• Applied Microscopy
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.315-323
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• 2003

The fine structural characteristics of the spinnerets and spigots of the silk producing apparatus in the adult funnel-web spider, Agelena limbata, were analysed with the light and scanning electron microscopes. Silk producing apparatus of this spider was composed of three pairs of spinnerets (anterior, median, posterior) and four different types of spigots-ampullates, tubuliforms, pyriforms and aciniforms. By the examination of their ultrastructural characteristics, it has been revealed that each spigot on the spinnerets are connected through the typical silk gland within abdominal cavity. Among the three pairs of spinnerets, the posterior pairs were highly elongated and has most characteristic features. Two pairs of large ampullates were connected to anterior spinneret and another two pairs of small ampullates to median spinnerets. Spigots of the tubuliforms were observed only in female and were connected both of median and posterior spinnerets respectively. While spigots of the pyriforms were connected on the anterior spinnerets but aciniforms on both of median and posterior spinnerets respectively.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.2
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• pp.1-31
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• 1962

The purpose of this treatise is to prove the presence of cystine in silk fiber through wide sampling throughout all the sericultural processes of Bombyx mori.; also to show that disulfide cross linkages exist in the silk fiber. The conclusions reached were as follows: 1. Crystalline cystine was obtained from silk fibroin using Folin's Method. 2. Analytical data showing the cystine content of silk fiber and its related materials were obtained using Sullvan's Method as follows: Material Percent Cystine A. Mulberry leaf protein 0.175 B. Silkworm egg 0.33 C. Silkworm Body, matured, fat extracted, without silk gland 0.41 D. Silk gland, matured 1.23 E. Silkworm feces none F. Silkworm pupa, fat extracted 0.30 G. Silkworm moth, fat extracted 0.60 H. Raw Silk 0.22 I. Fibroin 0.175 J. Sericin 0.30 3. The presence of cystine in the silkworm was substantiated the existence of 0.175 % methionine in mulberry leaves and 0.12% methionine in the silk gland. 4. Part of the sulfhydryl compounds in the silk gland is believed to transfer to serine and methionine, with the former being secreted into the liquid silk finally as silk fiber and the latter used for nutritive purposes in the growing of silk gland tissue. 5. The cystine content is variable by mulberry species, silkworm species, sex, breeding process, and other culturing environments. 6. Hybrid silkworms require more nutritive amino acids for effective growth than the original parents, and secrete less of them as silk fiber. 7. From such an observation, the amino acid composition of silk fiber is believed to be fairly flexible. Cystine if included in the amorphous part of the fiber, especially in sericin. 8. The result from enriching the silkworm diet with pure cystine or wool cystine did not result in any advantage, therefore it is believed that the natural cystine and methionine contents in the mulberry leafaregoodenoughforsilkwormnutrition. 9. The disulfide cross linkage in silk fiber was verified by using the Harris Method. Contraction took place following the treatment of the fiber with various salts and acids. Comparisons were made with wool fiber. 10. During these experiments, the fibrious structure of silk fiber and the net-globular liquid form were photographed microscopically. It is believed that the globules of liquid silk are net-formed by the inter attraction of the OH ion of the globular peptide and the H ion of water as shown by the hair cracking behavior of the film. The net-globular protein precipitation from the mulberry protein solution showed that mulberry is a proper diet for the formation of fibrous protein in the silk fiber. 11. The significance of the presence of cystine in silk fiber as emphasized in this paper should result in modification of the general conception that cystine is absent from this fiber. NOTICE: A part of this treatise was presented at the annual Korea Sericultural Society meeting held in 1961.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.87-93
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• 2006

Multiplication and spore production of three microsporidia viz., Nosema bombycis, Nosema sp. 1 and Nosema sp. 2 in fifth instar larval tissues of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. in two seasons with distinct temperature regimes were studied. Nosema sp. 2 produced significantly (P < 0.01) higher number of spores in various tissues. Among the tissues, spore production was highest in silk gland, followed by fat body and gut. Spore production was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in season-II (Average temperature $29.4{\pm}1.1^{\circ}C$). Maximum spore production was observed 25 days post inoculation (p. i.) in season-I (Average temperature $18.9{\pm}1.1^{\circ}C$), whereas in season-II, it was 14 days p. i. In season-I, spore production was low up to 21 days p. i., then increased sharply. In season-II, there was a steady increase in spore production. The results indicate that the microsporidian multiplication is tissue specific and extremely sensitive to temperature at which the host is reared. It also reveals that, silk gland, fat body and gut are the most appropriate tissues for microscopic identification of microsporidia in the larval stage.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 2008

