Arnaud Martin
@evolvwing.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Biology at the George Washington University
Interested in Pattern Formation, Evolutionary Tinkering, Genetics,
#lociofevolution #dnacrobatics #evodevo #lepidoptera
dnacrobatics.com
pubs: https://rb.gy/nfg8p
Interested in Pattern Formation, Evolutionary Tinkering, Genetics,
#lociofevolution #dnacrobatics #evodevo #lepidoptera
dnacrobatics.com
pubs: https://rb.gy/nfg8p
Huge thanks to Whitney Stoppel and Lauren Eccles at UF for the microCT scans, and to the NSF for funding this work
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Huge thanks to Whitney Stoppel and Lauren Eccles at UF for the microCT scans, and to the NSF for funding this work
This might mean that silk is coated with an enzyme that predigests the starchy habitats that the pantry moth loves to colonize (as you might know 😬)
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
This might mean that silk is coated with an enzyme that predigests the starchy habitats that the pantry moth loves to colonize (as you might know 😬)
Interestingly, we also found that this maltase enzyme (magenta), involved in starch digestion, is produced towards the silk exit.
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Interestingly, we also found that this maltase enzyme (magenta), involved in starch digestion, is produced towards the silk exit.
This may be why silky larval colonies stay clean. Believe it or not but this infested mix of bran, yeast, sugar, and glycerol still smells like breakfast cereals after 28 days.
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
This may be why silky larval colonies stay clean. Believe it or not but this infested mix of bran, yeast, sugar, and glycerol still smells like breakfast cereals after 28 days.
We also started to discover some potential silk additives. For example, Seroin1 and Spi are expressed throughout the gland and thought to be microbial inhibitors.
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
We also started to discover some potential silk additives. For example, Seroin1 and Spi are expressed throughout the gland and thought to be microbial inhibitors.
These transcriptomes specialize in the production of secreted fibroins and sericins. In very high amounts.
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
These transcriptomes specialize in the production of secreted fibroins and sericins. In very high amounts.
Then we did RNAseq across this boundary.
Some key findings : the silk gland makes the core silk fiber and then adds three layers of packaging around it.
- posterior : high expression of genes for silk fibroin production 🧵
- 2 middle regions rich in sticky proteins called sericins
Some key findings : the silk gland makes the core silk fiber and then adds three layers of packaging around it.
- posterior : high expression of genes for silk fibroin production 🧵
- 2 middle regions rich in sticky proteins called sericins
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Then we did RNAseq across this boundary.
Some key findings : the silk gland makes the core silk fiber and then adds three layers of packaging around it.
- posterior : high expression of genes for silk fibroin production 🧵
- 2 middle regions rich in sticky proteins called sericins
Some key findings : the silk gland makes the core silk fiber and then adds three layers of packaging around it.
- posterior : high expression of genes for silk fibroin production 🧵
- 2 middle regions rich in sticky proteins called sericins
We now sometimes call it the Cookie Monster boundary…
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
We now sometimes call it the Cookie Monster boundary…
And this started to reveal very sharp boundaries in the gland between specialized domains, for example between the posterior fibroin-producing cells (PSG) and the middle silk gland (MSG)
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
And this started to reveal very sharp boundaries in the gland between specialized domains, for example between the posterior fibroin-producing cells (PSG) and the middle silk gland (MSG)
Fun fact: you can get nuclear signal with intronic probes, labeling lots of transcriptional hubs in these megaploid nuclei (magenta)
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Fun fact: you can get nuclear signal with intronic probes, labeling lots of transcriptional hubs in these megaploid nuclei (magenta)
To look at spatial gene expression, we used RNA HCR probes (@hcrimaging.bsky.social). This labelled the sub-domains of the gland including this posterior region specialized in making silk fiber proteins.
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
To look at spatial gene expression, we used RNA HCR probes (@hcrimaging.bsky.social). This labelled the sub-domains of the gland including this posterior region specialized in making silk fiber proteins.
Silk glands are epithelial tubes made of giant cells. These cells have giant polyploid nuclei (blue) made of thousands of genome copies, and are wrapped around a lumen (yellow), in which they dump silk proteins
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Silk glands are epithelial tubes made of giant cells. These cells have giant polyploid nuclei (blue) made of thousands of genome copies, and are wrapped around a lumen (yellow), in which they dump silk proteins
🚨New paper! 🚨
@jasminealqassar.bsky.social led this work on the silk glands of the pantry moth.
These two long tubes inside the caterpillar continuously make a ton of silk
How does this special organ work?
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
@cp-iscience.bsky.social
🧵THREAD🧵
@jasminealqassar.bsky.social led this work on the silk glands of the pantry moth.
These two long tubes inside the caterpillar continuously make a ton of silk
How does this special organ work?
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
@cp-iscience.bsky.social
🧵THREAD🧵
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 AM
🚨New paper! 🚨
@jasminealqassar.bsky.social led this work on the silk glands of the pantry moth.
These two long tubes inside the caterpillar continuously make a ton of silk
How does this special organ work?
