Uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide into silk fiber by silkworms.
The relation between the uptake of atmospheric CO(2) and insect's production of silk fiber has not yet been reported. Here, we provide the first quantitative demonstrations that four species of silkworms (Bombyx mori, Samia cynthia ricini, Antheraea pernyi, and Antheraea yamamai) and a silk-producing spider (Nephila clavata) incorporate atmospheric CO(2) into their silk fibers. The abundance of (13)C incorporated from the environment was determined by mass spectrometry and (13)C NMR measurements. Atmospheric CO(2) was incorporated into the silk fibers in the carbonyl groups of alanine, aspartic acid, serine, and glycine and the C(gamma) of aspartic acid. We show a simple model for the uptake of atmospheric CO(2) by silkworms. These results will demonstrate that silkworm has incorporated atmospheric CO(2) into silk fiber via the TCA cycle; however, the magnitude of uptake into the silk fibers is smaller than that consumed by the photosynthesis in trees and coral reefs.
Magoshi
Jun
J
Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Japan. jmagoshi@nias.affrc.go.jp
Tanaka
Toshihisa
T
Sasaki
Haruto
H
Kobayashi
Masatoshi
M
Magoshi
Yoshiko
Y
Tsuda
Hidetoshi
H
Becker
Mary A
MA
Inoue
Shun-ichi
S
Ishimaru
Ken
K
D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000378:metabolism*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D047011:Silk
D019476:Insect Proteins; D047011:Silk; D002245:Carbon Dioxide