Antiviral proteins in midgut of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, fed on different food sources

Roger F. Hou; C. S. Chiu

doi:10.1111/j.1570-7458.1986.tb02180.x

Antiviral proteins in midgut of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, fed on different food sources

Journal

Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata

Journal Volume

42

Journal Issue

1

Pages

3-8

Date Issued

1986-09

Author(s)

Roger F. Hou

C. S. Chiu

DOI

10.1111/j.1570-7458.1986.tb02180.x

URI

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1570-7458.1986.tb02180.x

https://scholars.tari.gov.tw/handle/123456789/20301

Abstract

Midgut proteins from the silkworms, Bombyx mori, fed on an artificial diet containing dried powder of the spiral blue-green alga, Spirulina platensis, had a very low fluorescence intensity. This indicated that chlorophyll in this alga is not utilizable for synthesizing the red fluorescent protein (RFP) which has been considered as an effective antiviral protein in silkworm midgut. Many electrophoretic bands of the midgut proteins from the mulberry-fed silkworms emitted red fluorescence under UV light. It is thus concluded that the RFP as a whole is more than one midgut protein. Enzymatic analyses showed that silkworms fed on mulberry leaves and artificial diets had similar protease activities, but they had different phospholipase C activities. Therefore, it is suggested that the antiviral activity of purified RFP in the silkworm gut juice is attributable to phospholipase C.

Publisher

Wiley

Type

journal article