• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.16-21
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• 2021

The silkworm cocoon has recently attracted the attention of researchers because of its usefulness as a biomedical material (e.g., usage in the development of the membrane for guided bone regeneration and usage as a starting material for the fabrication of natural silk nonwoven fabric). The silkworm variety and strain have been reported as one of the important factors affecting the structure and properties of silk materials. This study examines the morphology and the molecular conformation of the silkworm cocoon at different cocoon measurement points, as well as the effect of the silkworm strain and rearing season on the morphology and crystallinity of the silkworm cocoon. The results show that the morphology of the outside of the cocoon does not differ depending on the cocoon measurement points, but that of the inside does. The silkworm cocoon crystallinity is not affected by the cocoon division. Interestingly, the crystallinity of the outside of the Jam101 cocoon differs depending on the rearing season, whereas it does not in other silkworm strains.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2007

After a serial study on the therapeutic efficacy of the powdery silkworm for diabetics was positively resulted in, many powdery silkworm products were on the market in Korea. Up to now, however, no causal method is available to discriminate the strain of silkworms that is a major ingredient for manufacturing powdery silkworm, even though the quality of the powdery silkworm differs greatly by source and origin of strains. We previously were successful in identifying 25 silkworm strains kept in Korea using nine intronic sequences. In this study, we tested the utility of the nine intronic sequences to distinguish the most widely reared silkworm strains originated from Korea and China. Two intron regions, PTTH Intron3 and PTTH Intron3, showed a substantial sequence divergence (mean sequence divergence of 3.13% in PTTH Intron3 and 4.99% in PTTH Intron3). These two intronic sequences provided no identical sequences among the seven strains tested. Thus, these sequences each along can be used to discriminate the seven strains tested in this study. Furthermore, other intron regions, except for VDP Intron4 allowed us to discriminate $2{\sim}4$ strains by strain-specific unique insertion/deletion or substitution.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.265-267
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• 2004

The silkworm, Bombyx mori L. is prone to infection of various pathogenic organisms. Pebrine, one of the deadliest disease of silkworm caused by highly virulent parasitic microsporidian, Nosema bombycis has been understood since long. Infections of the disease range from chronic to highly virulent and can result in complete lose to the sericulture industry. Several strains and species of microsporidians have since been isolated from the infected silkworms. A new microsporidian spore was isolated from Lamerin breed of the silkworm B. mori have been studied under scanning electron microscope, found to be different in spore size (length 4.36$\pm$0.06 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, width 2.14$\pm$0.01${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$) and shape (ova cylindrical with slight depression) from standard strain N. bombycis (length 3.08$\pm$0.21 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$, width 2.01$\pm$0.05 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ and ovidal respectively). In immunological test, the silkworm breed Lamerin isolated micrisporidian spore does not react to different antibody (N. bombycis, M$_{11}$ and M$_{12}$) sensitized latex particle and thus appeared to be a different strain of microsporidian parasitic to the Lamerin breed of the silkworm B. mori.i.i.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.4-11
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• 2022

In this study, cocoons from different silkworm strains and rearing seasons were collected and immersed in water at elevated temperatures to investigate the effect of a wet treatment on their morphology and crystallinity. Untreated cocoons exhibited different crystallinities depending on the silkworm strain and rearing season; however, no distinct changes in their morphological structure were observed. Furthermore, after wet treatment, the differences in the crystallinities of cocoons disappeared. In addition, wet treatment of degummed silk (i.e., fibroin) did not change its crystallinity. These results indicate that different crystallinities of the untreated cocoons collected from various silkworm strains and rearing seasons are due to the different characteristics of sericin in the cocoons.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.81-92
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• 2012

A total of 85 Chinese-origin silkworm strains preserved in Korea were genotyped for eight polymorphic micro-satellite loci. We obtained per-locus number of alleles, ranging from 5 to 14 with an average value of 9.5, perlocus observed heterozygosity, ranging from 0.07 to 0.99, and per-locus polymorphic information content (PIC), ranging from 0.34 to 0.82, indicating that some loci are highly variable. Phylogenetic analysis with the eight concatenated microsatellite loci showed no clustering on the basis of known strain characteristics. A total of 22 strain-specific apomorphic alleles, which discriminate 19 among 85 silkworm strains were obtained from eight loci. These strain-specific alleles, thus, can casually be utilized for the discrimination of applicable strains without any further typing of other loci. Furthermore, a substantial number of homozygote strains, represented by 27 among 76 alleles in eight loci were found. These results collectively suggest that the silkworm microsatellite DNA is actually and potentially important molecular markers for the eventual discrimination of silkworm strains that are preserved as hundreds in Korea.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.31-35
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• 2006

