Telomere-to-telomere genome assemblies of three silkworm strains with long-term pupal characteristics

Abstract The domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori) is both economically significant and a valuable model organism. However, challenges persist in silk production, particularly in preserving silkworm cocoons. The wild silkworm (Bombyx mandarina), a close relative, with long-term pupal characteristics,...

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Main Authors: Linrong Wan, Cao Deng, Binbin Liu, Siyuan Su, Zhiyong Zhang, Yaming Jiang, Bangxing Zou, Junfeng Liu, Zhouhe Du, Youhong Zhang, Peng Chen, Wenfu Xiao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Scientific Data
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04860-w
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Summary:Abstract The domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori) is both economically significant and a valuable model organism. However, challenges persist in silk production, particularly in preserving silkworm cocoons. The wild silkworm (Bombyx mandarina), a close relative, with long-term pupal characteristics, could address storage and industrial silk production issues. We conducted interspecies hybridization between domestic and wild silkworms, successfully introducing the long-pupal period trait into the domestic silkworm through genomic integration. Here, we presented the telomere-to-telomere genome assemblies of three silkworm strains (KA, L, and M) with long-term pupal characteristics. The genome assembly sizes ranged from 453.82 Mb to 461.92 Mb, with high contig N50 values and completeness. We predicted over 14,000 protein-coding genes and identified strain-specific fragments. This research enriches the domestic silkworm pan-genome project and provides a foundation for further genetic studies. By introducing the trait, we have for the first time reported a phenomenon of genomic introgression between domestic and wild silkworm, and have also opened up a new avenue for silkworm breeding.
ISSN:2052-4463