• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.262-265
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• 2017

Bombyx mori (silkworm pupae) is a unique and biologically significant insect, which is a recognized source of high quality protein that provides all the essential amino acids required for human health. Recently, many studies have focused on various biomedical applications of B. mori proteins. The purpose of this study was to manufacture protein-fortified kefir containing different concentrations of B. mori powder according to pH and sensory evaluations. The value of the protein-fortified kefir increased but the pH decreased with increasing incubation time, indicating that the amount of B. mori powder did not affect and pH. Addition of B. mori powder also did not affect the sensory properties of overall acceptability, texture, and color compared to control group without addition of B. mori powder. However, flavor and taste were affected by increasing the amounts of B. mori powder, with a significant difference in both flavor and taste between the control and treated groups (both p<0.05). There was no significant difference in overall acceptability, texture, and color. Further studies are needed for producing kefir as a dietary supplement utilizing the functional properties of B. mori.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.96-104
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• 1988

Vitellin, the major yolk protein of the silkworm, Bombyx mori was pruified, and its immunological properties and the quantitative changes during embryogenesis were studied. The ovary transplantation into male hosts was also carried out to find its effect on the yolk protein synthesis. The pupal vitellogenin and the egg vitellin of Bombyx mori were purified by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. These two female specific proteins showed the same mobility in the polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and the same reaction in the double immunodiffusion test. The immunological identity was also observed between the vitellins of Bombyx mori and Bombyx mandarina. The rudimentary ovaries transplanted into the male hosts of silkworms produced eggs without vitellin, indicating that the yolk precursors synthesized in other female organ beyond the ovary were necessary to produce vitellins. The major yolk protein, vitellin was disintegrated and utilized mostly during late stage of embryogenesis. It was different characteristics from the egg specific protein, which was utilized continuously from the early embryonic stage.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.59-64
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• 2011

Protein kinase C (PKC) is involved in many cellular signaling pathways, it participates in many physiological processes, such as cell cycle, growth, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. To investigate the effect of PKC on the silkworm midgut tissue infection of Bombyx mori parvo-like virus (BmPLV), a B. mori atypical protein kinase C (BmaPKC) gene was cloned from larval midgut tissue, expressed in E. coli and purified. Additionally, the BmPLV susceptible silkworm strain and resistant silkworm strain were used to test the effect of the B. mori infection on BmPLV. The result showed that BmaPKC encodes a predicted 586 amino acid protein, which contains a C-terminal kinase domain and an N-terminal regulatory domain. The maximum expression amount of the soluble (His)6-tagged fusion protein was detected after 0.8 mmol/L IPTG was added and cultured at $21^{\circ}C$. The (His) 6-tagged fusion protein revealed about 73 kDa molecular weight which confirmed by western blot and mass spectrography. Furthermore BmaPKC protein were detected at 0-72 h post-infection in BmPLVinfected larval midgut tissue, western blot showed that as time went on, the expression of BmaPKC increased gradually in susceptible strain, the expression quantity on 72 h is 5 times of 0 h. However, in resistant strain, the expression quantity is slightly lower than susceptible strain. But no significant change in resistant strain was observed as time went on. The available data suggest that BmaPKC may involve in the regulation of BmPLV proliferation.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.470-473
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• 2008

This study examined the enzymatic digestion, average molecular weight distribution and structural changes of Bombyx mori silk gland fibroin using gel penneation chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance methods. The pure-separation of calcium chloride-treated fibroin hydrolysates was carried out by gel filtration chromatography. Also, the effects of fibroin's enzymatic hydrolysis were investigated using an edible enzyme. The average molecular weight of three hydrolysate samples (silk gland fibroin (SF), SF-calcium chloride (SFC), and SFC-enzyme) were measured to compare their characteristics. The molecular weights of SF, SFC, and SFC-enzyme were approximately 108,000, 65,000, and 1,000 Da, respectively. Finally, we determined the structural characteristic changes of the different enzymatically digested samples by $^{13}C$ nuclear magnetic resonance methods. For the enzymatically digested fibroin, the glycine $^{13}C^{\alpha}$ resonance indicated that the amino acid was dramatically changed and/or separated out; however, this was not shown for the normal Bombyx mori silk gland fibroin.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.145-149
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• 2003

