Insect biochemistry and molecular biologyOct 12, 2025

A shared Piezo-mRPL2/Jun pathway controls reproduction by managing mitochondrial energy production

CRISPR Gene Editing Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

Knockout of BmPiezo in silkworms led to male sterility and loss of embryonic diapause.

BmPiezo plays a critical role in silkworm fertility and embryonic diapause.
Disruption of BmPiezo resulted in dysregulation of genes associated with ribosomes and energy production.
ATP production was reduced following the knockout of BmPiezo.
Mitochondrial ribosomal protein L2 (BmmRPL2) and transcription factor BmJun are essential for spermatogenesis and diapause.
Homozygous disruption of either BmmRPL2 or BmJun led to embryonic lethality.
Transgenic expression of murine Piezo2 in BmPiezo-/-silkworms restored ATP levels and alleviated reproductive defects.

Simplified

Piezo channels are essential mechanosensors, but their roles in reproduction remain poorly understood. Here, we identify a critical function for BmPiezo in silkworm fertility and embryonic diapause, mediated through a conserved downstream regulatory axis. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of BmPiezo resulted in male sterility and loss of embryonic diapause, accompanied by dysregulation of ribosome-associated genes and oxidative phosphorylation, and reduced ATP production. We identified mitochondrial ribosomal protein L2 (BmmRPL2) and transcription factor BmJun as key downstream effectors, required for spermatogenesis and diapause, respectively. Homozygous disruption of either gene caused embryonic lethality. Cross-species expression analysis revealed strong expression of Piezo2 and mRPL2 in early human spermatids. Remarkably, transgenic expression of murine Piezo2 in BmPiezo-/-silkworms reactivated the Piezo-mRPL2/Jun axis, restored ATP levels, and rescued reproductive defects. These findings define a conserved pathway that connects mechanical sensing to mitochondrial bioenergetics in reproductive regulation, advancing our understanding of fertility mechanisms across species.