The silkworm
Bombyx mori has been domesticated for silk production for about 5,000 years and intensively studied. As a result, knowledge of its biology and genetics is the most advanced of any lepidopteran species. Comparison with its wild ancestor
B. mandarina provides the opportunity to examine the effects of artificial selection leading
More...to domestication at the genome level.Lepidoptera genomes are unusual in that they have holocentric chromosomes with diffuse kinetochores; as a result, they are able to retain chromosome fragments through many cell divisions. Silkworm is a female-heterogametic species with a ZW chromosome combination specifying female, and ZZ male. Interactions between Lepidoptera and baculoviruses have led to important biotechnological advances in recombinant protein production, and point toward enhancing the efficacy of these environmentally benign biological control agents. Other viruses (polydnaviruses) are able to modulate the lepidopteran endocrine and immune systems, and are vectored by hymenopteran parasites used in biological control. Less...Sequence data: | genome assemblies: 9; sequence reads: 11 | (See Genome Assembly and Annotation report) | | Statistics: | median total length (Mb): 453.326 | median protein count: 13654 | median GC%: 38.4495 | NCBI Annotation Release: | 104 |
Reference genome: ![Show detailed info plus sign](/sutils/static/ProtMap/plus.gif)
Bombyx mori ASM3026992v2
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