This technology utilizes storage protein 1 (SP1), which has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 isolated from silkworm hemolymph, as an active ingredient to inhibit endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced apoptosis caused by excessive calcium release into the cytoplasm. SP1 protects cells by reducing ER calcium release and the expression of stress marker genes CHOP and GRP78.
The ER is responsible for protein folding and calcium storage. When it is overloaded due to factors like glucose depletion or abnormal calcium concentrations, ER stress occurs, which can lead to apoptosis via the CHOP pathway if it becomes severe. While ER stress is involved in the onset and progression of various diseases such as diabetes, amyloidosis, and inflammatory bowel disease, there has been a lack of safe, naturally derived protein materials capable of directly inhibiting it.
This technology is designed so that SP1, a methionine-rich, female-specific silkworm protein in the insect hemocyanin family, inhibits apoptosis caused not only by calcium release-induced stress but also by ER stress resulting from blocked disulfide bond formation in proteins. It can be applied to cytoprotective reagents for ER stress-related disease research, the development of biopharmaceutical candidates, and as an anti-apoptotic additive in cell culture processes, allowing for the conversion of silkworm resources in the sericulture industry into high-value protein materials while increasing the survival rate of stress-vulnerable cells.
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