Abstract: The present invention provides a novel material for activating epidermal cell multiplication on which not only effective adhesion and multiplication of human and mammalian epidermal cells is accomplished also intercellular adhesion is promoted to form a plain cellular layer. The present invention provides a material for activating epidermal cell multiplication which contains silk fibroin of &agr;-type or &agr;-helix X-ray diffraction pattern as a principal constituent. The present material fulfills the principal requirements for activating epidermal cells of greatly improved cellular adhesion rate, multiplication, intercellular adhesion and growth of cell layers.

Abstract: The main theme of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing industrially, by mechanically comminuting silk yarn, crystalline silk fibroin powder below 3 &mgr;m in an average particle diameter, which can be used for various applications. A silk substance such as cocoon filament, silk yarn, or raw silk is brought into an alkali aqueous solution under a pressure of 1 through 5 atmospheric pressure at temperatures from 100° C. through 150° C. to reduce the tensile strength of the silk substance to around 0.02 g/d or less. Thereafter, the resultant silk substance is subjected to dealkalization and drying. Subsequently, the resultant dried silk substance is comminuted into powder below 3 &mgr;m in an average particle diameter. Thus, the crystalline silk fibroin powder below 3 &mgr;m in an average particle diameter is manufactured.

Abstract: A method which enable to provide sufficient amount of insect OBP, and moreover, to produce on a large scale under the condition of physiological activation is proposed. The functional expression of pheromone binding protein from B. mori, whereby it is expressed with Escherichia coli by the pET-22b vector which contains the pe1B signal peptide.

Abstract: The present invention relates to chitin beads having a uniform and fine particle size and comprising microsporidian spores whose principal cell wall substance is chitin; chitosan beads comprising N-deacetylated chitin and having a uniform fine particle size; methods for preparing these beads; carriers comprising these beads; and a method for preparing microsporidian spores.Microsporidian spores are proliferated in insect's bodies or cultured cells to obtain chitin beads having the uniform and fine particle size and whose cell wall substance is mainly composed of chitin. The chitin as the major cell wall substance is subjected to N-deacetylation to give chitosan beads. When the insect is a larva of domesticated silkworm, microsporidian spores are proliferated by orally or percutaneously inoculating the spores into the 2nd instar domesticated silkworm larvae in a concentration of 5.times.10.sup.2 to 5.times.10.sup.

Abstract: The present invention herein provides a method for collecting insect hemolymph which permits the collection of hemolymph, at a time, from a vast number of insect bodies, which does not cause any scattering of the hemolymph during collection thereof, which may widely be used, which permits the collection of the hemolymph free of unnecessary tissues or the like and which can inhibit the melanization of the collected hemolymph. The insect hemolymph can be collected by freezing anesthetized lepidopterous insects, piercing the epidermis of the frozen insects without damaging the alimentary canals thereof and then thawing them in a buffer solution containing a melanization-inhibitory agent to thus discharge the hemolymph of the insects into the buffer solution through the holes while making use of the self-contraction phenomenon caused during the thawing process.