Solitary Living Brings a Decreased Weight and an Increased Agility to the Domestic Silkworm, Bombyx mori

The domestic silkworms, Bombyx mori, always live in groups and little is known of the outcomes of solitary living. We bred solitary silkworms and performed a comprehensive investigation of the difference between solitary and group-living silkworms. The results show that solitary silkworms had significantly lower weights than group-living counterparts. Moreover, solitary silkworms had faster movements under food luring or heat stress than the group-living ones, supported by extensive behavior experiments. These findings inferred that an increased agility resulted from solitary living. For an understanding of the molecular mechanism associated with solitary living, we performed integrated mRNA and miRNA (microRNA) sequencing of tissues for solitary and group-living silkworms. We identified 165 differently expressed genes (DEGs) and 6 differently expressed miRNAs between the solitary and group-living silkworms. Functional and pathway analyses indicated that these DEGs are associated with weight loss and agility increase. These findings compose a sketch depicting an association between the phenotypes and genes resulted from solitary living and refresh the understanding of solitary living and loneliness, which has an increased prevalence in our modern society.

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Proteomic identification of the silkworm (Bombyx mori L) prothoracic glands during the fifth instar stage

Bioscience Reports ◽

10.1042/bsr20080076 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 121-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Xiao-feng Wu ◽

Xing-hua Li ◽

Wan-fu Yue ◽

Bhaskar Roy ◽

Guang-li Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bombyx Mori ◽

Cell Function ◽

Storage Proteins ◽

Primary Source ◽

Prothoracic Gland ◽

Japanese Strain ◽

Proteomic Approach ◽

Bombyx Mori L ◽

The Difference ◽

Silkworm Bombyx Mori

Although the ecdysteroid of the silkworm had been studied for decades, the proteome of the prothoracic gland, the primary source of ecdysteroid hormones, has not been studied previously. In the present paper, we utilized a proteomic approach to investigate the fifth instar prothoracic gland during the growth and development of the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. The two-dimensional electrophoresis results showed that the majority of proteins were acidic proteins, especially concentrated in the area of 25–65 kDa, with pI values of between 4 and 7, and the difference was not distinct. When compared with Qiufeng (Japanese strain), the interspecific distinction was larger than the intraspecific distinction, and 19 particular spots, excized from the third, fifth and ninth days of p50 (Chinese strain) and Qiufeng were subjected to MALDI-TOF–MS (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization–time-of-flight MS) analysis. We sorted them into seven catagories: energetics and/or metabolism, storage proteins, protection, lipid metabolism, signal transduction, cell function and unknown function proteins. Of these proteins, arginine methyltransferase is discussed as playing an important role in regulating the activation of ecdysteroidogenesis via transcription or translation.

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Atypical voltinism in mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori L., 1758 (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) races Barapat and Barapolu

Entomological Communications ◽

10.37486/2675-1305.ec03001 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. ec03001

Author(s):

Kiran Rudramuni ◽

Shiv Kumar ◽

Bharath K. Neelaboina ◽

Mir N. Ahmad ◽

Sukhen R. Chowdhury

Keyword(s):

Bombyx Mori ◽

Embryonic Diapause ◽

Tropical Regions ◽

Diapausing Eggs ◽

North East ◽

The North ◽

Bombyx Mori L ◽

The Difference ◽

Mulberry Silkworm ◽

Silkworm Bombyx Mori

The mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori L., 1758 (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) is classified as univoltine, bivoltine, and polyvoltine based on the annual brood frequency. Voltinism in B. mori is characterized by the occurrence of embryonic diapause (facultative and obligatory diapause). Univoltine silkworms suited to cold and temperate regions lay diapausing eggs and polyvoltine silkworms suited to tropical regions lay non-diapausing eggs. In contrast, the occurrence of diapause in bivoltine silkworms is influenced by the environment. In addition to the difference in the occurrence of embryonic diapause, larval duration, and cocoon characters show distinct variations. In the present correspondence, we are presenting an interesting observation from two silkworm races Barapath and Barapolu originating from the North-East region of India that display divergence in voltinism. The unique characteristic features of univoltine, bivoltine, and polyvoltine observed in the races are discussed explaining the occurrence.

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