Metabolomics Analysis of the Larval Head of the Silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Yi Li,Yong Hou,Xin Wang,Qingyou Xia,Ping Zhao,Quanmei Chen

doi:10.3390/ijms17091460

Abstract

The head, which performs many biological functions, is the most complicated structure of an insect. Development, locomotor behavior, food intake, environmental sensing, and signal transduction are all controlled by the insect’s head. As a well-studied insect in Lepidoptera, the silkworm head has an additional function of spinning silk fibers. To understand which molecules are involved in these physiological activities, we performed a metabolomics analysis of silkworm heads. By integrating GC-MS and LC-MS/MS, 90 metabolites were identified in the larval heads of silkworms. These were classified into 13 categories, including amino acids, sugars, organic acids, nucleotides, alcohols, and fatty acids. Informatics analysis revealed that these metabolites are involved in cellular processes, environmental information processing, genetic information processing, human diseases, metabolism, organismal systems, and other pathways. The identified metabolites and pathways are involved in biological processes such as signal transduction, carbohydrate metabolism, endocrine activities, and sensory activities; reflecting the functions of various organs in silkworm heads. Thus, our findings provide references which elucidate the potential functions of the silkworm head and will be of great value for the metabolomics research of silkworms and other insects.

Highlights

The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an important economic insect
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Many pathways were classified into the classified into amino acid metabolism, which suggests that many proteins are degraded or synthesized in silkworm heads

Summary

Introduction

The silkworm, Bombyx mori, is an important economic insect. It is a well-studied insect in the Lepidoptera. The cephalosome, often termed the head, is a complex structure containing the most complicated endocrine system in insects; comprising of the brain, suboesophageal ganglion (SG), and corpora allatum, which controls multiple biological behaviors Other organs, such as the antennae, ocellasae, mouthparts, and spinnerets are attached to the silkworm head. RAe further 13 pathways were classified into amino acid metabolism, which suggests that many proteins are degraded or synthesized in silkworm heads. Many pathways were classified into the classified into amino acid metabolism, which suggests that many proteins are degraded or synthesized in silkworm heads. We identified four pathways in the sensory system, namely; olfactory transduction, taste transduction, photo transduction, and inflammatory mediator regulation of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels (Table S2) These results are consistent with the function of the sensory organs in silkworm heads.

Possible Functions of the Identified Metabolites

Insect Rearing and Sample Preparation

GC-MS Analysis

Statistics and Informatics Analysis

Findings

Conclusions