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
@cp-iscience.bsky.social
🧵THREAD🧵
@jasminealqassar.bsky.social led this work on the silk glands of the pantry moth.
These two long tubes inside the caterpillar continuously make a ton of silk
How does this special organ work?
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
@cp-iscience.bsky.social
🧵THREAD🧵
It's out, Minos transgenesis in the pantry moth by
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social
@lucalivraghi.bsky.social
High efficient, glowing eye and silk gland markers
peerj.com/articles/202...
@peerj.bsky.social
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social
@lucalivraghi.bsky.social
High efficient, glowing eye and silk gland markers
peerj.com/articles/202...
@peerj.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 2:40 PM
It's out, Minos transgenesis in the pantry moth by
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social
@lucalivraghi.bsky.social
High efficient, glowing eye and silk gland markers
peerj.com/articles/202...
@peerj.bsky.social
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social
@lucalivraghi.bsky.social
High efficient, glowing eye and silk gland markers
peerj.com/articles/202...
@peerj.bsky.social
@royalsocietypublishing.org
@royalsociety.org
Greetings, is your journal server down? please let me know if this will fixed shortly or if there is a workaround, I need students to access Biology Letters for a class 🫶
Thanks!
@royalsociety.org
Greetings, is your journal server down? please let me know if this will fixed shortly or if there is a workaround, I need students to access Biology Letters for a class 🫶
Thanks!
November 10, 2025 at 6:23 PM
@royalsocietypublishing.org
@royalsociety.org
Greetings, is your journal server down? please let me know if this will fixed shortly or if there is a workaround, I need students to access Biology Letters for a class 🫶
Thanks!
@royalsociety.org
Greetings, is your journal server down? please let me know if this will fixed shortly or if there is a workaround, I need students to access Biology Letters for a class 🫶
Thanks!
Surely this table will help ;)
I don't see the interaction in example 2,
but it's late so please lmk
I don't see the interaction in example 2,
but it's late so please lmk
September 2, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Surely this table will help ;)
I don't see the interaction in example 2,
but it's late so please lmk
I don't see the interaction in example 2,
but it's late so please lmk
Transgenic Plodia larvae expressing the very bright mBaoJin (mStayGold variant) in its silk glands.
Also some gorgeous 3xP3:mCherry staining of larval ocelli and glia.
(see revised preprint) by pantry moth wizards
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social & @lucalivraghi.bsky.social doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Also some gorgeous 3xP3:mCherry staining of larval ocelli and glia.
(see revised preprint) by pantry moth wizards
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social & @lucalivraghi.bsky.social doi.org/10.1101/2025...
July 19, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Transgenic Plodia larvae expressing the very bright mBaoJin (mStayGold variant) in its silk glands.
Also some gorgeous 3xP3:mCherry staining of larval ocelli and glia.
(see revised preprint) by pantry moth wizards
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social & @lucalivraghi.bsky.social doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Also some gorgeous 3xP3:mCherry staining of larval ocelli and glia.
(see revised preprint) by pantry moth wizards
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social & @lucalivraghi.bsky.social doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Preprint alert from the lab
@jasminealqassar.bsky.social led this elegant study of gene expression in the silk glands of our favorite alternative "silk worm", the pantry moth.
Mega-polyploid cells with thousands of genome copies just to express a handful of proteins
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
@jasminealqassar.bsky.social led this elegant study of gene expression in the silk glands of our favorite alternative "silk worm", the pantry moth.
Mega-polyploid cells with thousands of genome copies just to express a handful of proteins
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
July 17, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Preprint alert from the lab
@jasminealqassar.bsky.social led this elegant study of gene expression in the silk glands of our favorite alternative "silk worm", the pantry moth.
Mega-polyploid cells with thousands of genome copies just to express a handful of proteins
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
@jasminealqassar.bsky.social led this elegant study of gene expression in the silk glands of our favorite alternative "silk worm", the pantry moth.
Mega-polyploid cells with thousands of genome copies just to express a handful of proteins
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
not quite, there this 1969 paper that observed some diffuse stripiness but definitely nothing like diptera salivary glands.
June 29, 2025 at 4:56 PM
not quite, there this 1969 paper that observed some diffuse stripiness but definitely nothing like diptera salivary glands.
Image above was from us in Plodia,
and here is a closely related species at an earlier stage
DOI: 10.1139/g2012-060
and here is a closely related species at an earlier stage
DOI: 10.1139/g2012-060
June 29, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Image above was from us in Plodia,
and here is a closely related species at an earlier stage
DOI: 10.1139/g2012-060
and here is a closely related species at an earlier stage
DOI: 10.1139/g2012-060
⭐ Can anyone guess what this is? ⭐
🔎 hints 🔍
- finding out will make your head spin!
- image ~ 100 um wide.
🔎 hints 🔍
- finding out will make your head spin!
- image ~ 100 um wide.
June 28, 2025 at 4:31 AM
⭐ Can anyone guess what this is? ⭐
🔎 hints 🔍
- finding out will make your head spin!
- image ~ 100 um wide.
🔎 hints 🔍
- finding out will make your head spin!
- image ~ 100 um wide.