Insect infection models have been used increasingly to study various pathogenic agents in evaluations of pathogenicity and drug efficacy. In this study, we demonstrated that larvae of the silkworm Bombyx mori are useful for studying Listeria monocytogenes infections in insects. Infection with the L. monocytogenes wild-type strain induced silkworm death. Infection by a listeriolysin O (LLO) dele...

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...

The successfully breeding of the hybrids 873?874 had settled the problem that the yield was not uniform to the silk quality in silkworm varieties. In this paper, we illuminated the key technology, principle, hints and methods for selection in breeding spring-and-autumn rearing silkworm varieties were analyzed using the procedure of breeding the hybrid of 873?874 as example.

the successfully breeding of the hybrids 873?874 had settled the problem that the yield was not uniform to the silk quality in silkworm varieties. in this paper, we illuminated the key technology, principle, hints and methods for selection in breeding spring-and-autumn rearing silkworm varieties were analyzed using the procedure of breeding the hybrid of 873?874 as example.

The demand for novel antibiotics to combat the global spread of multi drug-resistant pathogens continues to grow. Pathogenic bacteria and fungi that cause fatal human infections can also kill silkworms and the infected silkworms can be cured by the same antibiotics used to treat infections in the clinic. As an invertebrate model, silkworm model is characterized by its convenience, low cost, no ...

In the silkworm Bombyx mori, pigment mutants with diverse body colors have been maintained throughout domestication for about 5000 years. The silkworm larval body color is formed through the mutual interaction of melanin, ommochromes, pteridines and uric acid. These pigments/compounds are synthesized by the cooperative action of various genes and enzymes. Previous reports showed that melanin, o...

A full-length cDNA of lebocin 5 (BmLeb5) was first cloned from silkworm, Bombyx mori, by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The BmLeb5 gene is 808 bp in length and the open reading frame encodes a 179-amino acid hydroxyproline-rich peptide. Bioinformatic analysis results showed that BmLeb5 owns an O-glycosylation site and four RXXR motifs as other lebocins. Sequence similarity and phylogenic ana...

Established animal models have accelerated our understanding of the mechanisms involved in lifespan determination. However, more experimental animals are required to clarify the complex mechanisms behind the phenomena of aging and lifespan. In this study, we reported the variation of lifespan in nine distinct silkworm strains. Lifespan correlated significantly with BmFoxO gene expression in the...

The Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) does not infect the silkworm and molecular studies on silkworm insusceptibility have not been performed. In cultured cells of the silkworm, the expression of viral genes has been reported. The expression of AcMNPV genes and their effect in vivo and in vitro was studied. In this study, the early gene, the ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferas...

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...