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Li C, Nong W, Boncan DAT, So WL, Yip HY, Swale T, Jia Q, Vicentin IG, Chung G, Bendena WG, Ngo JCK, Chan TF, Lam HM, Hui JHL. Elucidating the ecophysiology of soybean pod-sucking stinkbug Riptortus pedestris (Hemiptera: Alydidae) based on de novo genome assembly and transcriptome analysis. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:327. [PMID: 38565997 PMCID: PMC10985886 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10232-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Food security is important for the ever-growing global population. Soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., is cultivated worldwide providing a key source of food, protein and oil. Hence, it is imperative to maintain or to increase its yield under different conditions including challenges caused by abiotic and biotic stresses. In recent years, the soybean pod-sucking stinkbug Riptortus pedestris has emerged as an important agricultural insect pest in East, South and Southeast Asia. Here, we present a genomics resource for R. pedestris including its genome assembly, messenger RNA (mRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) transcriptomes at different developmental stages and from different organs. As insect hormone biosynthesis genes (genes involved in metamorphosis) and their regulators such as miRNAs are potential targets for pest control, we analyzed the sesquiterpenoid (juvenile) and ecdysteroid (molting) hormone biosynthesis pathway genes including their miRNAs and relevant neuropeptides. Temporal gene expression changes of these insect hormone biosynthesis pathways were observed at different developmental stages. Similarly, a diet-specific response in gene expression was also observed in both head and salivary glands. Furthermore, we observed that microRNAs (bantam, miR-14, miR-316, and miR-263) of R. pedestris fed with different types of soybeans were differentially expressed in the salivary glands indicating a diet-specific response. Interestingly, the opposite arms of miR-281 (-5p and -3p), a miRNA involved in regulating development, were predicted to target Hmgs genes of R. pedestris and soybean, respectively. These observations among others highlight stinkbug's responses as a function of its interaction with soybean. In brief, the results of this study not only present salient findings that could be of potential use in pest management and mitigation but also provide an invaluable resource for R. pedestris as an insect model to facilitate studies on plant-pest interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chade Li
- Center for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shat-in, HKSAR, China
| | - Wenyan Nong
- Center for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shat-in, HKSAR, China
| | - Delbert Almerick T Boncan
- Center for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China
| | - Wai Lok So
- Center for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shat-in, HKSAR, China
| | - Ho Yin Yip
- Center for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shat-in, HKSAR, China
| | | | - Qi Jia
- Key Laboratory for Genetics Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Ministry of Education/College of Crop Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, PR China
| | - Ignacio G Vicentin
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria, Avenida Rivadavia, Ciudad de Buenos, 1439, Argentina
| | - Gyuhwa Chung
- Department of Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, 59626, Korea
| | - William G Bendena
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, 116 Barrie St, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Jacky C K Ngo
- Center for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China.
| | - Ting Fung Chan
- Center for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China.
- Institute of Environment, Institute of Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China.
| | - Hon-Ming Lam
- Center for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China.
- Institute of Environment, Institute of Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China.
| | - Jerome H L Hui
- Center for Soybean Research of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China.
- Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shat-in, HKSAR, China.
- Institute of Environment, Institute of Energy and Sustainability, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, HKSAR, China.
