Analysis of transgenic silkworms producing insulin-like growth factor-I in Bombyx mori

Transgenic modifications of silkworms as a means to obtain therapeutic biomolecules and protein fibers with exceptional properties

Transgenic modification of Bombyx mori silkworms is a benign approach for the production of silk fibers with extraordinary properties and also to generate therapeutic proteins and other biomolecules for various applications. Silk fibers with fluorescence lasting more than a year, natural protein fibers with strength and toughness exceeding that of spider silk, proteins and therapeutic biomolecules with exceptional properties have been developed using transgenic technology. The transgenic modifications have been done primarily by modifying the silk sericin and fibroin genes and also the silk producing glands. Although the genetic modifications were typically performed using the sericin 1 and other genes, newer techniques such as CRISPR/Cas9 have enabled successful modifications of both the fibroin H-chain and L-chain. Such modifications have led to the production of therapeutic proteins and other biomolecules in reasonable quantities at affordable costs for tissue engineering and other medical applications. Transgenically modified silkworms also have distinct and long-lasting fluorescence useful for bioimaging applications. This review presents an overview of the transgenic techniques for modifications of B. mori silkworms and the properties obtained due to such modifications with particular focus on production of growth factors, fluorescent proteins, and high performance protein fibers.

Application of mass spectrometry in silkworm research-Review

In this first mass spectrometry-focused review paper, we will review current applications of mass spectrometry in the area of silkworm research. We will focus our review on the following two most important areas as they are currently being researched by scientists. Firstly, the proteomics of proteins in the process of silkworm lifecycle has generated knowledge about previous undetected proteins, some of which might possess therapeutic effects. Secondly, fatty acids, which are the other major components in silkworm, have several potential medical applications. We will also highlight potential areas warranting further investigation.