A novel system for separation and purification of egg pigments from the nondiapause red-egg mutantRe-ndin the silkworm,Bombyx mori

摘要

Re-nd, which was induced from the wild-type C108 by the chemical mutagenN-methane-N-methylnitrourea, is a nondiapause red-egg mutant of silkwormBombyx mori. The special significance of theRe-ndmutant is that it is an independent dominant mutant. The aim of this study was to establish the type of pigment responsible for the red coloration in theRe-ndmutant eggs in silkworm. We compared the eggs ofRe-ndmutants with those of the otherB. moriegg color strains and confirmed that theRe-ndmutant is the only strain with red color and red pigment granules in nondiapause, showing this mutant belongs to the pigmentation in the serosa. We speculated that the red substance, which contributed to the bright red pigmentation for nondiapause eggs of theRe-ndmutant, could potentially be a novel pigment according to its solubility, optimum absorption peak, and oxidation-reduction reaction. Moreover, we have successfully constituted the system for enrichment, extraction, and purification of the red substance responsible for theRe-ndmutant, providing a new method for the separation and purification of other known and unknown pigments or substances.