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Qi Z, Etebari K, Nouzova M, Noriega FG, Asgari S. Differential gene expression and microRNA profile in corpora allata-corpora cardiaca of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with weak juvenile hormone signalling. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:113. [PMID: 38273232 PMCID: PMC10811912 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10007-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The corpora allata-corpora cardiaca (CA-CC) is an endocrine gland complex that regulates mosquito development and reproduction through the synthesis of juvenile hormone (JH). Epoxidase (Epox) is a key enzyme in the production of JH. We recently utilized CRISPR/Cas9 to establish an epoxidase-deficient (epox-/-) Aedes aegypti line. The CA from epox-/- mutants do not synthesize epoxidated JH III but methyl farneosate (MF), a weak agonist of the JH receptor, and therefore have reduced JH signalling. Illumina sequencing was used to examine the differences in gene expression between the CA-CC from wild type (WT) and epox-/- adult female mosquitoes. From 18,034 identified genes, 317 were significantly differentially expressed. These genes are involved in many biological processes, including the regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis, energy metabolism, and nutritional uptake. In addition, the same CA-CC samples were also used to examine the microRNA (miRNA) profiles of epox-/- and WT mosquitoes. A total of 197 miRNAs were detected, 24 of which were differentially regulated in epox-/- mutants. miRNA binding sites for these particular miRNAs were identified using an in silico approach; they target a total of 101 differentially expressed genes. Our results suggest that a lack of epoxidase, besides affecting JH synthesis, results in the diminishing of JH signalling that have significant effects on Ae. aegypti CA-CC transcriptome profiles, as well as its miRNA repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Qi
- Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kayvan Etebari
- Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Marcela Nouzova
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre CAS, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Fernando G Noriega
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
- Department of Parasitology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Sassan Asgari
- Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
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3
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Chen K, Dou X, Eum JH, Harrison RE, Brown MR, Strand MR. Insulin-like peptides and ovary ecdysteroidogenic hormone differentially stimulate physiological processes regulating egg formation in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 163:104028. [PMID: 37913852 PMCID: PMC10842226 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2023.104028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Mosquitoes including Aedes aegypti are human disease vectors because females must blood feed to produce and lay eggs. Blood feeding triggers insulin-insulin growth factor signaling (IIS) which regulates several physiological processes required for egg development. A. aegypti encodes 8 insulin-like peptides (ILPs) and one insulin-like receptor (IR) plus ovary ecdysteroidogenic hormone (OEH) that also activates IIS through the OEH receptor (OEHR). In this study, we assessed the expression of A. aegypti ILPs and OEH during a gonadotrophic cycle and produced each that were functionally characterized to further understand their roles in regulating egg formation. All A. aegypti ILPs and OEH were expressed during a gonadotrophic cycle. Five ILPs (1, 3, 4, 7, 8) and OEH were specifically expressed in the head, while antibodies to ILP3 and OEH indicated each was released after blood feeding from ventricular axons that terminate on the anterior midgut. A subset of ILP family members and OEH stimulated nutrient storage in previtellogenic females before blood feeding, whereas most IIS-dependent processes after blood feeding were activated by one or more of the brain-specific ILPs and/or OEH. ILPs and OEH with different biological activities also exhibited differences in IIS as measured by phosphorylation of the IR, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt kinase (AKT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Altogether, our results provide the first results that compare the functional activities of all ILP family members and OEH produced by an insect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kangkang Chen
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Xiaoyi Dou
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jai Hoon Eum
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Ruby E Harrison
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Mark R Brown
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
| | - Michael R Strand
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
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4
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Henriques-Santos BM, Xiong C, Pietrantonio PV. Automated analysis of feeding behaviors of females of the mosquito Aedes aegypti using a modified flyPAD system. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20188. [PMID: 37980438 PMCID: PMC10657447 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47277-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes present a global health challenge due to their ability to transmit human and animal pathogens upon biting and blood feeding. The investigation of tastants detected by mosquitoes and their associated feeding behaviors is needed to answer physiological and ecological questions that could lead to novel control methods. A high-throughput system originally developed for research in fruit flies feeding behavior, the flyPAD, was adapted and tested for behaviors associated with the interaction or consumption of liquid diets offered to females of the mosquito Aedes aegypti Liverpool strain. Females were given water, sucrose solution and sheep blood in choice and non-choice assays. The volume ingested was evaluated with fluorescein. The placement of the system on a heated surface allowed blood consumption, and without females puncturing a membrane. The flyPAD system recorded nine feeding behavioral variables, of which the number of sips and number of activity bouts correlated with meal volume ingested for both sucrose solution and blood. The adaptation to mosquitoes of the flyPAD system differentiated feeding behavior variables between two feeding deterrents, capsaicin, and caffeine. The flyPAD has potential to quickly assess diverse tastants in both sucrose and blood and may contribute to characterizing more precisely their mode of action.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Caixing Xiong
