Efforts are underway to produce antimicrobial peptides in yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), which can be developed as more effective and safer animal feed additives. In this work, we expressed Bombyx mori (Bm) cecropin-A in mealworms by the infection of transformed entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana ERL1170. The active domain of Bm cecropin A gene was tagged with a signal sequence of B. bassiana for extracellular secretion, and the fragment was inserted into ERL1170 by the restriction enzyme-mediated integration method. Transformant D-6 showed antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis and Listeria monocytogenes. Against T. molitor larvae, D-6 had similar mortality to wild-type, and D6-infected mealworm suspension showed strong antibacterial activity against the two bacteria, but not in the wild-type-infected mealworms, thereby increasing the value of mealworms as animal feed additives.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10295-014-1551-z | DOI Listing |
Int J Biol Macromol
December 2024
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Resource Insect Biology and Innovative Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China. Electronic address:
Microbial infections and excessive reactive oxygen species are the primary contributors to delays in wound healing with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as the common wound infection causing bacteria. In fact, wound management has become more challenging since most of these microbes have developed resistance against commonly used conventional antibiotics thus making it necessary to develop natural products with both antibacterial and antioxidant activities. Increasing attention has been paid to silk sericin in the last decade, with limited research focus in Africa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransgenic Res
December 2024
The Sericultural Research Institute of Hunan Province, Changsha, 410127, Hunan, China.
Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis, caused by B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV), threatens sericulture seriously. To explore strategies for controlling it, the UDP glycosyltransferase gene UGT41A3 (BmUGT41A3) was targeted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVirology
December 2024
Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang Province, 310018, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Silkworm Bioreactor and Biomedicine, Zhejiang Province, 310018, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address:
Late expression factor 3 (LEF3), a multifunctional single-stranded DNA binding protein encoded by baculoviruses, is indispensable for viral DNA replication and plays a pivotal role in viral infection. Our previous quantitative analysis of phosphorylomics revealed that the phosphorylation levels of two serine residues (S8 and S25) located in LEF3 nuclear localization sequence were significantly up-regulated after Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) infection, but the underlying mechanism remained unknown. To investigate the impact of phosphorylation on BmNPV infection, site-direct mutagenesis was performed on LEF3 to obtain phosphorylated mimic (S/D) or dephosphorylated mimic (S/A) mutants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Insect Biochem Physiol
December 2024
Department of Sericultural Science, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Instant and refrigerated acid soaking are commonly used in cocoon production to prevent or break diapause, and provide developable silkworm eggs for sericulture, while their mechanisms have not been fully understood. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms by which hydrochloric acid (HCl) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) promotes embryonic development in silkworm Bombyx mori, focusing on the chloride ion (Cl) related gene expression profiles. Our results revealed that the HCl treatment of up to 6 min enhanced hatchability in freshly picked and cold-stored eggs, whereas a slight decrease in hatchability was observed in those treated with DMSO for 40 min.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!