Transcriptome analysis of neonatal larvae after hyperthermia-induced seizures in the contractile silkworm, Bombyx mori

The ability to respond quickly and efficiently to transient extreme environmental conditions is an important property of all biota. However, the physiological basis of thermotolerance in different species is still unclear. Here, we found that the cot mutant showed a seizure phenotype including contraction of the body, rolling, vomiting gut juice and a momentary cessation of movement, and the heartbeat rhythm of the dorsal vessel significantly increases after hyperthermia. To comprehensively understand this process at the molecular level, the transcriptomic profile of cot mutant, which is a behavior mutant that exhibits a seizure phenotype, was investigated after hyperthermia (42°C) that was induced for 5 min. By digital gene expression profiling, we determined the gene expression profile of three strains (cot/cot ok/ok, +/+ ok/ok and +/+ +/+) under hyperthermia (42°C) and normal (25°C) conditions. A Venn diagram showed that the most common differentially expressed genes (DEGs, FDR