• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.87-93
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• 2006

Multiplication and spore production of three microsporidia viz., Nosema bombycis, Nosema sp. 1 and Nosema sp. 2 in fifth instar larval tissues of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. in two seasons with distinct temperature regimes were studied. Nosema sp. 2 produced significantly (P < 0.01) higher number of spores in various tissues. Among the tissues, spore production was highest in silk gland, followed by fat body and gut. Spore production was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in season-II (Average temperature $29.4{\pm}1.1^{\circ}C$). Maximum spore production was observed 25 days post inoculation (p. i.) in season-I (Average temperature $18.9{\pm}1.1^{\circ}C$), whereas in season-II, it was 14 days p. i. In season-I, spore production was low up to 21 days p. i., then increased sharply. In season-II, there was a steady increase in spore production. The results indicate that the microsporidian multiplication is tissue specific and extremely sensitive to temperature at which the host is reared. It also reveals that, silk gland, fat body and gut are the most appropriate tissues for microscopic identification of microsporidia in the larval stage.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2007

The present study was aimed to screen different antibiotics in vivo for their effects against the bacterium Bacillus coagulans in silkworm Bombyx mori in three experimental conditions viz., a) healthy larvae treated with the antibiotics b) larvae which were first inoculated with Bacillus coagulans immediately after the $2^{nd}$ moult and treated with the antibiotics from 24 hour after inoculation up to the end of the $5^{th}$ instar(pre-inoculated larvae) and c) larvae which were treated with the antibiotics right from hatching up to the end of the $5^{th}$ instar and inoculated with Bacillus coagulans immediately after the $2^{nd}$ moult(post-inoculated larvae). All the antibiotics used in this study stimulated better performance in improving the rearing performance and economic characters of the cocoons in healthy, pre-inoculated and post-inoculated larvae, besides reducing the mortality of infected larvae. Cephelexin and Tetracycline were more effective than the others in their overall performance under all the three experimental conditions. Chloramphenical caused greater increase in the length of the reelable silk filament, but was not as good in elevating the other parameters compared to the remaining antibiotics. Of the four concentrations of antibiotics tested, 2.0% performed better under all the three experimental conditions.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.105-108
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• 2001

The wild entomopathogenic fungi, Cordyceps militaris, were collected at the Whawang mountain, Korea. The pupae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, were used as infecting hosts for the production of the silkworm-mili-taris dongchunhacho, silkworm vegetable wasps and plant worms with C. militaris. Three inoculation methods in terms of injection, spray and immersion were tested against the silkworm pupae. The three inocu1ation methods revealed 100% infectivity to the silkworm pupae tested. Of the three inoculation methods, the injection method was highly effective in the reduction of the period required for the endosclerotium and the completion of fruiting body formation. These results indicate that the silkworm pupae are very effective host insects for the production of C. militaris.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.75-81
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• 2001

We have constructed a novel recombinant Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) producing the green fluorescent polyhedra. For the production of the fluorescent polyhedra, partial polyhedrin gene containing KRKK as nuclear localization site from the BmNPV polyhedrin gene and the green fluorescent protein (gfp) gene were introduced under the control of p10 promoter of BmNPV. The recombinant BmNPV was stably produced fluorescent polyhedra in the infected Bm5 cells and the morphology of the fluorescent polyhedra was similar to that of wild-type BmNPV. The fluorescent polyhedra had 32 kDa native polyhedrin and 41 kDa fusion protein. From these data, we have further developed a novel BmNPV p10-based transfer vector producing recombinant polyhedra with foreign gene Product. The novel BmNPV P10-based transfer vector is composed of partial polyhedrin gene, factor Xa, and multiple cloning sites.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2001

We have cloned and characterized an immediate early-1 gene, iel, which is activated immediately upon entrance of the viral genome into the cell nucleus, from Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) K1 strain. This gene encodes a protein 584 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 67 kDa. The promoter and coding regions of BmNPV-K1 ie1 showed high homology with Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus and BmNPV T3 strain. The BmNPV-K1 ie1 was different from amino acid sequence at 4 positions in BmNPV T3. The location of ie1 gene in the BmNPV-K1 genome was confirmed by Southern blot analysis and its expression patterns at the transcriptional level in the infected cells were confirmed by Nerthern hybridization analysis.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2001

We have cloned and characterized an antiapoptotic gene, p35, which blocks apoptosis, from Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) K1 strain. The 897 bp p35 has an open reading frame of 299 amino acids. The BmNPV-K1 p35 showed a high identity to Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus and BmNPV T3 strain. The BmNPV-K1 p35 was different from the amino acid sequences of BmNPV T3 at 6 positions. The p35 gene of BmNPV-K1 was 99.2% identical at the nucleotide level and 98% identical at the amino acid level to BmNPV T3. The location of p35 gene in the BmNPV-K1 genome was confirmed by Southern blot analysis and its expression patterns at the transcriptional level in the infected cells were con- firmed by Northern hybridization analysis.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.119-123
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• 2013

The insect baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is useful for producing biologically active recombinant proteins. However, the overexpression of heterologous proteins using this system often results in misfolded proteins and the formation of protein aggregates. To overcome this limitation, we developed a versatile baculovirus expression and secretion system using Bombyx mori protein disulfide isomerase (bPDI) as a fusion partner. bPDI gene fusion was found to improve the secretions and antibacterial activities of recombinant nuecin and enbocin proteins. Thus, we conclude that bPDI gene fusion is a useful addition to BEVS for the large-scale production of bioactive recombinant proteins.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2009

Quality of seed in the mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori (L.) is determined by many important factors, wherein unfertilized eggs play an important role. Unfertilization of eggs are caused by several reasons such as, abnormality in the sexual organs of the male and female, abnormal development of the micropylar end of the egg, unfavorable environmental conditions during spinning, cocoon preservation, imperfect handling of moths, mating, ovipostion, cold storing of pupae / moths and indiscriminate use of male moths etc. Though the presence of unfertilized eggs would in no way affect the fertilized ones and their quality directly, the frequency of their occurrence underrates the quality and brings down the hatching percentage. Lower the occurrence of unfertilized eggs, higher is the rating of seed quality. Of the various intrinsic and extrinsic factors and events involved in egg deposition of an adult silk moth, mating is an instinct and a biological obligation for the ultimate perpetuation of the species and a must to provide stimulus for oogenesis and bring about biochemical changes in the spermatophore of the silkworm in order to ensure the presence of sufficient number of normal sperms and testicular fluid in the female reproductive organ, activating ovulation and accelerating oviposition behavior and egg deposition. An attempt has been made in this article to briefly elucidate the characteristics of unfertilized eggs, causes of their occurrence and its impact as well as the significance in silkworm seed production.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.30-34
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• 1992

Isolation, purification and molecular properties of adult specific protein (ASP) were investigated in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. ASP was purified from adult haemolymph by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 and ion exchange chromatography on CM52. The preparation was shown to be homogeneous by native-PAGE and immunoelectrophoresis. The purified protein was consisted of two different subunits with molecular weights of 19.5kDa and 17.5kDa, and contained no sugars and no lipids.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.145-148
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• 2004

As an initial step to define the molecular mechanism of diapause during embryogenesis of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, mRNA transcripts from diapausing eggs and diapause-activated eggs were compared by differential expression using cDNA microarray. Twenty-four individual cDNA clones were identified. Amomg them, ten genes including alcohol dehydrogenase, dead box-l, cytochrome oxidase subunit I and 18 wheeler showed increased expression in the diapause-activated eggs. The rest of fourteen genes showed increased expression in diapausing eggs.