The ubiquitin conjugating enzyme 2 (E2) is core component of ubiquitin proteasome pathway (UPP) which represents a selective mechanism for intracellular proteolysis in eukaryotic cells. The E2 has been implicated in the intracellular transfer of ubiquitin to target protein. We show here the involvement of E2 in antiviral immune of Bombyx mori to Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV). In this study, mRNA fluorescent differential display PCR (FDD-PCR) was performed with BmNPV highly resistant silkworm strain NB and susceptible silkworm strain 306. At 24 h post BmNPV infection, FDD-PCR with the arbitrary primer AP34 showed that one cDNA band was down-regulated in the midgut of resistant strain, but highly expressed in susceptible strain. The deduced amino acid sequence of this cDNA clone share 99% identity with the recently published B. mori ubiquitin conjugating enzyme E2 (Genbank NO: DQ311351). Fluorescent quantitative PCR corroborated down regulation of E2 in resistant strain. We there conclude that BmNPV infection evokes strong response of susceptible strain including activation of UPP. BmNPV may evolve escape mechanisms that manipulate the UPP in order to persist in the infected host. In addition, the identification of down-regulation of E2 in resistant strain, as well as structure data, are essential to understanding how UPP operates in silkworm antiviral immune to BmNPV disease.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.129-132
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• 2001

Biometabolic assessment was made in early and late embryonic stage (just before hatching) of one poly, one bi and their hybrids (DP, YPe, DP ${\times} Ype, and YPe ${\times} DP respectively ) of Bombyx mori to observe the racial differences. Protein and nucleic acid (RNA and DNA) concentrations were recorded to be significantly higher in bivoltine breed (YPe) and also in the hybrid than the polyvoltine (DP) strain in both the stages of embryonic development. The single egg weight of polyvoltine race was lower as compared to that of bivoltine and the hybrid studied. Age specific changes in all the biomolecules were evident where protein and RNA concentrations were elevated sharply in prehatched larvae while in case of DNA it was observed to be just reverse. The differences in protein, RNA and DNA composition between breeds and hybrids reflect the racial variations in biometabolic demands responsible for differential growth and development of the breeds and hybrids.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.175-178
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• 2011

Yeonnokjam is a newly bred high yield special silkworm strain for spring rearing, bred from Japanese originated green cocoon spinning strain Jam 315 and Chinese originated white cocoon spinning strain Jam 316. This strain showed high hatching ratio of 96% and high healthiness of 96.7% of pupatin ratio. And its spins heavier cocoon with somewhat shorter fiber length but thicker fineness. The merits of these_strains are short larval period and labor saving, and its breeding goals are producing polish green silk and use for education.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.39-50
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• 2014

In order to understand the diversity and genetic relationships of silkworm strains preserved in Korea, we genotyped 78 Bombyx mori strains (Bombycidae: Lepidoptera) originating from Japan, using eight polymorphic microsatellite loci. We obtained per-locus allele numbers ranging from 5 to 16 (with an average value of 9.1), per-locus observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.13 to 1.00, and per-locus polymorphic information content ranging from 0.36 to 0.77, indicating that some loci are highly variable. Phylogenetic analysis with the eight concatenated microsatellite loci showed no clustering based on known strain characteristics and origin. Nineteen strain-specific apomorphic alleles, which discriminated 16 of the 78 silkworm strains, were obtained from eight loci. These strain-specific alleles can thus be utilized for routine discrimination of strains from Japan, without any further typing of other loci. Homozygotes were also observed at some loci (27 of 118 genotypes), which can also be used to discriminate several strains by typing a few loci. These results showed that eight microsatellite loci described herein were sufficiently variable to discriminate among the 78 silkworm strains we examined, and may be useful for future investigations of this economically important species.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.73-78
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• 2004

The impact of low concentration fluoride on toxification was studied by treating $3^rd$ instar silkworm larvae of Qiufeng${\times}$Baiyu (Fluoride resistant strain) and Jinshong${\times}$Haoyue (Fluoride sensitive strain). The $5^th$ instar silkworm larvae of Zhenong-l, Shu-12, Qiufeng ${\times}$ Baiyu, Chunhua ${\times}$ Qhiushi, Jinshong and Haoyue were fed mulberry leaves treated with sodium fluoride at different concentrations to determine its effect on fecundity. Harmful effects of low concentration fluoride at early instars on growth, development and economic characters of Bombyx mori are related to its resistance. Harmful effect on resistant strain Qiufeng${\times}$Baiyu manifested on prolongation of instar duration of 15 and 6% in 70 ppm, where as the sensitive breed Jinshong${\times}$Haoyue manifested with 100% mortality in 50 ppm. The impact of low concentration fluoride on fecundity resulted in considerable increase in formed eggs (9%) and laid eggs (9%) in Zhenong-l and Shu-12 among treated population over control. The present observations emphasis that fluoride apart from exhibiting harmful effects on silkworm growth and development, however, its low concentration do playa vital role in inducing some positive effect on fecundity and cocoon traits.