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2475, USA
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Force E, Couzi P, Dacher M, Debernard S. Diet Impacts the Reproductive System's Maturation in the Male Moth Agrotis ipsilon (Noctuidae, Lepidoptera). JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 148:104532. [PMID: 37353192 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2023.104532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
In male moth Agrotis ipsilon, sexual maturation occurs between the third and the fifth day of adult life and is characterized by the development of the reproductive organs such as testes and accessory sex glands. Since sexual maturation requires considerable energy investment, we hypothesized that diet would be an essential regulatory factor in this developmental process. Indeed, the links between the male diet and reproductive physiology have not been described as in females. To test the previous hypothesis, we offered male moths diets corresponding to different flower nectars found in nature, and measured morphological and functional changes in the testes and accessory sex glands. In comparison to a diet composed of sucrose only, males fed with a diet composed of diverse sugars, including glucose, supplemented with sodium led to an earlier increase in the length and the protein content of accessory sex glands, as well as a reduction of the testicular volume accompanied by an acceleration of the sperm bundle transfer from the testes to the duplex. These results show that these specific diets accelerate the maturation of the reproductive system in male moth Agrotis ipsilon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Force
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris-Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD, Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, F-78026 Versailles, France; Sorbonne Université, Université Paris-Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD, Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, F-75005 Paris, France.
| | - Philippe Couzi
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris-Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD, Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, F-78026 Versailles, France
| | - Matthieu Dacher
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris-Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD, Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, F-78026 Versailles, France; Sorbonne Université, Université Paris-Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD, Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Debernard
- Sorbonne Université, Université Paris-Est Créteil, INRAE, CNRS, IRD, Institute for Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris, iEES Paris, F-75005 Paris, France.
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6
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Dou X, Chen K, Brown MR, Strand MR. Multiple endocrine factors regulate nutrient mobilization and storage in Aedes aegypti during a gonadotrophic cycle. INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 30:425-442. [PMID: 36056560 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Anautogenous mosquitoes must blood feed on a vertebrate host to produce eggs. Each gonadotrophic cycle is subdivided into a sugar-feeding previtellogenic phase that produces primary follicles and a blood meal-activated vitellogenic phase in which large numbers of eggs synchronously mature and are laid. Multiple endocrine factors including juvenile hormone (JH), insulin-like peptides (ILPs), ovary ecdysteroidogenic hormone (OEH), and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) coordinate each gonadotrophic cycle. Egg formation also requires nutrients from feeding that are stored in the fat body. Regulation of egg formation is best understood in Aedes aegypti but the role different endocrine factors play in regulating nutrient mobilization and storage remains unclear. In this study, we report that adult female Ae. aegypti maintained triacylglycerol (TAG) stores during the previtellogenic phase of the first gonadotrophic cycle while glycogen stores declined. In contrast, TAG and glycogen stores were rapidly mobilized during the vitellogenic phase and then replenishment. Several genes encoding enzymes with functions in TAG and glycogen metabolism were differentially expressed in the fat body, which suggested regulation was mediated in part at the transcriptional level. Gain of function assays indicated that stored nutrients were primarily mobilized by adipokinetic hormone (AKH) while juvenoids and OEH regulated replenishment. ILP3 further showed evidence of negatively regulating certain lipolytic enzymes. Loss of function assays indicated AKH depends on the AKH receptor (AKHR) for function. Altogether, our results indicate that the opposing activities of different hormones regulate nutrient stores during a gonadotrophic cycle in Ae. aegypti.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Dou
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, United States
| | - Kangkang Chen
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, United States
- Department of Plant Protection, College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Mark R Brown
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, United States
| | - Michael R Strand
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602, United States
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7
