Advances in Researches of the Mechanism of Diapause in the Silkworm,Bombyx mori

Diapause is an important physiological character for insects to adapt to the unfavorable environment,and it is closely related to its economic traits as well.Some issues concerning the biology of silkworm diapause were and are a hot research focus.Occurring at the early stages of embryonic development,diapause of the silkworm is of the type of egg diapause and is controlled by both inheritance and environment.The progeny diapause of bivoltine stains of silkworm is determined by the ambient temperature during embryonic development of the mother.In this paper,a brief review is given of the recent advances in the researches of the physiological,molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in diapause development and termination,including the changes in pigments,EA4 and dopamine and oxidation-reduction cycle in diapause and the influence of dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO)on diapause termination,as well as the latest research results on the molecular mechanisms of polyphenism about silkworm diapause.