Among the four kinds of silk glands in the funnel-web spider Agelena limbata, the ampullate gland for dragline silk production is the most predominate one in both sexes, and is composed of three functional parts-excretory duct, storage ampulla and convoluted tail regions. Two pairs of major ampullate glands send secretory ductules to the anterior spinnerets, and another two pairs of minor ampullate glands supply the middle spinnerets. There are no apparent differences between the major and minor ampullate glands not only the external spigots but also their internal silk glands. However, the microstructure is very unique in this spider, because each gland has spherical shaped storage sac with twig-like branched tails. Nevertheless, the wall of the secretory region is similarly composed of a single layer of epithelial cells. The mature secretory silks in glandular epithelium are closely packed and accumulated as electron-opaque vesicles. Most of the secretory products which originated from the rough endoplasmic reticula(rER) are grown up by fusion with the surrounding small vesicles however, the Golgi complex does not seem to play an important role in this process of secretion.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.91-101
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• 1988

The ultrastructure of the sac and tail portion of the large ampullate gland and production of the silk materials in the orb web spider, Nephila clavata L. Koch, are studied with electron microscope. Large ampullate glands, the largest glands among the seven kinds of silk glands in this species, are composed of three parts which are the excretory duct, the storage sac and the convoluted tail. The wall of the sac is composed of a single layer of columnar epithelial cells. In the cytoplasm of these cells several kinds of the secretory granules, which are commonly associated with the rough endoplasmic reticula and had characteristic crystalloid, are seen. According to the morphology and internal textures of these granules, the sac portion is subdivided into proximal(connected with the convoluted tail) and distal(connected with excretory duct) portion. Between these two portions, the proximal portion is longer than the distal by four times. Silk materials, being synthesized to the shape of secretory granules, within the glandular epithelial cell of the tail portion are released to the inner cavity by the mechanism of the eccrine secretion. These secretory granules are originated from the rough endoplasmic reticula of the glandular epithelial cells, whereas no Golgi complexes has been found in any of the cells which have been examined.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2013

The commercial rearing of polyphagous Indian tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta Drury being practiced on naturally grown primary food plants like Terminalia arjuna, (Arjun) Terminalia tomentosa (Asan), and Shorea robusta (Sal) available in the tropical forests of central India, at times, is seriously affected by the disease- Pebrine, caused by Nosema sp., a microsporidian pathogen. The present investigation on comparative larval, silk gland weight and also cocoon parameters in Pebrine-free and Pebrine-infected ecorace of tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta Drury (Daba TV), illustrates the tasar silkworm larvae infected with pebrine disease causing heavy losses to the economy of the silk industry.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.52-52
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• 2003

Expressed sequence tags(ESTs) constitute a rapid and informative strategy for studying gene-expression profiles of specific stages and tissues. In this report, a cDNA library constructed from late larval Hydropsyche sp. was used to generate ESTs. Caddis larval silk-gland produce silk which are used in constructing their retreats and cases in the aquatic situation. (omitted)

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.513-520
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• 1998

Though the wandering spiders do not produce webs for prey-catching, they have silk producing apparatus. Among the four kinds of silk glands in the wolf spider, Pardosa astrigera, the ampullate one is the most predominant gland in both sexes, and is composed of three functional parts; excretory duct, storage ampulla and convoluted tail regions. The duct is basically composed of three superposed types of layers which are inner cuticles, monolayered epithelial cells and peripheral connective cells. The electron lucent subcuticles which have the functions of water removal and orientation of silk fibers during polymerization are well developed at the anterior region near the spinneret. Whereas the endocuticles which contain two types of banding patterns at the cross section are developed at the rest of the duct region. The secretory silks are synthesized within the glandular epithelial cells of the tail as secretory granules, and then released to the inner cavity of the storage ampulla by the mechanism of apocrine secretion. Most of these secretory vesicles are originated from the rough endoplasmic reticula of the glandular epithelial cells, whereas no Golgi complexes are found in any of the cells which have been examined.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.153-154
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• 2003

Trichoptera, or caddisflies, comprise one of the major aquatic insect orders. Like Lepidoptera, caddisflies are capable of spinning silk from specially modified salivary glands, and the diversity of ways this silk is used probably accounts for the success of the order as a whole. These utilize silk to construct both larval and pupal shelters, often incorporating materials from the environmental among the silk thread. In this study, we try to find and characterize novel type genes that should be translated to major component protein of aquatic silk. (omitted)

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.29-36
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• 2022

Over the past decades, silk sericin (SS) received increasing attention in the academic and industrial fields. In nature, SS acts as a glue that holds the two strands of silk fibrils together. However, recent works suggest that SS might have a more diverse role during the silk spinning process, such as stabilizing the SF in the silk gland. On the other hand, the sericulture industry has been trying to find novel applications for SS discarded from the silk fabric manufacturing process. Recovery and refining of SS would be the first step of the recycling of SS. Using a proper solvent SS could be shaped into various forms, such as spherical beads, microparticles, fibers, and films. Moreover, the applicability of these SS materials has been investigated in various fields such as cosmetics, templates for nanomaterials, drug delivery, heavy metal adsorption, and enzyme immobilization.