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miR-275/305 cluster is essential for maintaining energy metabolic homeostasis by the insulin signaling pathway in Bactrocera dorsalis. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010418. [PMID: 36197879 PMCID: PMC9534453 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence indicates that miRNAs play crucial regulatory roles in various physiological processes of insects, including systemic metabolism. However, the molecular mechanisms of how specific miRNAs regulate energy metabolic homeostasis remain largely unknown. In the present study, we found that an evolutionarily conserved miR-275/305 cluster was essential for maintaining energy metabolic homeostasis in response to dietary yeast stimulation in Bactrocera dorsalis. Depletion of miR-275 and miR-305 by the CRISPR/Cas9 system significantly reduced triglyceride and glycogen contents, elevated total sugar levels, and impaired flight capacity. Combined in vivo and in vitro experiments, we demonstrated that miR-275 and miR-305 can bind to the 3'UTR regions of SLC2A1 and GLIS2 to repress their expression, respectively. RNAi-mediated knockdown of these two genes partially rescued metabolic phenotypes caused by inhibiting miR-275 and miR-305. Furthermore, we further illustrated that the miR-275/305 cluster acting as a regulator of the metabolic axis was controlled by the insulin signaling pathway. In conclusion, our work combined genetic and physiological approaches to clarify the molecular mechanism of metabolic homeostasis in response to different dietary stimulations and provided a reference for deciphering the potential targets of physiologically important miRNAs in a non-model organism.
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Aamidor SE, Cardoso-Júnior CAM, Harianto J, Nowell CJ, Cole L, Oldroyd BP, Ronai I. Reproductive plasticity and oogenesis in the queen honey bee (Apis mellifera). JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 136:104347. [PMID: 34902433 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2021.104347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In the honey bee (Apis mellifera), queen and worker castes originate from identical genetic templates but develop into different phenotypes. Queens lay up to 2000 eggs daily whereas workers are sterile in the queen's presence. Periodically queens stop laying: during swarming, when resources are scarce in winter, and when they are confined to a cage by beekeepers. We used confocal microscopy and gene expression assays to investigate the control of oogenesis in the ovaries of honey bee queens that were caged inside and outside the colony. We find evidence that queens use a different combination of 'checkpoints' to regulate oogenesis compared to honey bee workers and other insect species. However, both queen and worker castes likely use the same programmed cell death pathways to terminate oocyte development at their caste-specific checkpoints. Our results also suggest that a key factor driving the termination of oogenesis in queens is nutritional stress. Thus, queens may regulate oogenesis via the same regulatory pathways that were utilised by ancestral solitary species but likely have adjusted physiological checkpoints to suit their highly-derived life history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Aamidor
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Carlos A M Cardoso-Júnior
- Departamento de Biologia Celulare Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil
| | - Januar Harianto
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Cameron J Nowell
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louise Cole
- Microbial Imaging Facility, I3 Institute, Faculty of Science, The University of Technology Sydney, Australia
| | - Benjamin P Oldroyd
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Isobel Ronai
- Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life and Environmental Science, Macleay Building A12, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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Li H, Liu S, Chen L, Luo J, Zeng D, Li X. Juvenile hormone and transcriptional changes in honey bee worker larvae when exposed to sublethal concentrations of thiamethoxam. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2021; 225:112744. [PMID: 34481358 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Thiamethoxam, an insecticide with high usage and large amounts of environmental residues, has been reported to affect the pupation and survival of honey bee larvae at sublethal concentrations. The molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we measured the response of juvenile hormone (JH) to environmental concentrations of thiamethoxam using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), monitored the dynamic changes in the transcription of genes encoding major JH metabolic enzymes (CYP15A1, FAMET, JHAMT and JHE) using RT-qPCR, and analysed the transcriptome changes in worker larvae under thiamethoxam stress using RNA-seq. Thiamethoxam significantly increased the levels of JH3 in honey bee larvae, but no significant changes in the transcript levels of the four major metabolic enzymes were observed. Thiamethoxam exposure resulted in 140 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). P450 CYP6AS5 was upregulated, and some ion-related, odourant-related and gustatory receptors for sugar taste genes were altered significantly. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that amino acid metabolism and protein digestion and absorption were influenced by thiamethoxam. These changes may do harm to honey bee caste differentiation, foraging behaviour related to sensory perception and nutrient levels of bee colonies. These results represent the first assessment of the effects of thiamethoxam on JH in honey bee larvae and provides a new perspective and molecular basis for the study of JH regulation and thiamethoxam toxicity to honey bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honghong Li
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment and Agricultural Product Safety, Guangxi University, China
| | - Sheng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment and Agricultural Product Safety, Guangxi University, China
| | - Lichao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment and Agricultural Product Safety, Guangxi University, China
| | - Jie Luo
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment and Agricultural Product Safety, Guangxi University, China
| | - Dongqiang Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment and Agricultural Product Safety, Guangxi University, China
| | - Xuesheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment and Agricultural Product Safety, Guangxi University, China.
