Kunitz-type protease inhibitor BmSPI51 plays an antifungal role in the silkworm cocoon

The protease inhibitors found in silkworm cocoons can be divided into several families, a majority of which contain serpin, TIL, or Kunitz domains. Previously, it has been reported that TIL-type protease inhibitors have antimicrobial activity. To date, however, it has not been determined whether the Kunitz-type protease inhibitor BmSPI51, the most abundant of cocoon protease inhibitors, plays an antimicrobial role. Thus, in this study, we sought...