Isolation and identification of colourless caffeoyl compounds in purple sweet potato by HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS and their antioxidant activities.

More than 10 red anthocyanins and related glucosides have been isolated and identified from purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas, Ayamurasaki) in the recent decades. This paper reports the isolation of colourless caffeoyl compounds from purple sweet potato using AB-8 macroresin absorption and semi-preparative HPLC-DAD. The structures of the five isolated monomers were identified as: 5-caffeoylquinic acid (1), 6-O-caffeoyl-β-d-fructofuranosyl-(2-1)-α-d-glucopyranoside (2) and trans-4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3), 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (4), 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (5), and by ESI/MS and NMR.

Nonvirus encoded proteins could be embedded into Bombyx mori cypovirus polyhedra.

To explore whether the nonvirus encoded protein could be embedded into Bombyx mori cypovirus (BmCPV) polyhedra. The stable transformants of BmN cells expressing a polyhedrin (Polh) gene of BmCPV were constructed by transfection with a non-transposon derived vector containing a polh gene. The polyhedra were purified from the midguts of BmCPV-infected silkworms and the transformed BmN cells, respectively.

Shotgun proteomic analysis of wing discs from the domesticated silkworm (Bombyx mori) during metamorphosis.

Proteomic profiles from the wing discs of silkworms at the larval, pupal, and adult moth stages were determined using shotgun proteomics and MS sequencing. We identified 241, 218, and 223 proteins from the larval, pupal, and adult moth stages, respectively, of which 139 were shared by all three stages. In addition, there were 55, 37, and 43 specific proteins identified at the larval, pupal, and adult moth stages, respectively.

Effects of BmKIT 3 R gene transfer on pupal development of Bombyx mori Linnaeus using a Gal4/UAS binary transgenic system.

The pupal stage of the silkworm Bombyx mori Linnaeus lasts for approximately two weeks. However, prolongation of pupal duration would reduce the labor required to process and dry fresh cocoons. This study investigated the effects of BmKIT(3)(R) gene (from the Chinese scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch) transfer on the pupal development of B.

[Analysis of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes of silkworm (Bombyx mori)].

For further research on number, type, composition and origin of Bombyx mori aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (BmaaRS) genes, in silico cloning was performed with Bombyx mori genomic and EST databases. There might be two different sets of aaRS nuclear gene in Bombxy nori genome, which encode mitochondrial BmaaRS and cytoplasmic BmaaRS, respectively. Among BmaaRS genes, there were 2 genes encoding mitochondrial BmSerRS, but no genes encoding cytoplasmic BmHisRS and mitochondrial BmGlnRS, BmLysRS, BmGlyRS, and BmThrRS.

Expression of hIGF-I in the silk glands of transgenic silkworms and in transformed silkworm cells.

To express human insulin-like growth factor-I (hIGF-I) in transformed Bombyx mori cultured cells and silk glands, the transgenic vector pigA3GFP-hIGF-ie-neo was constructed with a neomycin resistance gene driven by the baculovirus ie-1 promoter, and with the hIGF-I gene under the control of the silkworm sericin promoter Ser-1. The stably transformed BmN cells expressing hIGF-I were selected by using the antibiotic G418 at a final concentration of 700-800 microg/mL after the BmN cells were transfected with the piggyBac vector and the helper plasmid. The specific band of hIGF-I was detected in the transformed cells by Western blot.

The complete mitogenome and phylogenetic analysis of Bombyx mandarina strain Qingzhou.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the mitogenome of Bombyx mandarina strain Qingzhou was determined. The circular genome is 15,717 bp long and has the typical gene organization and order of lepidopteran mitogenomes. All protein-coding sequences are initiated with a typical ATN codon, except the COI gene, which has a 4-bp TTAG putative initiator codon.

Silk sericin-insulin bioconjugates: synthesis, characterization and biological activity.

When silk fiber derived from Bombyx mori was subjected to degumming treatments twice in water and subsequent degraded processing in slightly alkaline aqueous solution under high-temperature and high-pressure, the water-soluble silk sericin peptides (SS) with different molecular mass from 10 to 70 kDa were obtained. The sericin peptides could be conjugated covalently with insulin alone with cross-linking reagent glutaraldehyde. The physicochemical properties of the silk sericin-insulin (SS-Ins) conjugates were determined by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).