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Insects as a New Complex Model in Hormonal Basis of Obesity. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222011066. [PMID: 34681728 PMCID: PMC8540125 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, one of the biggest problems in healthcare is an obesity epidemic. Consumption of cheap and low-quality energy-rich diets, low physical activity, and sedentary work favor an increase in the number of obesity cases within many populations/nations. This is a burden on society, public health, and the economy with many deleterious consequences. Thus, studies concerning this disorder are extremely needed, including searching for new, effective, and fitting models. Obesity may be related, among other factors, to disrupting adipocytes activity, disturbance of metabolic homeostasis, dysregulation of hormonal balance, cardiovascular problems, or disorders in nutrition which may lead to death. Because of the high complexity of obesity, it is not easy to find an ideal model for its studies which will be suitable for genetic and physiological analysis including specification of different compounds’ (hormones, neuropeptides) functions, as well as for signaling pathways analysis. In recent times, in search of new models for human diseases there has been more and more attention paid to insects, especially in neuro-endocrine regulation. It seems that this group of animals might also be a new model for human obesity. There are many arguments that insects are a good, multidirectional, and complex model for this disease. For example, insect models can have similar conservative signaling pathways (e.g., JAK-STAT signaling pathway), the presence of similar hormonal axis (e.g., brain–gut axis), or occurrence of structural and functional homologues between neuropeptides (e.g., neuropeptide F and human neuropeptide Y, insulin-like peptides, and human insulin) compared to humans. Here we give a hint to use insects as a model for obesity that can be used in multiple ways: as a source of genetic and peptidomic data about etiology and development correlated with obesity occurrence as well as a model for novel hormonal-based drug activity and their impact on mechanism of disease occurrence.
