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"Silkworms"
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Silk : a history in three metamorphoses
\"In a gorgeous history that spans continents and millennia, Aarathi Prasad weaves together the complex story of the queen of fabrics. Through the scientists who have studied silk, and the biology of the animals from which it has been drawn, Prasad explores the global, natural, and cultural history (and future) of a unique material that has fascinated the world for thousands of years\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Correction: Memory improving effect of silkworm larva on insulin resistance related cognitive impairment model
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0328847.].
Journal Article
Red butterfly : how a princess smuggled the secret of silk out of China
A young Chinese princess is sent from her father's kingdom to marry the king of a far-off land. She must leave behind her home of splendors: sour plums and pink peach petals and -- most precious and secret of all -- the small silkworm. She begs her father to let her stay, but he insists that she go and fulfill her destiny as the queen of Khotan.
Book
Novel silkworm
Polyphenols in plants are important for defense responses against microorganisms, insect herbivory, and control of feeding. Owing to their antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activities, their importance in human nutrition has been acknowledged. However, metabolism of polyphenols derived from mulberry leaves in silkworms (Bombyx mori) remains unclear. Sulfotransferases (SULT) are involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics and endogenous compounds. The purpose of this study is to investigate the metabolic mechanism of polyphenols mediated by B. mori SULT. Here, we identified a novel SULT in silkworms (herein, swSULT ST3). Recombinant swSULT ST3 overexpressed in Escherichia coli effectively sulfated polyphenols present in mulberry leaves. swSULT ST3 showed high specific activity toward genistein among the polyphenols. Genistein-7-sulfate was produced by the activity of swSULT ST3. Higher expression of swSULT ST3 mRNA was observed in the midgut and fat body than in the hemocytes, testis, ovary, and silk gland. Polyphenols inhibited the aldo-keto reductase detoxification of reactive aldehydes from mulberry leaves, and the most noticeable inhibition was observed with genistein. Our results suggest that swSULT ST3 plays a role in the detoxification of polyphenols, including genistein, and contributes to the effects of aldo-keto reductase in the midgut of silkworms. This study provides new insight into the functions of SULTs and the molecular mechanism responsible for host plant selection in lepidopteran insects.
Journal Article
Research of quality silk cocoon making technology
This article presents the period of wrapping a silkworm in a cocoon during the season of making cocoons, as well as the results of experiments on their collection and analysis, existing problems. Based on the results, proposals were made to improve the system of attracting the population to entrepreneurship and the development of entrepreneurship. In particular, the effectiveness of organizing capacities for the production of raw silk by cocooning a silkworm at home, serving the enterprises of the silk cluster, is explained.
Journal Article
An effective protocol to isolate and mechanically test silk fibers spun by Osmia lignaria Say
Silk, a remarkable protein-based fiber spun by various arthropod lineages, has been prized for millennia, with the cocoon silk of domesticated silkworms and spiders being the most utilized and extensively studied. There is limited information on how silk can be used to investigate biology, development, and health in other silk-producing species, particularly for solitary bees such as Osmia lignaria Say (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Osmia lignaria, an increasingly managed solitary pollinator, produces silk cocoons during the fifth instar larval stage. We have developed a minimally invasive protocol to isolate and mechanically test O. lignaria silk fibers using a 3-D printed well plate system for rearing and two specific isolation techniques. Our protocol allows for collecting individual fibers directly from silk-spinning larvae between silk initiation and cocoon formation without preventing subsequent cocoon development, enabling silk characterization as part of larger rearing and developmental studies. For this study, isolated fibers were mounted on C-cards, facilitating diameter measurement using a microscope and mechanical testing with an MTS Synergie 100 tensile testing instrument. We successfully isolated and tested the mechanical properties of naturally spun silk from O. lignaria, with 20 fibers isolated and mechanically tested from seven larvae. Further examination of isolated silk can reveal physical, molecular, chemical, and morphological characteristics, advancing our understanding of bee silk properties and their role in bee biology, evolution, and nutritional status. This protocol provides a practical tool for researchers to isolate and study silk from silk-producing bee species.
