Estimation of Available Protein Content in Different Tissues of Mulberry Silkworm Larva (Bombyx mori L.)

Abstract

Mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori L. is the only silkworm having monophagous feeding habit with mulberry as the sole food material. Larval body of the silkworm constitutes silk gland as one of the main body organs that accounts for 60% of the body weight during 5th instar and acts as a bioreactor that converts mulberry leaf protein into silk protein composed of sericin and fibroin. The biochemical analysis for detecting total available protein content in different body tissues of the silkworm larvae like silk gland, hemolymph and whole larval body of 5th instar larvae was analyzed. The results showed values varying considerably from one another as 69.2 and 76.5% in silk gland, 51.9 and 47.6% in hemolymph and 50% in whole larval body for the studied hybrid samples namely FC1xFC2 and FC2xFC1. In case of silkworm hybrid FC1xFC2, the studied larval body sample revealed the optical density (OD) value in the range of 260 nm, 270 nm and 180 nm for larval body, hemolymph and silk gland sample respectively depicting the presence of fairly pure proteins in sufficient amount in the studied sample. In case of silkworm hybrid FC2xFC1, the studied larval body sample revealed the OD value in the range of 197 nm, 124 nm and 199 nm for larval body, hemolymph and silk gland depicting the presence of fairly pure proteins. The current observations on biochemical profiling could be utilized for future breeding prospects for development of region and season specific hybrids with desirable metric traits.