ApolipophorinIII (apoLp-III) is a protypical exchangeable apolipoprotein that is abundant in hemolymph of many insect species. Its function lies in the stabilization of low-density lipophorin particles (LDLp) crossing the hemocoel in phases of high energy consumption to deliver lipids from the fat body to the flight muscle cells. But, recent studies with naive Galleria mellonella-apoLp-III gave first indication of an unexpected role of that protein in insect immune activation. In this research, we cloned a cDNA encoding putative apoLp-III from the silkworm, Bombyx mori injected with E. coli and characterized its role. We constructed a cDNA library using whole bodies of B. mori larvae injected with E. coli, carried out the differential screening, and selected the up-regulated clones. Among these clones, we focused on a cDNA showing a high sequence similarity to the apolipophorinIII from other insects and analyzed the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences. The pupative B. mori Jam123 apoLp-III cDNA contained 1,131 bp encoding 186 amino acid residues. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the B. mori apoLp-III cDNA formed a highly inclusive subgroup with Bombycidae. But, it was interesting that B. mori Jam123 is closer to B. mandarina than B. mori P50 and B. mori N4. Northern blot analysis showed a signal in the fat body, posterior silkgland and midgut.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.59-68
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• 2007

Changes in protein metabolism were studied in hemolymph and fat body on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 of the fifth-instar silkworm, Bombyx mori, exposed to lethal, sublethal doses and prevailing levels of fluoride in groundwater in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh States of India. The total protein content indicated a depletion followed by a concomitant increase in accumulation of free amino acids. Concurrently, the activity of protease in both of the tissues was also increased. A steady enhancement in the activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase paralleled the elevation of glutamate dehydrogenase activity in the tissues studied. It is presumed, on the basis of these results, that the fluoride toxicity causes major changes in protein metabolism of the silkworms.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.150-152
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• 2000

The investigation of electroantennogram (EAG) using insect antennad has been primarily focused on the measurement of insect pheromone. Insect has highly specialized olfactroy receptors inside their antennae. In this paper, EAG was applied to detect general oborants and the feasibility of this system for the olfactroy biosensor was investigated. Electroantennogram measurement was carried out using the antennae of male silkworm moth, bombyx mori, and ammonia gas as the model odorant. EAG parametres including peak ampiltude increased linearly with the ammonia concentration and the reproducible electrical signals were generated at least for 2 hrs after the antenna was cut off from the sulkworm moth.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.215-219
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• 2009

The effect of mating duration and multiple use of male on fecundity and fertility was investigated in the hybrids of Silkworm, Bombyx mori L. One hour to five hours of mating duration did not affect egg laying (fecundity) significantly, while fertilization affected significantly. Below 50% fertility was noticed when mating duration was reduced to below two hours. Similarly multiple use of male caused significant reduction in fertility but not fecundity. Till fourth mating no significant reduction in fertility was observed, thereafter fertility reduced considerably.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.49-52
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• 2009

An in vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of certain botanicals viz., rhizomes of turmeric (Curcuma longa) and leaves of amla (Phyllanthus emblica), asparagus (Asparagus racemosus), bael (Aegle marmelos), boerhavia (Boerhavia diffusa), garlic (Allium sativum) and basil (Oscimum basicilum) against bacterial pathogens viz., Staphylococcus sp., Bacillus sp. and Klebsiella cloacae, of silkworm, Bombyx mori. Asparagus and basil, amla and boerhavia, basil and bael at concentration of 20, 000 ppm showed higher antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus sp., Bacillus sp., K. cloacae respectively, both in vitro and in vivo studies.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.93-98
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• 2005

Studies on extended egg preservation schedule from 120 days to 180 days was taken up with 20 germplasm accessions of mutant silkworm genetic stocks of Bombyx mori L. Statistical analyses of the data collected over three trials revealed no significant changes both in the qualitative and quantitative traits of the genetic stocks between treatment (6 months egg preservation) and control (4 months egg preservation), except for fifth instar larval duration in TMS-61, TMS-62, TMS64, TMS-31 and TMS-34 shell weight in TMS-62, TMS-64 and TMS-66. Thus, the results indicate that extended schedule of 6 months egg preservation can safely be adopted, which will reduce the cost of conservation and minimize the genetic erosion owing to reduced crop cycle.