Silkworm, Bombyx mori, vitellogenin (Vg) was isolated from perivisceral fat body of day 3 of pupa. Both Vg subunits were co-purified as verified by mass spectrometry and immunoblot. Purified Vg responded to specific tests for major posttranslational modifications on native gels indicating its nature as lipo-glyco-phosphoprotein. The Vg fraction had strong antibacterial activity against Gram neg...

PURPOSE Many researchers are trying to solve the metabolic syndrome by utilizing a variety of nutritional control and exercise. Of those, silkworm pupae peptides are known to inhibit the synthesis of fat. Therefore, we examine the effect of fat metabolism by supplying silkworm pupae (SP) for 5-week in swim-trained rats. METHODS Animals were divided into four groups as a group (n = 32) fed a n...

In this study we successfully constructed a full-length cDNA library from Chinese oak silkworm, Antheraea pernyi, the most well-known wild silkworm used for silk production and insect food. Total RNA was extracted from a single fresh female pupa at the diapause stage. The titer of the library was 5 x 10(5) cfu/ml and the proportion of recombinant clones was approximately 95%. Expressed sequence...

The pigmentation pattern of Lepidoptera varies greatly in different development stages. To date, the effects of key genes in the melanin metabolism pathway on larval and adult body color are distinct, yet the effects on pupal pigmentation remains unclear. In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, the black pupa (bp) mutant is only specifically melanized at the pupal stage. Using positional cloning, we foun...

Changes in the levels of haemolymph metal ions of two binoltine races of the silkworm, Bombyx mori (NB4D2 and CSR2) and the multivoltine race (Pure Mysore ) was studied at different stages of larval and pupal development. The haemolymph metal ions showed significant changes during different stages of larval development like moult, post-moult, feeding and spinning and pupal stages like pre-pupa,...

Background: Insect diapause is associated with physiological dormancy, extension of life span and an altered developmental programme. Reactive oxygen species, oxidative damaged products and antioxidants are being increasingly linked to such processes in insects. Tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta Drury (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), has an impressive pupal diapause and exhibits a distinct ...

In this study, the aim was to determine the effect of 12 hours delay and time advancement of Bombyx mori larvae transfer to spinning frames on the economic traits of harvested cocoons. Our experience focused on the transfer of three lots of silkworm mature larvae to cocoon frames with 12 hours delay or advancement from usual spinning time. Commercial silkworm eggs were obtained and thr...

The quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with cocoon traits in silkworms were mapped in 44 individuals of a backcross of Dazao females with hybrid F(1) males; the hybrid males were from females of inbred C(1)00 strain, which have white cocoons and superior cocoon traits, crossed with males of inbred strain Dazao, which have green cocoons and inferior cocoon traits. Nineteen putative major ...