RNA-seq analysis of the knockout strain of the BmT-synthase gene

T-synthase is an enzyme involved in the synthesis of mucin-type O-linked glycans in Bombyx mori. To investigate the physiological and molecular function of the Bombyx mori T-synthase (BmT-synthase), a knockout strain (F43) of the BmT-synthase gene was produced by CRISPR/Cas9. In this knockout strain, the region encoding the stem domain of BmT-synthase is defective due to deletion in 3' parts of exon 4 and 1-bp deletion in exon 5. Development and reproduction were normal in the F43 strain. To analyze the splicing pattern of the BmT-synthase gene in the F43 strain, RNA-seq analysis was carried out in the fat bodies.