The Tissue Localization and Hormone-induced Expression of BmMet2 in Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Met, as the receptor of Juvenile Hormone (JH), can encode the bHLH-PAS domain to bind to DNA and regulate the expression of downstream genes. In order to explore whether BmMet2 acts as a receptor of JH involved in regulating silkworm growth and development, Bombyx mori was used as the material, the bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the structure of BmMet2 protein, and real-time PCR was used to detect its expression in different periods of wing discs and hormonal induction. The protein region BmMet2DBD in BmMet2 that can bind to DNA was cloned and prokaryotically expressed and was used to prepare antibody. The Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the localization and expression of BmMet2 in multiple periods and in various tissues. The results showed that BmMet2 had a higher expression level at 3 days and 6 days of the 5th instar in the wing discs and lower expression at the pupal stage, which is consistent with the JH titer in the silkworm. BmMet2 proteins were expressed in the thoracic epidermis, fat body and wing discs at day 6 of the 5th instar larvae, the wandering and prepupa stages, and the expression level was high. Both JH and 20E could induce the expression of BmMet2, indicating that it may be involved in the regulation of JH and 20E at the same time and participate in the regulation of the metamorphic development of the silkworm.