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PubMed2006

Proteome analysis of silk gland proteins from the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

The silk gland of Bombyx mori is an organ specialized for the synthesis and secretion of silk proteins. We report here the resolution of silk gland proteins by 2-DE and the identification of many of those proteins. This was accomplished by dissecting the glands into several sections, with each exhibiting more than 400 protein spots by 2-DE, of which 100 spots were excised and characterized by in-gel digestion followed by PMF. Ninety-three proteins were tentatively identified. These were then categorized into groups involved in silk protein secretion, transport, lipid metabolism, defense, etc. Western blotting of a 2-DE gel using an antibody of the carotenoid binding protein confirmed the presence of this protein in the silk gland. Proteins including fibroin L-chain and P25 were found as multiple isoforms, some of which contained differential amounts of phosphate residues as analyzed by on-probe dephosphorylation. The current analysis contributes to our understanding of proteins expressed by the silk gland not only of the model lepidopteran B. mori, but also to proteins from other silk-producing insects such as Philosamia cynthia ricini.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Eclosion hormone-mediated signal transduction in the silkworm abdominal ganglia: involvement of a cascade from inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate to cyclic GMP.

The neuropeptide eclosion hormone triggers ecdysis behavior in lepidopteran insects. We have previously shown that the eclosion hormone stimulates the formation of two intracellular second messengers, cGMP and inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate in the abdominal ganglia of Bombyx mori. In order to elucidate the intracellular signaling pathway involving these second messengers, we studied the eclosion hormone-mediated signal transduction using saponin-treated abdominal ganglia. We obtained the following results; i) eclosion hormone activated nitric oxide synthase, ii) the eclosion hormone-induced cGMP increase was inhibited by various enzyme inhibitors such as NG-nitro-arginine; a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, EGTA; a calcium chelating reagent, W-5; a calmodulin inhibitor and compound 48/80; a phospholipase C inhibitor and iii) the inositol(1,4,5)-trisphosphate stimulated the formation of cGMP, in the Bombyx abdominal ganglia. Based on these findings we tentatively propose a hypothetical pathway: The signal initially triggered by eclosion hormone and eclosion hormone receptor complex induces activation of phospholipase C which produces inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate. Inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate increases intracellular Ca2+, followed by subsequent activation of nitric oxide synthase through the formation of Ca(2+)-calmodulin complex. The reaction product, nitric oxide acts on soluble guanylate cyclase to stimulate cGMP formation which induces the ecdysis behavior in Bombyx pharate adults.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1995

Baculovirus-mediated production of the human growth hormone in larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

To express the cDNA encoding human growth hormone (hGH) in larvae of Bombyx mori, B. mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) was employed as an expression vector. For the construction of the recombinant virus, the hGH cDNA was inserted into the downstream of the strong polyhedrin promoter to achieve a high level expression. Immunoblot analysis revealed that the virus-mediated hGH was synthesized in the larvae and secreted into the hemolymph. The yield of the recombinant hGH synthesized in the larvae reached to a level of 160 micrograms/ml of hemolymph after purification. The purified recombinant hGH was confirmed to have both the same molecular weight and amino acid sequence at its N-terminal region as those of the natural counterpart. In addition, the biological activity of the recombinant hGH was comparable to that of the natural hGH in the growth-stimulating effect on rat Nb 2 Node lymphoma cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

cDNA cloning and gene expression of lebocin, a novel member of antibacterial peptides from the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

A cDNA encoding lebocin, a novel member of insect antibacterial peptides, was isolated from the fat body cDNA library of Bombyx mori larvae immunized with Escherichia coli. The cDNA was 844 bp long and had an open reading frame (ORF) containing a probable signal peptide (16 amino acids), a putative prosegment (104 amino acids) and a mature peptide (32 amino acids) followed by 27 additional amino acids at its carboxyl-terminus. Northern blot analysis showed that lebocin gene expression was inducible by bacterial injection, occurred tissue-specifically in the fat bodies and continued at least for 48 h post-infection. These results suggest that lebocin has a unique precursor structure and shows typical gene expression pattern as insect antibacterial peptide.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Cloning and expression of a novel gene encoding a new antibacterial peptide from silkworm, Bombyx mori.

We differentially screened a novel gene encoding a new antibacterial peptide from the immunized Bombyx mori cDNA library. The gene showed a similar structure to that of cecropin-family, encoding 59 amino acids including a putative leader peptide and mature peptide. The deduced peptide, named Enbocin, had conserved amino acid residues which have been known to play an important role in the antibacterial activities. Enbocin genomic sequence revealed that the transcription unit of Enbocin gene was about 1.2 kb, and the coding sequence was interrupted by an intron of 660 bases. Recombinant Enbocin, expressed under the control of the baculovirus polyhedrin promoter, demonstrated a broad range of antibacterial activities against gram positive and gram negative bacteria.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Dominant lethals induced by Dithane M-45 in silkworm Bombyx mori.

