Silkworm, Bombyx Mori, Acts as an Interferon Factory

Function

The silkworm, Bombyx mori, creates a cocoon to protect itself as it moves from the larva to the pupa stage. At this stage, the silkworms are around 8cm long and weigh about 6g. Although they are very small, silk worms can produce silk threads up to 1800m in length. History’s thousands of years of sericulture (the rearing of silk worms) have been focused on the worms’ threads which are used to produce silk. Yet recently we have started to look for new ways to use the silkworm. Silkworms produce their thread from the mulberry leaves they eat, and this thread is made up of two types of protein, sericin and fibroin. This means that silkworms are natural “factories” that convert mulberry leaves to protein. Silkworms are well-known for silk, a luxury fiber; now they are also known to be amazing in their role as a protein-producing “factory.”

Functional Classification

Resouce/Energy/Information Transmission & Production:
Fiber production

Environmental Solution Classification

Related Literature

Manufacturing of Protein Pharmaceuticals Using Silkworms. Sen’i Gakkaishi. 2007; 6(9):266-269p.

Technical Application

Products and Services

Type of Business

Proposals of Applied Technology

When it comes to pharmaceutical production, one may picture factories with large tanks. However, we may no longer need such large facilities if we can establish the technology for the mass production of pharmaceuticals using silkworms. It could be possible to change the genetic information of the silkworms so that instead of producing protein for silk threads they would produce protein for other things. The high production levels of silkworms ensure that they would be able to produce sufficient amounts of protein to produce pharmaceuticals on a large scale. Another method for producing protein depends upon bacteria, such as the genetically modified Escherichia coli. However, this method requires numerous large tanks and a controlled environment to ensure the success of bacterial cultivation. These large-scale facilities would no longer be necessary if the bacteria were replaced by silkworms given that all they need are mulberry leaves to produce protein, just as in traditional sericulture.

Proposals of Applied Industry

Related Life Style