Molecular basis for camouflage pattern formation in insects

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

To understand the pattern formation mechanism of the larval camouflage markings in Lepidoptera such as swallowtails and the silkworm, we analyzed gene expression in larval epidermis exhaustively by several molecular biological methods, and identified many specific genes involved in the pattern formation. We also analyzed several marking and pigmentation mutants of the silkworm, and found that the responsible genes of mutants are involved in melanin synthesis pathway or Wnt1 signaling pathway. These results reveal novel molecular basis for the marking pattern formation that has not been clarified so far.