), we conducted an analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between larvae fed an artificial diet (referred to as the AD group) and those fed mulberry leaves (referred to as the ML group) during the first, second, and third instars using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology. Our results revealed that the DEGs primarily belonged to pathways associated with lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, the endocrine system, the nervous system, the digestive system, the immune system, and oxidation–reduction processes. Notably, in the AD group, there was a decrease in transcript levels of genes related to amino acid metabolism synthases, while the transcript levels of antimicrobial peptide genes were up-regulated. Furthermore, genes associated with cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes exhibited down-regulation in the AD group. These observed changes likely contributed to the delayed growth and compromised robustness observed in the AD group. Overall, these findings provided valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the differences in growth, development, disease resistance, and adversity resistance between silkworms fed an artificial diet and those fed mulberry leaves.