A multi-omics spatiotemporal atlas of the silkworm (Bombyx mori) wing disc and a gene transition model reveals 20-hydroxyecdysone-driven development reprogramming

A multi-omics spatiotemporal atlas of the silkworm (Bombyx mori) wing disc and a gene transition model reveals 20-hydroxyecdysone-driven development reprogramming | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article A multi-omics spatiotemporal atlas of the silkworm (Bombyx mori) wing disc and a gene transition model reveals 20-hydroxyecdysone-driven development reprogramming Qingyou Xia, Qingsong Liu, Mingmin He, Hao Chen, Yongfen Zhang, and 25 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6477804/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 23 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The dynamic cellular transitions, spatial organization, and hormonal regulatory mechanisms of insect wing development are incompletely understood. Here, we reported an integrated spatially resolved single-cell atlas of the silkworm (Bombyx mori) wing disc across 10 developmental time points, investigating the dynamics of 12 cell types. Wing morphogenesis (Wm) cells were characterized as central progenitors with bifurcated differentiation toward epithelial and cuticle lineages, regulated by lineage-specific transcription factors. Time-resolved snRNA-seq revealed a hierarchical, time-dependent transcriptional reprogramming cascade. Functional modules and signaling pathways were activated with temporal and spatial precision, with Wm cells acting as early signaling hubs. 20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E) accelerated fate transitions and transcriptional maturation, mimicking in vivo transitions within hours. Integrating 20E concentration dynamics, morphology, and gene expression, we proposed a five-stage gene transition model to outline wing disc development from plasticity to maturation, highlighting 20E signal dynamics and providing a framework for understanding 20E-driven organogenesis in holometabolous insects. Biological sciences/Molecular biology/Transcriptomics Biological sciences/Developmental biology/Morphogenesis/Cell lineage scRNA-seq Stereo-seq snRNA-seq Wing disc 20-hydroxyecdysone Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementarytable.xlsx Supplementary table SupplementaryData.pdf Supplementary Data Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 23 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6477804","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":449554694,"identity":"aea9828c-f24d-4506-83cb-f4c4aff28a3b","order_by":0,"name":"Qingyou 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