• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.109-112
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• 2001

Androgenesis in silkworm acquires a special significance as along with combined applications of other breeding strategies like parthenogenesis and cloning, it may serve as n valuable tool for sex control in sericulture as well as selection and production of bisexual homozygous androgenetic lines. Production of hybrid silkworm yielding high proportion of male larvae is of immense use to silk industry (Strunnikov, 1975, 1983). In this review, an attempt has been made to assimilate the works carried out on androgenesis, different techniques of induction towards androgenetic development and its role in silkworm breeding.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.41-43
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• 2006

Lamerin breed of the silkworm Bombyx mori L. is the only mulberry silkworm breed which survives with an associated microsporidian $(Lb_{ms})$ infection from generations. This present comparative investigation has produced information on the influence of $Lb_{ms}$ on the growth and development of the breed. The $Lb_{ms}$ transmits tranovarially as well as perorally at low level. Larvae developed from the eggs laid by female, infected with $Lb_{ms}$ were as normal as larvae developed from the eggs laid by healthy female. In infected tissues early developmental stages and mature spores located intracellularly but did not show hypertrophy of cells of the host. The meronts and sporonts measures $0.46{\pm}0.25,\;1.11{\pm}0.05{\mu}m$ in length and $0.32{\pm}0.05,\;0.78{\pm}0.10{\mu}m$ in width respectively. The mature spore measures $4.36{\pm}0.06{\mu}m$ in length and $2.14{\pm}0.01{\mu}m$ in width.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.261-264
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• 2004

Kolar gold (PM${\times}$CSR2) is the most popular cross breed of India, especially in Karnataka. During January - February 2004 we observed several phenotypic variations leading to poor survival. Though occurrence of morphologically abnormal individuals is common, the extent of occurrence in the present report was on the higher side (upto 6 percent). It is unwarranted and not desirable in commercial silkworm rearing. The variations exhibited might be due to change in the environmental conditions like incubation temperature during embryonic stage or spontaneous mutation resulting out of environmental stress.

• 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.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.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.685-689
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• 2009

We describe the expression of recombinant canstatin from stably transformed Bombyx mori BmS (BmS) cells. Recombinant canstatin was secreted into a culture medium with a molecular mass of approximately 29 kDa. Densitometric scanning showed that the secreted canstatin accounted for approximately 91% of the total canstatin production. Recombinant canstatin was also purified to homogeneity using a simple one-step Ni-NTA affinity fractionation. The identity of the purified protein was confirmed as human canstatin by nano-LC-MS/MS analysis. Purified recombinant canstatin inhibited human endothelial cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The concentration at half-maximum inhibition ($ED_{50}$) for recombinant canstatin expressed in stably transformed BmS cells was approximately 0.64 ${\mu}g/ml$. A maximum production level of 11 mg/l recombinant canstatin was obtained in a T-flask culture of BmS cells after 6 days of incubation.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2008

The influence of temperature and relative humidity in infection and cross-infection of Nosema bombycis and N. mylitta respectively in mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori L. on larval mortality, multiplication of pathogens, larval weight and growth rate in three different seasons were studied. Seasons were selected in such condition, when very less fluctuations between minimum and maximum temperature and minimum and maximum relative humidity ($25{\sim}28^{\circ}C$ and $65{\sim}72%$ R.H) was observed i.e., season-1. Fluctuations between minimum and maximum temperature were less ($28.05{\sim}34.50^{\circ}C$) but R.H % was more ($55{\sim}81%$) in season-2. Fluctuations between minimum and maximum temperature and R.H % were more ($20.00{\sim}40.5^{\circ}C$ and $64.00{\sim}90.00%$) in season-3. Growth rate of microsporidian-infected silkworm is directly related to the prevailing temperature and relative humidity in silkworm. Silkworm can tolerate slight variation of temperature but slight variation of relative humidity disfavours the development of silkworm and favours the multiplication of pathogens.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2002

The introduction of hybrid and exploitation of heterosis has played a vital role in Indian sericulture industry, which clearly depicts a quantum jump in silk production during the last four decades. Since, the introduction of heterosis, progress in silkworm breeding has depended on success or failure in identifying better combiners. Systematic procedures developed have enabled the breeders to identify the best combiners by combining ability test, line ${\TIMES}$ tester analysis or $D^2$ analysis for maximum expression of heterosis. The level of heterosis expressed in the crossbreed population is determined by the interaction between genotype and prevailing environmental factors. Except some of the pre and post cocoon parameters, heterosis is invariably higher in single crosses compared to three-way and double crosses. However, during hot and humid season, when rearing of F1 bivoltine hybrid is unsuccessful at field level and indigenous races results in very low and poor quality yield, three-way and double crosses can play an important role as an intermediary technology. The objective of this article is to review briefly the concept and causes of heterosis, utilization of different forms of heterosis in silk production and its significance in silkworm, Bombyx mori breeding.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.83-93
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• 1983

Vitellogenin was purified from the haemolymph of female pupae during egg formation of Bombyx mori using DEAE-cellulose column and its quantitative change in various organs with age ws examined by electrophoresis and immunodiffusion. Vitellogenin is distributed in the haemolymph, fat body, and over the egg maturation and especially maintainsa constant level in the haemolymph until just before emergence, indicating that vitellogenin in released into the haemolymph at the same amount as it is taken up by oocytes during pupal period. Immunologically vitellogenin was confirmed to be in the fat body until 7 days after pupation and to undergo a drastic decline thereafter. Also, the interaction of anti-ovary proteins with haemolymph proteins showed at least 3 homogeneous proteins, indicating that other proteins as well as vitellogenin are involved in egg formation.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.177-185
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• 2001

This study has been carried out to determine localization of Manduca sexta allatotropin (Mas-AT) neuropeptide in developing ventral nerve cord of the silk moth Bombyx mori with polyclonal antisera against Mas-AT. Suboesophageal ganglion (SOG) of the second to fifth instar larvae and 3-day-old pupae showed two to ten Mas-AT-immunoreactive (Mas-AT-IR) cell bodies. There were two to three pairs of labeled cell bodies in each thoracic ganglion (TG) from third instar larvae to adults, with the exception of TG from prepupae. One pair of labeled cell bodies was localized in each abdominal ganglion (AG) 1 to 6 from third instar larvae to 3-day-old pupae, whereas in 5-day-old pupae to adults there was one pair in a similar location of AG 1 to 5. The seventh neuromeres of terminal abdominal ganglia (TAG) from third instar Iarvae to 3- day-old pupae contained four labeled large cell bodies. In each of AG 1 to 7, these cell bodies showed similar allatotropin-immunoreactivity in appearance. Some labeled axons, projected from Mas-AT-lR cells in each of those AG, were extended to the nerves N 1 and N 2.