Molecular cloning and expression pattern of a Cubitus interruptus homologue from the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori

A homologue of the segment polarity gene Cubitus interruptus from Bombyx mori, (BmCi) has been cloned and characterized. This region harbouring Zn(2+) finger motif is highly conserved across species. In B. mori, BmCi RNA expression was first detected at stage 6 of embryogenesis, which reached maximum levels at stage 21C and was maintained until larval hatching. The segmentally reiterated striped pattern of transcript distribution in stage 21C embryos was in conformity with its predicted segment polarity nature. BmCi was expressed in the fore- and hind-wing discs, ovaries, testes and gut during fifth larval intermolt, reminiscent of its expression domains in Drosophila. Besides, BmCi expression was seen in the anterior part of the middle silkglands in late embryonic stages, and this pattern was maintained during larval development. The transition from third to fourth and fifth larval intermolts was accompanied by an increase in the transcript levels in the middle silkglands. Our results demonstrate the presence of a novel expression domain for Ci in Bombyx.