• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.93-97
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• 2007

A Silkworm breeding programme was designed to develop a robust but productive bivoltine silkworm hybrid of Bombyx mori L. suitable for rearing throughout the year in tropical climate by utilizing indigenous polyvoltine and productive bivoltine breeds. The breeding was carried out under high temperature ($36^{\circ}C{\pm}1^{\circ}C$) and low humidity ($50{\pm}5%$) conditions in the environmental chamber. By $F_{12}$, three oval and three dumbbell breeds were isolated with higher survival and productive merits. These breeds were utilized in the hybrid evaluation along with other popular breeds. Based on combining ability test results, the hybrid $SR_2{\times}SR_5$ was selected for large scale testing and evaluated in different seasons. The evaluation studies indicated that the hybrid has higher viability and productive merits and it is suitable to rear throughout the year. The hybrid $SR_2{\times}SR_5$ recorded a survival of 92.0%, cocoon shell weight of 0.417 g, cocoon shell percentage of 23.0 and a filament length of 1042 meters under hot and dry conditions of environmental chamber compared to the control thermo-tolerant hybrid $CSR18{\times}CSR19$.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.165-173
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• 2003

Cytokines represent an essential part of the innate immune response in mammals. Recently, several studies have reported the presence of cytokine-like activities and molecules in the invertebrates such as echinoderms, tunicates, mollusks and insects. In our serial study, we investigated presence of cytokines in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, infected with several immune inducers. Western blotting analysis using rabbit anti-human cytokines showed the presence of IL-6-like molecule in the hemolymph collected at 8 and 24 hrs after infection with peptidoglycan and oligodeoxynucleotide, and the molecular weight of the proteins was ∼45 kDa. We attempted to isolate the molecule by gel permeation HPLC, anion exchange chromatography, ultra centrifugation, and immuno-dot-blot assay, but until now the effort was not much successful yet. It, however, does not appear that the IL-6-like molecule in the silkworm larvae is a mere experimental artifact happened by Western blotting analysis. Instead, further experiment on this subject probably will provide us more fruitful result as detected in other invertebrates including insects.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• no.11
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• pp.63-68
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• 1970

The induction of polyhedroses in the silkworm, Bambyx mari L., was investigated treating the 5th instar larvae just after eodysis with high temperature (hot water bath at 40$^{\circ}C$ for 5 minutes or dry heat shock at 40$^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes) and low temperature (5$^{\circ}C$ for 24 hours). The results obtained were as follows; 1. Comparing between the frequency of nuclear and cytoplasmic polyhedroses induced by cold and heat treatments (hot water bath at 40$^{\circ}C$ for 5 minutes), the induction ratio of the former is clearly less than that of the latter. But if the larvae tested with cold were left at room temperature (25$^{\circ}C$) for 30-120 minutes till the next hot water bath (40$^{\circ}C$) for 5 minutes and water bath (20$^{\circ}C$) for 5 minutes, treatments, the frequency of induced cytoplasmic polyhedrosis was more than that in the case of cold or hot water bath treatment alone. 2. The frequency of nuclear and cytoplasmic polyhedrosis induced by cold and successive heat (dry heat shock at 40$^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes), left at room temperature (25$^{\circ}C$) ti11 the second treatment, the frequency of nuclear polyhedrosis was less than that of cytoplasmic polyhedrosis. 3. The reaction of nuclear polyhedra to stains also differs sharply from that of the cytoplasmic type. In a smear of nuclear polyhedra on a slide staining with Giemsa solution remains unstained against a stained back ground, in contrast to this, the cytoplasmic polyhedra take up stain readly.