Research Article

Marker-assisted selection in breeding silkworm strains with high silk production and resistance to the densonucleosis virus

Published: October 07, 2013
Genet. Mol. Res. 12 (4) : 4171-4178 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4238/2013.October.7.3
Cite this Article:
C.X. Hou, P.J. Sun, X.J. Guo, Y.P. Huang, M.W. Li (2013). Marker-assisted selection in breeding silkworm strains with high silk production and resistance to the densonucleosis virus. Genet. Mol. Res. 12(4): 4171-4178. https://doi.org/10.4238/2013.October.7.3
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Abstract

In the silkworm (Bombyx mori), resistance to the Zhenjiang (China) strain of the densonucleosis virus (DNV-Z) is controlled by the recessive gene nsd-Z (non-susceptible to DNV-Z), which is linked to 7 simple-sequence repeat markers. Marker-assisted evaluation and selection of DNV-Z-resistant silkworms were used for predicting DNV-resistance in backcrossed animals. A silkworm race was bred using this method, and its economic charac­teristics were found to be similar to those of commercial silkworm races. These markers will therefore be useful for silkworm breeding programs and in screening for densonucleosis resistance in segre­gating populations.

In the silkworm (Bombyx mori), resistance to the Zhenjiang (China) strain of the densonucleosis virus (DNV-Z) is controlled by the recessive gene nsd-Z (non-susceptible to DNV-Z), which is linked to 7 simple-sequence repeat markers. Marker-assisted evaluation and selection of DNV-Z-resistant silkworms were used for predicting DNV-resistance in backcrossed animals. A silkworm race was bred using this method, and its economic charac­teristics were found to be similar to those of commercial silkworm races. These markers will therefore be useful for silkworm breeding programs and in screening for densonucleosis resistance in segre­gating populations.