Transcriptome analysis of Nosema assamensis infecting muga silkworms (Antheraea assamensis) reveals insights into candidate pathogenicity related genes and molecular pathways required for pathogenesis.

Muga silkworms are often prone to many diseases since, these are non-domesticated and are reared outdoors. Microsporidia, an obligate intracellular pathogen with spore as its active form, causes pebrine disease in these silkworms. The study has attempted to categorise the transcript data of the Nosema obtained from the infected muga silkworm using gene ontology and KEGG pathway studies.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Indian golden silkmoth (Antheraea assama).

Background: The Indian golden saturniid silkmoth (Antheraea assama), popularly known as muga silkmoth, is a semi-domesticated silk producing insect confined to a narrow habitat range of the northeastern region of India. Owing to the prevailing socio-political problems, the muga silkworm habitats in the northeastern region have not been accessible hampering the phylogeography studies of this rare silkmoth. Recently, we have been successful in our attempt to collect muga cocoon samples, although to a limited extent, from their natural habitats.

Genetic analysis of scattered populations of the Indian eri silkworm, Samia cynthia ricini Donovan: Differentiation of subpopulations.

Deforestation and exploitation has led to the fragmentation of habitats and scattering of populations of the economically important eri silkworm, Samia cynthia ricini, in north-east India. Genetic analysis of 15 eri populations, using ISSR markers, showed 98% inter-population, and 23% to 58% intra-population polymorphism. Nei's genetic distance between populations increased significantly with altitude (R(2) = 0.

Genetic evaluation of eri silkworm Samia cynthia ricini: ISSR loci specific to high and low altitude regimes and quantitative attributes.

Genetic structure of populations is under constant pressure from varying geographical conditions that induce phenotypic plasticity in insects. Spatial distribution of 15 populations of Indian eri silkworm, Samia cynthia ricini originated at various altitudes of sub Himalayas based on Euclidean distance realized from yield attributes showed two population clusters irrespective of their place of origin and altitude. However, DNA amplification profile by inter SSR (ISSR) markers showed genetic variations among the populations depend on low and high altitudes.

Molecular Markers for Biomass Traits: Association, Interaction and Genetic Divergence in Silkworm Bombyx mori.

Improvement of high yielding, disease resistant silkworm strains became imminent to increase production of silk, which is a major revenue earner for sericulturists. Since environment interacts with phenotype, conventional breeding did not result in commendable yield improvement in synthetic strains of silkworm, Bombyx mori. Identification of DNA markers associated with different economically important biomass traits and its introgression could assist molecular breeding and expression of stabilized high yielding characters, but genetic basis of most quantitative traits in silkworm is poorly understood due to its polygenic control.