Abstract:  【Aim】 To analyze the function of glycosyltransferase gene Bmttv of Bombyx mori in the wing development.【Methods】 The full-length sequence of the Bmttv CDS of B. mori was cloned by RACE and analyzed by bioinformatics. The expression levels of Bmttv in different developmental stages (5th instar larva, larva at the wandering stage, prepupa, pupa and adult) and different tissues (cuticle, wing disc, testis, Malpighian tubules, trachea, silk gland, head, hemolymph, fat body and midgut) of the 5th instar larva of B. mori were detected by qRT-PCR. The overexpression vector was constructed and transiently transfected into BmE cells. Subcellular localization of BmTTV was performed by immunofluorescence. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression levels of BmHippo, Bmwg, BmDpp, Bmsotv and BmHh, which are the key genes in the wing development of B. mori. 【Results】The CDS sequence of Bmttvof B. moriwas successfully cloned and is 2 228 bp in full-length. BmTTV has two special structural domains, both of which are related to the synthesis of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), with about 45% amino acid sequence identity to TTVs of Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens, and closer affinity to TTVs of lepidopteran insects. Bmttv was expressed at high levels from the pupal stage and in the midgut, testis and wing disc of the 5th instar larva. BmTTV is mainly localized in the cytoplasm of BmE cells, and BmHippo, which is associated with the wing development, was significantly down-regulated in the expression after the overexpression of Bmttv. 【Conclusion】BmTTV may play an important role in the wing development of B. mori by participating in Hippo signaling pathway, and the results of this study lay a foundation for further research.

Key words: Bombyx mori, Bmttv, HSPG, wing development, Hippo