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11
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Hasebe M, Shiga S. Immunoreactive Response of Plast-MIPs to Fasting and Their Functional Role in the Reduction of Hemolymph Reducing Sugars in the Brown-Winged Green Bug, Plautia stali. Zoolog Sci 2021; 38:332-342. [PMID: 34342954 DOI: 10.2108/zs200162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Animals survive nutrient deficiency by controlling their physiology, such as sugar metabolism and energy-consuming developmental events. Although research on the insect neural mechanisms of the starvation-induced modulation has progressed, the mechanisms have not been fully understood due to their complexity. Myoinhibitory peptides are known to be neuropeptides involved in various physiological activities, development, and behavior. Here, we analyzed the responsiveness of Plautia stali myoinhibitory peptides (Plast-MIPs) to starvation and their physiological role in the brown-winged green bug, P. stali. First, we performed immunohistochemical analyses to investigate the response of Plast-MIP neurons in the cephalic ganglion to fasting under long day conditions. Fasting significantly enhanced the immunoreactivity to Plast-MIPs in the pars intercerebralis (PI), which is known to be a brain region related to various endocrine regulations. Next, to analyze the physiological role of Plast-MIPs, we performed RNA interference-mediated knockdown of Plast-Mip and injection of synthetic Plast-MIP in normally fed and fasted females. The knockdown of Plast-Mip did not have significant effects on the body weight or proportions of ovarian development in each feeding condition. On the other hand, the knockdown of Plast-Mip increased the gonadosomatic index of normally fed females whereas it did not have a significant effect on food intake. Notably, the knockdown of Plast-Mip diminished the fasting-induced reduction of hemolymph reducing sugar levels. Additionally, injection of synthetic Plast-MIP acutely decreased the hemolymph reducing sugar level. Our results suggested responsiveness of Plast-MIPs in the PI to fasting and their functional role in reduction of the hemolymph reducing sugar level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaharu Hasebe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Machikaneyama, Toyonaka 560-0043, Japan,
| | - Sakiko Shiga
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Machikaneyama, Toyonaka 560-0043, Japan
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12
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Leyria J, Orchard I, Lange AB. The involvement of insulin/ToR signaling pathway in reproductive performance of Rhodnius prolixus. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 130:103526. [PMID: 33453353 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2021.103526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Insulins are peptide hormones widely studied for their important regulatory roles in metabolism, growth and development. In insects, insulin signaling along with the target of rapamycin (ToR) are involved in detecting and interpreting nutrient levels. Recently, by transcriptome analysis we reported an up-regulation of transcripts involved in insulin/ToR signaling in unfed Rhodnius prolixus; however, this signaling pathway is only activated in fed insects. Here, continuing with the blood-gorging triatomine R. prolixus as a model, we report the direct effect of insulin/ToR signaling on reproductive performance. By immunofluorescence we identified cells in the brain with positive signal to the R. prolixus ILP (Rhopr-ILP1) and show that the insulin receptor and protein effectors downstream of insulin/ToR signaling activation, are differentially expressed in ovarian follicles dependent on their developmental stage. Using qPCR we find that the expression of transcripts involved in insulin signaling in the central nervous system (CNS), fat body and ovaries increase as the state of starvation progresses, promoting a more highly sensitized state to respond rapidly to ILP/IGF levels. In addition, using dsRNA injection and in vivo and ex vivo assays to promote signaling activation we demonstrate a direct participation of insulin/ToR signaling in coordinating the synthesis of the main yolk protein precursor, vitellogenin, thereby influencing the numbers of eggs laid per female. We thereby show a mechanism by which nutritional signaling regulates reproductive performance in a vector of Chagas disease. As reproduction is responsible for propagation of insect populations, this work is important for the development of innovative biocontrol methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimena Leyria
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
| | - Ian Orchard
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
| | - Angela B Lange
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
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13
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Transcriptomic analysis of regulatory pathways involved in female reproductive physiology of Rhodnius prolixus under different nutritional states. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11431. [PMID: 32651410 PMCID: PMC7351778 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67932-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The triatomine Rhodnius prolixus, a vector of the etiological agent of Chagas disease, has long been used as model to understand important aspects of insect physiology. Despite this history, the impact of the nutritional state on regulatory pathways associated with reproductive performance in triatomines has never been studied. The insulin-like peptide/target of rapamycin (ILP/ToR) signaling pathway is typically responsible for detecting and interpreting nutrient levels. Here, we analyzed transcriptomes from the central nervous system, fat bodies and ovaries of adult females in unfed and fed conditions, with a focus on the ILP/ToR signaling. The results show an up-regulation of transcripts involved in ILP/ToR signaling in unfed insects. However, we demonstrate that this signaling is only activated in tissues from fed insects. Moreover, we report that FoxO (forkhead box O) factor, which regulates longevity via ILP signaling, is responsible for the up-regulation of transcripts related with ILP/ToR signaling in unfed insects. As a consequence, we reveal that unfed females are in a sensitized state to respond to an increase of ILP levels by rapidly activating ILP/ToR signaling. This is the first analysis that correlates gene expression and protein activation of molecules involved with ILP/ToR signaling in R. prolixus females in different nutritional states.
