the domesticated silkworm, bombyx mori linn., a lepidopteran molecular model and an important economic insect that are emerging as an ideal molecular genetic resource for solving a broad range of biological problems. the silkworm, b. mori produces massive amount of silk proteins during the final stage of larval development. these proteins are stored in the middle silk gland and they are dischar...

Morphological diversity of leg appendages is one of the hallmarks of developmental evolution. Limbs in insects may develop either from their embryonic prototypes or from imaginal discs harbored inside the larva. Bombyx mori (B. mori), a Lepidopteran insect, develops adult wings from larval wing imaginal discs. However, it has been debated whether the adult legs of B. mori arise from imaginal di...

Autophagy is associated with multiple biological processes and has protective and defensive functions with respect to immunity, inflammation, and resistance to microbial infection. In this experiment, we wished to investigate whether autophagy is a factor in the midgut cell response of Bombyx mori to infection by the B. mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV). Our results indicated that the...

Eight lepidopteran cell lines were established recently and their susceptibility to different insect viruses was studied. Two Spodoptera litura cell lines from the larval and pupal ovaries, were found highly susceptible to S. litura nuclear polyhedrosis virus (SLNPV, 5-6 x 10(6) NPV/ml). The Helicoverpa armigera cell line from the embryonic tissue was highly susceptible to H. armigera NPV (HaNP...

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome (VKH) is a bilateral intraocular granulomatous panuveitis which is frequently associated with systemic manifestations such as meningismus, tinnitus, poliosis and vitiligo of autoimmune aetiology. Headache by itself, does not fulfill the diagnostic criteria and is insufficient for the diagnosis. A 22-year-old male presented with a 10 day history of headache, followe...

As genome of B. mori is available in GenBank, identification of novel genes of B. mori can be carried out. In this study, we used the in silico cloning method to obtain the Glucuronyltransferase-S (GlcAT-S) gene of B. mori and analysed with bioinformatics tools. The result was confirmed by RT-PCR,prokaryotic expression and western blot. The GlcAT-S cDNA contains a 843bp ORF and has three exons....

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cataract surgery with phacoemulsification technique in patients with VogtKoyanagi-Harada syndrome in Saudi Arabia, at the King Abdulaziz University Hospital and Maghraby Eye Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A retrospective analysis of the records of patients diagnosed with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome that underwent cataract surgery with phaco...

BACKGROUND Hookworms are important pathogens of humans. To date, Necator americanus is the sole, known species of the genus Necator infecting humans. In contrast, several Necator species have been described in African great apes and other primates. It has not yet been determined whether primate-originating Necator species are also parasitic in humans. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The infect...

Membranes prepared from a protein, fibroin, isolated from domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori) silk, support the cultivation of human limbal epithelial (HLE) cells and thus display significant potential as biomaterials for ocular surface reconstruction. We presently extend this promising avenue of research by directly comparing the attachment, morphology and phenotype of primary HLE cell culture...