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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Larval RNA Interference in Silkworm Bombyx mori through Chitosan/dsRNA Nanoparticle Delivery
Published on: October 4, 2024
Functional analysis of four Gloverin-like genes in the silkworm, Bombyx mori
Shinpei Kawaoka1, Susumu Katsuma, Takaaki Daimon
1Department of Agricultural and Environmental Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
To identify genes involved in the innate immunity of the silkworm Bombyx mori, we constructed a cDNA library from the fat body of Escherichia coli-challenged B. mori larvae. Based on the expressed sequence tag (EST) data and whole genome shotgun sequence analysis, we found four Gloverin-like genes, BmGlov1-4, in the Bombyx genome. Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis showed that BmGlov1-4 were induced in the larval fat body after an immune challenge by the injection of E. coli; however, less induction was observed after the injection of a yeast Candida albicans. In silico sequence analysis revealed the presence of a motif homologous to NF-kappaB binding site in the upstream region of each BmGlov gene. Moreover, we expressed recombinant BmGlov1-4 proteins using the baculovirus expression system, and found that all the recombinant BmGlov1-4 significantly inhibited the growth of E. coli.
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