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Peer-reviewedCC BYBiology

Autophagy in Silkworm Biology: Progress and Perspectives.

  • Lanlan Feng1
  • Xin Zhou2
  • Xia He3
  1. 1Henan Sericulture Research Institute, Henan Academy of Agricultural of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
  2. 2College of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
  3. 3Henan Agricultural Product Quality Safety and Green Food Development Center, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
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Abstract

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process essential for cellular quality control, metabolic adaptation, and developmental programming. The silkworm has emerged as a compelling model organism for investigating autophagy due to its well-characterized genome, ease of genetic manipulation, and significant homology with human disease-related genes. This review synthesizes current advances in silkworm autophagy research across four interconnected domains: molecular regulatory mechanisms, developmental functions, stress-induced responses, and disease-related implications. The steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) orchestrates autophagy during metamorphosis through transcriptional upregulation of autophagy-related genes (Atgs) and mTOR inhibition. AMPK acts as a key energy sensor, phosphorylating BmAtg1c upon 20E stimulation or starvation. Functionally, autophagy participates in tissue remodeling, silk gland degeneration, and fat-body metabolism during development. Upon pathogenic infections (BmNPV, BmCPV, microsporidia) or xenobiotic stresses (pesticides, heavy metals), autophagy exhibits context-dependent duality-often promoting pathogen replication while also contributing to host defense. The interplay between autophagy and apoptosis serves as a critical molecular switch determining cellular fate under stress conditions. Collectively, these findings establish the silkworm as a versatile platform for decoding autophagy regulatory networks and their physiological significance.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{feng2026autophagy,
  title = {{Autophagy in Silkworm Biology: Progress and Perspectives.}},
  author = {Lanlan Feng and Xin Zhou and Xia He},
  journal = {Biology},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.3390/biology15191688},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883361},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Autophagy in Silkworm Biology: Progress and Perspectives.
AU  - Lanlan Feng
AU  - Xin Zhou
AU  - Xia He
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/22
JO  - Biology
DO  - 10.3390/biology15191688
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883361
AB  - Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process essential for cellular quality control, metabolic adaptation, and developmental programming. The silkworm has emerged as a compelling model organism for investigating autophagy due to its well-characterized genome, ease of genetic manipulation, and significant homology with human disease-related genes. This review synthesizes current advances in silkworm autophagy research across four interconnected domains: molecular regulatory mechanisms, developmental functions, stress-induced responses, and disease-related implications. The steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) orchestrates autophagy during metamorphosis through transcriptional upregulation of autophagy-related genes (Atgs) and mTOR inhibition. AMPK acts as a key energy sensor, phosphorylating BmAtg1c upon 20E stimulation or starvation. Functionally, autophagy participates in tissue remodeling, silk gland degeneration, and fat-body metabolism during development. Upon pathogenic infections (BmNPV, BmCPV, microsporidia) or xenobiotic stresses (pesticides, heavy metals), autophagy exhibits context-dependent duality-often promoting pathogen replication while also contributing to host defense. The interplay between autophagy and apoptosis serves as a critical molecular switch determining cellular fate under stress conditions. Collectively, these findings establish the silkworm as a versatile platform for decoding autophagy regulatory networks and their physiological significance.
SN  - 2079-7737
ER  -