Structure, evolution and developmental expression of the silkmoth chorion multigene families

Abstract

SYNOPSIS. The silkmoth eggshell (chorion) is a complex extracellular structure, with important physiological functions concerning survival of the developing embryo. The chorion proteins are encoded in several families of genes, generated during evolution by gene duplication and diversification. The gene families are highly regulated during development, so that more than 100 distinct chorion proteins are produced during specific stages in choriogenesis. Chorion genes are clustered in a single chromosome, and in the aggregate account for more than 350 kb of DNA. They have been cloned and their structure and organization have been studied by recombinant DNA techniques. I summarize the information currently available, and relate it to the processes of gene evolution and regulation of gene expression during development. © 1981 by the American Society of Zoologists