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14
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Hyde J, Correa MA, Hughes GL, Steven B, Brackney DE. Limited influence of the microbiome on the transcriptional profile of female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10880. [PMID: 32616765 PMCID: PMC7331810 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67811-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The microbiome is an assemblage of microorganisms living in association with a multicellular host. Numerous studies have identified a role for the microbiome in host physiology, development, immunity, and behaviour. The generation of axenic (germ-free) and gnotobiotic model systems has been vital to dissecting the role of the microbiome in host biology. We have previously reported the generation of axenic Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary vector of several human pathogenic viruses, including dengue virus and Zika virus. In order to better understand the influence of the microbiome on mosquitoes, we examined the transcriptomes of axenic and conventionally reared Ae. aegypti before and after a blood meal. Our results suggest that the microbiome has a much lower effect on the mosquito's gene expression than previously thought with only 170 genes influenced by the axenic state, while in contrast, blood meal status influenced 809 genes. The pattern of expression influenced by the microbiome is consistent with transient changes similar to infection rather than sweeping physiological changes. While the microbiome does seem to affect some pathways such as immune function and metabolism, our data suggest the microbiome is primarily serving a nutritional role in development with only minor effects in the adult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Hyde
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Maria A Correa
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Grant L Hughes
- Department of Pathology, Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, Center for Tropical Diseases, Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA
- Departments of Vector Biology and Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, UK
| | - Blaire Steven
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Doug E Brackney
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, USA.
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15
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Barredo E, DeGennaro M. Not Just from Blood: Mosquito Nutrient Acquisition from Nectar Sources. Trends Parasitol 2020; 36:473-484. [PMID: 32298634 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2019] [Revised: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Anthropophilic female mosquitoes are well known for their strong attraction to human hosts, but plant nectar is a common energy source in their diets. When sugar sources are scarce, female mosquitoes of some species can compensate by taking larger and more frequent blood meals. Male mosquitoes are exclusively dependent on plant nectar or alternative sugar sources. Plant preference is likely driven by an innate attraction that may be enhanced by experience, as mosquitoes learn to recognize available sugar rewards. Nectar-seeking involves the integration of at least three sensory systems: olfaction, vision and taste. The prevention of vector-borne illnesses, the determination of the mosquitoes' ecological role, and the design of efficient sugar-baited traps will all benefit from understanding the molecular basis of nectar-seeking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina Barredo
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Matthew DeGennaro
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
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16
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Taylor DM, Olds CL, Haney RS, Torrevillas BK, Luckhart S. Comprehensive and Durable Modulation of Growth, Development, Lifespan and Fecundity in Anopheles stephensi Following Larval Treatment With the Stress Signaling Molecule and Novel Antimalarial Abscisic Acid. Front Microbiol 2020; 10:3024. [PMID: 32010091 PMCID: PMC6979008 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.03024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The larval environment of holometabolous insects determines many adult life history traits including, but not limited to, rate and success of development and adult lifespan and fecundity. The ancient stress signaling hormone abscisic acid (ABA), released by plants inundated with water and by leaf and root fragments in water, is likely ubiquitous in the mosquito larval environment and is well known for its wide ranging effects on invertebrate biology. Accordingly, ABA is a relevant stimulus and signal for mosquito development. In our studies, the addition of ABA at biologically relevant levels to larval rearing containers accelerated the time to pupation and increased death of A. stephensi pupae. We could not attribute these effects, however, to ABA-dependent changes in JH biosynthesis-associated gene expression, 20E titers or transcript patterns of insulin-like peptide genes. Adult females derived from ABA-treated larvae had reduced total protein content and significantly reduced post blood meal transcript expression of vitellogenin, effects that were consistent with variably reduced egg clutch sizes and oviposition success from the first through the third gonotrophic cycles. Adult female A. stephensi derived from ABA-treated larvae also exhibited reduced lifespans relative to controls. Collectively, these effects of ABA on A. stephensi life history traits are robust, durable and predictive of multiple impacts of an important malaria vector spreading to new malaria endemic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean M Taylor
