Study on the basis for genetic code expansion in silkworm

本研究旨在为家蚕遗传密码的扩增奠定基础。NMD，即无意义介导的信使核糖核酸衰变，可能成为使用终止密码子重新分配方法扩展遗传密码的障碍。本研究旨在通过敲除家蚕培养细胞中与NMD相关的基因来稳定NMD固有降解的mRNAs。我们将靶向NMD相关基因的TALE核酸酶导入培养细胞。研究了靶基因序列的变化和对NMD敏感的荧光蛋白表达的变化。我们检测到目标基因序列发生了一些变化，但荧光蛋白的表达没有明显的变化。

This study aimed to construct the basis for genetic code expansion in silkworm, Bombyx mori. NMD, nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, could be an obstacle for genetic code expansion using stop codon reassignment methodology. In this study, it was investigated that mRNAs intrinsically degraded by NMD could be stabilized by knocking NMD-related genes out in silkworm cultured cells. We transfected TALE nucleases which target NMD-related genes to the cultured cells. Changes in the targeted gene sequences and in the expression of a fluorescent protein whose mRNA is sensitive to NMD were investigated after the transfection. We detected some changes in the targeted gene sequences but no apparent changes in the expression of the fluorescent protein were observed.