Journal Article
Litter to Leaf: The Unexplored Potential of Silk Byproducts
Silk has remained the most preferred protein fiber since its discovery in 3000 BC. However, the cost, availability, and resources required to rear the silkworms and process silk are imposing considerable constraints on the future of silk. It is often unrealized that apart from the fibers, production and processing of silk are a source for a diverse range of sustainable, biodegradable, and biocompatible polymers. Hence, delineating itself from being the primary source of protein fibers for millenniums, the silk industry worldwide is transitioning into a biobased industry and as a source for pharmaceuticals, biomaterials, cosmetics, food, and energy. Toward this, byproducts (BPs) and co-products (CPs) that are inevitably generated are now being considered to be of immense economic value and could be up to 10 times more valuable than the silk fibers. Here, we elucidate the properties and potential applications of silk BPs and CPs to present the true potential of silkworms and to promote the establishment of silkworm-based bioeconomy and biorefineries.
Silkworms are biofactories that generate proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides.Sericin, pupae, litter, and mulberry leaves contain valuable biomolecules.The values of these biomolecules could be three to five times the value of silk fibers.Proteins in pupae and litter show anticancer and antiviral activities.In the future, silkworms could be reared for their immensely valuable byproducts rather than their fiber-producing cocoons.
Journal Article
Silkworm Pupae Coupled with Glucose Control pH Mediates GABA Hyperproduction by ILactobacillus hilgardii/I
γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a ubiquitous nonprotein amino acid that has multiple physiological functions and has received significant attention in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Although there are many GABA-producing bacteria, the high cost of strain cultivation limits its food additive and pharmaceutical raw material application. In our study, Lactobacillus hilgardii GZ2, a novel GABA-producing strain, was investigated. We attempted to replace nitrogen sources with silkworm pupae, the waste resource of the silk reeling industry, in GYP complex medium. The GABA titer reached 33.2 g/L by using 10 g/L silkworm pupae meal instead of tryptone. Meanwhile, the pH of fermentation was automatically controlled by adjusting the addition of glucose and monosodium glutamate. Finally, the highest GABA yield and productivity were 229.3 g/L and 3.2 g/L/h in L. hilgardii when silkworm pupae meal was replaced with tryptone combined with glucose and monosodium glutamate feeding. By utilizing the waste resource to reduce the cost of the nitrogen source and automatically controlling the pH in L. hilgardii, a hyper titer and productivity of GABA was generated for applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Journal Article
High yield production of norovirus GII.4 virus-like particles using silkworm pupae and evaluation of their protective immunogenicity
Noroviruses (NoVs) are one of the major causes of acute viral gastroenteritis in humans. Virus-like particles (VLPs) without genomes that mimic the capsid structure of viruses are promising vaccine candidates for the prevention of NoVs infection. To produce large amounts of recombinant protein, including VLPs, the silkworm-expression vector system (silkworm-BEVS) is an efficient and powerful tool. In this study, we constructed a recombinant baculovirus that expresses VP1 protein, the major structural protein of NoV GII.4. Expression analysis showed that the baculovirus-infected silkworm pupae expressed NoV VP1 protein more efficiently than silkworm larval fat bodies. We obtained about 4.9 mg of purified NoV VP1 protein from only five silkworm pupae. The purified VP1 protein was confirmed by dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy to form VLPs of approximately 40 nm in diameter. Antisera from mice immunized with the antigen blocked NoV VLPs binding to histo-blood group antigens of pig gastric mucin and also blocked NoV infection in intestinal epithelial cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Our findings demonstrated that NoV VLP eliciting protective antibodies could be obtained in milligram quantities from a few silkworm pupae using the silkworm-BEVS.
Journal Article
Silk Fibroin-Based Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications: A Review
Since it was first discovered, thousands of years ago, silkworm silk has been known to be an abundant biopolymer with a vast range of attractive properties. The utilization of silk fibroin (SF), the main protein of silkworm silk, has not been limited to the textile industry but has been further extended to various high-tech application areas, including biomaterials for drug delivery systems and tissue engineering. The outstanding mechanical properties of SF, including its facile processability, superior biocompatibility, controllable biodegradation, and versatile functionalization have allowed its use for innovative applications. In this review, we describe the structure, composition, general properties, and structure-properties relationship of SF. In addition, the methods used for the fabrication and modification of various materials are briefly addressed. Lastly, recent applications of SF-based materials for small molecule drug delivery, biological drug delivery, gene therapy, wound healing, and bone regeneration are reviewed and our perspectives on future development of these favorable materials are also shared.
Journal Article