In insects, steroid hormones named ecdysteroids elicit molting and metamorphosis. The prothoracic gland (PG) is a predominant source of ecdysteroids, where their biosynthesis (ecdysteroidogenesis) is regulated by several neuropeptides. Here, we report that FMRFamide-related peptides (FaRPs) regulate ecdysteroidogenesis through direct innervation of the PG in the silkworm Bombyx mori. We purifie...

Silk from Bombyx mori is a protein-based fiber. Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF) is one of the most important candidates for biomedical materials based on biocompatibility, biodegradation, processability and excellent mechanical properties. The present study aims at the preparation of silk fibroin for possible applications in tissue engineering. Pure silk fibroin protein was extracted from Bombyx ...

Three new brasiliamide congeners, brasiliamides C, D and E, were isolated from okara fermented with Penicillium brasilianum Batista JV-379. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data and chemical evidence. NMR spectra of these brasiliamides exhibited a mixture of four or two conformers due to the restricted rotation of an amide bond in a solution. The (1)H- and (13)C-NMR spe...

A region within 35 nucleotides upstream of the transcription initiation site of a variety of silkworm Class III templates is absolutely required for transcription in vitro. To determine whether the activity of this region can be attributed to a particular sequence element, we systematically replaced 4-5 bp segments of the region upstream of a silkworm tRNA(cAla) gene. We show that replacement o...

Silkworm (Bombyx mori) is a species of agricultural importance, as well as a model organism for Lepidoptera insects. Proteomic method has been widely used in silkworm research, and a robust mass spectrometry-compatible protein extraction method is urgently needed. In this study, we adapted phenol extraction method to extract silkworm midgut protein, and coupled this method with pH 5 8 gel strip...

In the bivoltine strain of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, embryonic diapause is induced transgenerationally as a maternal effect. Progeny diapause is determined by the environmental temperature during embryonic development of the mother; however, its molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we show that the Bombyx TRPA1 ortholog (BmTrpA1) acts as a thermosensitive transient receptor potentia...

Sericulture or silk farming is the rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk. The mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori, is a domesticated and monophagous insect which feeds only on the leaves of mulberry for its nutrition. Thiadiazoles are heterocyclic compounds containing oxygen and nitrogen. 1, 3, 4, thiadiazoles are extensively studied and are known to play diverse biological activities....

Several organophosphorus (OP) insecticides can selectively kill the silkworm maggot, Exorista sorbillans (Es) (Diptera: Tachinidae), while not obviously affecting the host (Bombyx mori) larvae, but the mechanism is not yet clear. In this study, the cDNA encoding an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from the field Es was isolated. One point mutation (Gly353Ala) was identified. The Es-353G AChE and Es-...