Three silkworm races of Bombyx mori L viz., Pure Mysore (PM), Bivoltine (CSR2) and Crossbreed (PMxCSR2) were analyzed for their biochemical compositions. Quantitative assay of proteins, reducing sugars and nucleic acids were carried out... more
Three silkworm races of Bombyx mori L viz., Pure Mysore (PM), Bivoltine (CSR2) and Crossbreed (PMxCSR2) were analyzed for their biochemical compositions. Quantitative assay of proteins, reducing sugars and nucleic acids were carried out in different body tissues of silkworm. Data obtained are statistically analyzed with oneway ANOVA at p<0.05 significance level and presented in the results. Significantly higher (at p<0.05) proteins were recorded in bivoltine silkworms compared to
crossbreeds and multivoltine silkworms. Higher reducing sugar was recorded in
midgut and silk glands of bivoltines followed by crossbreed and pure Mysore silkworms. DNA and RNA concentrations were recorded comparatively higher in haemolymph and midgut of bivoltine silkworms. Results revealed that, bivoltine
silkworms are comparatively superior in all the biochemical parameters examined and these studies can be expediently adopt for screening and characterization of different silkworm breeds.
Addition of Melatonin 3mg and Vitamin B6 10mg to mulberry leaves of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 ppm concentrations was studied during the last larval instar. The results indicated that larvae treated with low... more
Addition of Melatonin 3mg and Vitamin B6 10mg to mulberry leaves of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 ppm concentrations was studied during the last larval instar. The results indicated that larvae treated with low concentration (6 ppm) gave the highest parameters and improvement in larval weight, cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight and pupal weight. The significance of Melatonin and Vitamin B6 in the development of silkworm with the economic characters is discussed.
Abstract Silk sericin is the gum-like protein surrounding the fibroin in silk fibers, and generally it is removed during the fiber processing to produce fabrics. Like other silk proteins, the silk of tasar silkworms is also composed of... more
Abstract Silk sericin is the gum-like protein surrounding the fibroin in silk fibers, and generally it is removed during the fiber processing to produce fabrics. Like other silk proteins, the silk of tasar silkworms is also composed of sericin and fibroin. In this study tasar silk sericin was extracted and was confirmed to be a 70 KDa protein by SDS PAGE. The use of sericin in the field of biomedical applications has increased their use for various purposes, the extracted silk sericin was pegylated with activated PEG (MW 5000) and the conjugated product was characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, CD, DSC, XRD, and AF TEM and self-assembled nanoparticles were prepared.
Raspy crickets produce silk webs that are used to build shelters. These webs have been found to consist of both fiber and film components. Raman spectra obtained from both components were found to be very similar for a given species. The... more
Raspy crickets produce silk webs that are used to build shelters. These webs have been found to consist of both fiber and film components. Raman spectra obtained from both components were found to be very similar for a given species. The protein structure of the fibers and films produced by both species was predominately β-sheet with lesser amounts of β-turns, unordered and α-helical protein also detected. The orientation of the β-sheet backbone in the fiber was determined to be parallel to the fiber axis. Compared to cocoon and dragline silk the orientation distribution exhibits a significant randomly orientated protein component. Amino acid analysis confirmed the presence of glycine, serine and alanine in both species, which are known to form anti-parallel β-sheet structures. Both species, although at significantly different concentrations, where found to contain proline. This amino acid is uncommon in insect silks, and likely involved in increasing fiber elasticity.
Three silkworm races of Bombyx mori L viz., Pure Mysore (PM), Bivoltine (CSR 2) and Crossbreed (PMxCSR 2) were analyzed for their biochemical compositions. Quantitative assay of proteins, reducing sugars and nucleic acids were carried out... more
Three silkworm races of Bombyx mori L viz., Pure Mysore (PM), Bivoltine (CSR 2) and Crossbreed (PMxCSR 2) were analyzed for their biochemical compositions. Quantitative assay of proteins, reducing sugars and nucleic acids were carried out in different body tissues of silkworm. Data obtained are statistically analyzed with oneway ANOVA at p<0.05 significance level and presented in the results. Significantly higher (at p<0.05) proteins were recorded in bivoltine silkworms compared to crossbreeds and multivoltine silkworms. Higher reducing sugar was recorded in midgut and silk glands of bivoltines followed by crossbreed and pure Mysore silkworms. DNA and RNA concentrations were recorded comparatively higher in haemolymph and midgut of bivoltine silkworms. Results revealed that, bivoltine silkworms are comparatively superior in all the biochemical parameters examined and these studies can be expediently adopt for screening and characterization of different silkworm breeds.
