Defective autophagy in a fibroin secretion-deficient silkworm mutant

The silkworm Bombyx mori is an economically important insect for silk production. Its silk glands are responsible for the synthesis and secretion of silk proteins. The naked pupa (Nd), a fibroin heavy chain mutant strain of silkworm, was found to exhibit severe atrophy, degeneration of the posterior silk gland (PSG), and abnormal secretion of fibroin proteins, thereby producing little or no silk. Here, we found that the autophagic marker Atg8-PE was upregulated through the target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling pathway in Nd. However, as autophagy substrates, SQSTM1/p62 and ubiquitinated protein levels increased in Nd. Furthermore, treatment with BafA1 showed no effect on the protein levels of SQSTM1/p62, indicating impaired autophagic flux in Nd. Abnormal acidification of lysosomes was further detected, which resulted in a decreased proportion of matured CtsL1 (cathepsin L1). Thus, the substrate in autolysosomes cannot be degraded within a rapid time frame, resulting in the accumulation of protein aggregates, which cause atrophy and degeneration of the PSG. We also found that acidic nanoparticles rescued lysosomal acidification and relieved the degenerative changes of Nd-PSG. The findings of this study suggest that the Nd mutant silkworm can be used as an animal model for studying protein aggregation diseases.