Structural organization of the P25 gene of Bombyx mori and comparative analysis of its 5' flanking DNA with that of the fibroin gene.

We have cloned a large portion of the P25 gene of Bombyx mori encoding the 25,000 dalton polypeptide which associates with fibroin to constitute the major silk protein. Its structure has been investigated by restriction mapping R-loop analysis, S1 nuclease protection experiments and nucleotide sequencing of the region spanning the 5' end of the gene and its flanking DNA. This has permitted a comparative sequence analysis of the DNA from the P25 and fibroin genes. The genes demonstrate no relatedness in their coding regions but they exhibit large blocks of sequence homology in their 5' flanking regions. In particular, the DNA upstream of the P25 gene possesses a sequence very similar to a region of fibroin 5' flanking DNA that is known to possess transcription modulation signals. The functional significance of these homologous regions is discussed with regard to the highly coordinated expression of these two genes.