Abstract
Arthropod silk is known as a versatile tool, and its variability makes it an attractive biomaterial. Eumeta variegata is a bagworm moth (Lepidoptera, Psychidae) that uses silk throughout all life stages. Notably, the bagworm-specific uses of silk include larval development in a bag coated with silk and plant materials and the use of silk attachments to hang pupae. An understanding at the molecular level of bagworm silk, which enables such unique purposes, is an opportunity to expand the possibilities for artificial biomaterial design. However, very little is known about the bagworm fibroin gene and the mechanical properties of bagworm silk. Here, we report the bagworm genome, including a silk fibroin gene. The genome is approximately 700 Mbp in size, and the newly found fibroin gene has a unique repetitive motif. Furthermore, a mechanical property test demonstrates a phylogenetic relationship between the unique motif and tensile strength of bagworm silk.
Highlights
Arthropod silk is known as a versatile tool, and its variability makes it an attractive biomaterial
This bag is different from a cocoon made only of silk because it is combined with plant materials, and it works as armor against invertebrate predators[6,7]
On the basis of the first draft genome, we demonstrate the relationship between the bagworm fibroin gene and silk properties with a comparative analysis of the genomic phylogeny, fibroin gene architecture, and silk mechanical properties among closely related moths
Summary
Arthropod silk is known as a versatile tool, and its variability makes it an attractive biomaterial. The bagworm family (Psychidae) includes over 1,000 species, and all of their larval development is conducted within a self-enclosing bag[5] This bag is different from a cocoon made only of silk because it is combined with plant materials, and it works as armor against invertebrate predators[6,7]. The silken thread is used for dispersal by ballooning in the freshly hatched larvae or as an attachment with a high pulloff force[9] to substrate for suspending the bag on the leaf to avoid predation during pupation[6] These mechanical and functional properties unique to the bagworms make them an ideal case for comparative analysis, especially in light of their phylogenetic neighbors silkworms and saturniids. On the basis of the first draft genome, we demonstrate the relationship between the bagworm fibroin gene and silk properties with a comparative analysis of the genomic phylogeny, fibroin gene architecture, and silk mechanical properties among closely related moths
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