Dithane M-45, a ethylenebis(dithiocarbamate) fungicide widely used in agriculture, including moriculture and sericulture, was tested for its efficacy in inducing dominant lethals in Bombyx mori. A polyvotine race of Pure Mysore was used for the studies and the topical application method was employed. After treatment with sublethal concentrations of 5, 10, and 20 g/50 larvae, the results have revealed that all of the concentrations could induce significant dominant lethals in a dose-dependent manner compared to controls. The results are discussed in the light of precautionary measures in the use of Dithane M-45 in the sericulture industry.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Cell junctions in the cyst envelope in the silkworm testis, Bombyx mori Linné.

The cell junctions of the cyst envelope in the testes of Bombyx mori were examined by electron miscroscopy utilizing a thin-sectioning technique following conventional fixation, tannic acid fixation and lanthanum tracer study, and also using a freeze-fracture technique. There are three kinds of junctions; septate junctions, gap junctions and tight junctions. Septate junctions are of the pleated type. Gap junctions are characterized by four electron-dense lines and three electron-lucent lines in the reduced intercellular spaces seen by thin-sectioning. They are of the "E" type, having clusters of intramembraneous particles on the E-fracture face. The most striking finding is the frequent presence of tight junctions on the fracture planes, while focally fused outer leaflets of the junctional unit membranes are rarely detected on thin-sectioned preparations. Tight junctions are characterized by branching zigzag ridges on the P-fracture face and complementary grooves on the E-fracture face. It is proposed that tight junctions are new morphological evidence of blood-germ cell barrier in an insect.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Pachytene mapping in the female silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera).

Pachytene preparations of the chromosome complement of female larvae of Bombyx mori were improved to give a distinct chromomere pattern of the bivalents suitable for chromosome mapping. Six of the 28 bivalents are described and can be identified regularly in the bivalent complements, among them the bivalent containing the nucleolus organizer. The relative lengths of these bivalents compared with one another change during development of pachytene. In contrast to other members of the Lepidoptera there is no conspicuous heterochromatic W-chromosome, which corresponds to the female-specific heterochromatin body present in the nuclei of somatic tissues. This tissue-specific heteropycnosis indicates a different functional state of the responsible chromosome or chromosomal segment in germ line and somatic cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Low temperature causes accumulation of unspliced fibroin mRNA precursor molecules in silkworm larvae.

Silk fibroin premessenger mRNA is a large (17 kb) molecule containing a single intron. Previous S1 mapping studies yielded evidence of processing cleavages at sites within the intron, in addition to the major cleavages at the intron/exon boundaries. We have performed S1 mapping experiments using RNA from animals which had been incubated at low temperature. These experiments show a marked accumulation of full-length fibroin mRNA precursor relative to controls, and a reduction in the abundance of molecules lacking portions of the intron. These results demonstrate a partial uncoupling of transcription and splicing in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Determination of disulfide bond arrangement in bombyxin-IV, an insulin superfamily peptide from the silkworm, Bombyx mori, by combination of thermolysin digestion of natural peptide and selective synthesis of disulfide bond isomers.

The mode of disulfide linkages in bombyxin-IV, an insulin superfamily peptide consisting of A- and B-chains, was determined as A6-A11, A7-B10, and A20-B22. An intermolecular bond of A20-B22 was identified by sequencing and mass spectrometric analysis of the fragments generated by thermolysin digestion of natural bombyxin-IV. The mode of the remaining two bridges was determined by chemical and selective synthesis of three possible disulfide bond isomers of bombyxin-IV. A- and B-chains were synthesized by solid-phase method, and three disulfide bonds were bridged stepwise and in a fully controlled manner. Retention time on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), thermolysin digests, and biological activity of the synthetic [A6-A11, A7-B10, A20-B22-cystine]-bombyxin-IV revealed that it was identical with the natural bombyxin-IV. Two other isomers with respect to disulfide bond arrangement, [A6-A7, A11-B10, A20-B22-cystine]- and [A6-B10, A7-A11, A20-B22-cystine]-bombyxin-IVs, were distinguishable from the natural one by use of HPLC, thermolysin digestion, and bioassay.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1984

Molecular homology among the structural proteins of densonucleosis virus from silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Similarities among the four structural proteins of Bombyx densonucleosis virus (DNV) were examined by four independent techniques, peptide mapping, immunodiffusion tests, amino acid analysis and enzyme linked immunosorbent (ELISA) technique. The peptide maps produced by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease, or chymotrypsin indicated the existence of sequence homology among the proteins. The results of immunodiffusion tests revealed that these four structural proteins share common antigens. The amino acid compositions of these proteins were also very similar to each other. However, the amount of amino acid residues (e.g., serine) in VP3 was not always sufficient to account for the amount found in the smaller structural protein, VP2. These results indicate that the four structural proteins of Bombyx DNV probably originate, at least partially, from a common DNA sequence, and that VP2 is not a direct cleavage product of VP3.

Amino Acids↗