Toru Shimada

The paper updates the genome assembly of Samia ricini using long-read technologies and provides functional annotations including gene prediction and piRNA clusters.

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.

The paper identifies two recessive lethal mutations in semiconsomic silkworm strains, showing that deleterious mutations on a B. mandarina-derived chromosome cause embryonic lethality.