194 K. M. Ponnuvel et al.
multiple and divergent roles in cell physiology
affecting the cytoskeleton, peptide synthesis, and
protein degradation (Gonen et al. 1996 ). qPCR
analysis carried out in the study revealed the up-
regulation of this gene during non-diapause dem-
onstrating a role in cell proliferation.
Nucleosome assembly protein is an integral
component in the establishment, maintenance,
and dynamics of eukaryotic chromatin. It shut-
tles histones into the nucleus, assembles nucleo-
somes and promotes chromatin fluidity, thereby
affecting the transcription of many genes (Park
et al. 2005 ). The presence of nucleosome assem-
bly protein transcripts in non-diapause eggs sug-
gests its function in the embryonic development
of B. mori.
Nascent proteins, a newly synthesized protein
is not ready to start working in a cell immediately
after it is made by the ribosome. Instead, these
nascent proteins must first fold into proper 3-D
shape, and possibly also receive modifications
such as the addition of sugars or lipids. The site
where these maturation steps take place depends
upon where the final protein will be used in the
cell (Sedwick 2011 ).
Profilin is a ubiquitous eukaryotic protein that
regulates the actin cytoskeleton. In mammalian
cells, profilin appears to act at the intersection
of signal transduction and cytoskeletal organiza-
tion systems (Machesky et al. 1990 ) suggesting
a possible role in B. mori cell growth and pro-
liferation. Acyl-CoA dehydrogenases are a class
of enzymes that function to catalyze the initial
step in each cycle of fatty acid β-oxidation in the
mitochondria of cells (Thorpe and Kim 1995 ).
Acyl-CoA dehydrogenases are an important class
of enzymes in mammalian cells because of their
role in metabolizing fatty acids present in ingest-
ed food materials. The occurrence of Acyl-CoA
dehydrogenase in non-diapause eggs suggestsFig. 1 Relative gene expression patterns of genes upregulated during diapause. RNA was isolated at 6 h intervals from
6 to 48 h after oviposition. The experiment was performed in triplicate and results were standardized to the expression
level of the constitutive β actin gene. A non-template control (NTC) sample was also run to detect contamination if any.
□-Non-diapause ■- Diapause