Characteristic profiles of haemolymph proteins during larval development of molting mutants of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

1. 1. Electrophoresis of the haemolymph from developing larvae of Bombyx mori revealed that the banding patterns of proteins could be grouped into three characteristic types. 2. 2. The young larval type exhibited at the first to the third instars (which are the phase of nutritional growth). 3. 3. The late larval type specific to the fifth instar (which is the phase of reproductive growth). 4. 4. The intermediary type shown at the fourth instar (which is the stage of switchover between the above two phases). 5. 5. The tetramolter mutant M³ lacked the intermediary type (i.e. the feature of the fourth instar) during its development, whereas the different tetramolter mutant rt had a mixture of the late and the intermediate types at its fourth (last) instar. 6. 6. On the other hand, the mutant M⁵, which is a pentamolter, repeated the intermediary type at its fourth and fifth (penultimate) instars.