Ken Sahara

The paper identifies Fem, a W-linked piRNA precursor in Bombyx mori, as a chimeric sequence derived from transposons, challenging previous hypotheses about its origin.

This study investigates the W chromosome in ghost moths, revealing large genomes, absence of typical sex chromatin, and potential origin from a B chromosome.

The paper defines Lepidopteran Synteny Units (LSUs) to study macrosynteny conservation in butterflies and moths, finding it extends across >200 My and includes Trichoptera.