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Two mulberry silkworm breeds viz., Pure Mysore and NB4D2 were selected for the present study.
Two doses of cytoplasmic polyhedral inclusion bodies (CPIBs) i.e., 1.562 x 106 and 3.125 x 106 ml-1
were selected based on the breed susceptibility test and inoculated in to silkworm larvae by oral
injection. The control as well as CPIBs inoculated silkworm larvae were collected daily with a
regular interval of 24 h for midgut tissue collection. Similarly, the F1 progeny was raised from 2.5, 5
and 10 mM ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) treated silkworms. The silkworms from control as well as
EMS treated sets were collected daily with a regular interval of 24 h for midgut tissue collection.
The midgut tissues of both CPIBs inoculated and the F1 progeny raised from EMS treated silkworms
were subjected for protein assay. Among the experimental batches, the CPIBs inoculated larvae
exhibited reduction in the protein level and also there was gradual reduction as the disease
progressed when compared to controls. On the other hand the silkworm batches raised from lower
doses of EMS treated batches exhibited higher concentration of protein when compared to control as
well as the silkworms treated with higher doses of EMS.
Keywords: Silkworm, Bombyx mori, cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus, ethyl methanesulfonate, mutant, protein.