Mapping of sex-linked genes onto the genome sequence using various aberrations of the Z chromosome in Bombyx mori

Many strains of Bombyx mori carry chromosomal aberrations, and they are useful resources for integration between phenotypes and genomic sequences. We compared the molecular structures of three kinds of Z chromosomes, i.e., two strains with chromosome deletions and one strain with translocation involving the Z chromosome. Using polymerase chain reaction markers, we showed that: (1) the Z1 chromosome lacks more than 6 Mb, including the proximal end; (2) the ZVg chromosome lacks 1.5 Mb in the interstitial portion; and (3) the +odpSa+pW carries a 0.6-Mb Z-derived fragment surrounding the +od gene. The breakpoint junctions of these deletions and a translocation were precisely determined. Through deletion mapping, we narrowed down the regions where distinct oily (od), vestigial (Vg), and muscle dystrophy (Md) are located and identified a candidate gene for od. A retroposon-mediated deletion in BmBLOS2—the Bombyx gene homologous to human “biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex-1, subunit 2″—was detected in the od mutant. Although the genes responsible for Vg and Md were not definitively identified, we propose the candidate genes on the basis of their locations and phenotypes.