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States
| | - Cassandra L Olds
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States
| | - Reagan S Haney
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States
| | - Brandi K Torrevillas
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States
| | - Shirley Luckhart
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States
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17
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Zhang W, Liang G, Ma L, Jiang T, Xiao H. Dissecting the Role of Juvenile Hormone Binding Protein in Response to Hormone and Starvation in the Cotton Bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 112:1411-1417. [PMID: 30789202 DOI: 10.1093/jee/toz027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile hormone (JH) regulates many physiological processes in insect development, diapause, and reproduction. Juvenile hormone binding protein (JHBP), the carrier partner protein of JH, is essential for the balance of JH titer to regulate the metamorphosis and development of insect. In this study, two JHBP genes were identified from Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), namely HaJHBP1 and HaJHBP2. The tissue and temporal expression pattern revealed that both HaJHBP1 and HaJHBP2 were dominantly expressed in larval fat body, and their high transcription stages were detected in fourth and fifth instars. The ingestion of methoprene, a JH analogue, significantly induced the expression of HaJHBP1 and HaJHBP2. However, both HaJHBP1 and HaJHBP2 mRNA levels were significantly downregulated after treated with a JH antagonist, precocene. When subject to starvation, larvae showed a marked suppressive effect in the expression of HaJHBP1 and HaJHBP2. These results indicate that JHBP plays a part in the JH-regulated metabolism, growth, or development in reaction to different nutritional conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanna Zhang
- Institute of Entomology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China
| | - Gemei Liang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Long Ma
- College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Science & Technology Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Ting Jiang
- Institute of Entomology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China
| | - Haijun Xiao
- Institute of Entomology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China
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18
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Castro-Arnau J, Marín A, Castells M, Ferrer I, Maestro JL. The expression of cockroach insulin-like peptides is differentially regulated by physiological conditions and affected by compensatory regulation. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 114:57-67. [PMID: 30822409 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In insects, the insulin receptor (InR) pathway is involved in regulating key physiological processes, including juvenile hormone (JH) synthesis, vitellogenin production, and oocyte growth. This raises the question about which ligand (or ligands) binds to InR to trigger the above effects. We have cloned seven insulin-like peptides (BgILP1 to 7) from female Blattella germanica cockroaches and found that the brain expresses BgILP1 to 6, the fat body BgILP7, and the ovary BgILP2. Starvation induces the reduction of BgILP3, 5, and 6 mRNA levels in the brain, and the various BgILPs are differentially expressed during the gonadotrophic cycle. In addition, by knocking down the BgILPs we were able to identify compensatory regulation at transcriptional level between the different BgILPs, although none of the BgILP knockdown assays, including the knockdown of the seven BgILPs, produced the same phenotypes that we achieved by depleting InR. Taken together, the results indicate that B. germanica ILPs are differentially expressed in tissues and in response to physiological conditions, and that they are affected by compensatory regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Júlia Castro-Arnau
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ainoa Marín
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marc Castells
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Iamil Ferrer
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - José L Maestro
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
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19
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Sharma A, Nuss AB, Gulia-Nuss M. Insulin-Like Peptide Signaling in Mosquitoes: The Road Behind and the Road Ahead. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2019; 10:166. [PMID: 30984106 PMCID: PMC6448002 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Insulin signaling is a conserved pathway in all metazoans. This pathway contributed toward primordial metazoans responding to a greater diversity of environmental signals by modulating nutritional storage, reproduction, and longevity. Most of our knowledge of insulin signaling in insects comes from the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster, where it has been extensively studied and shown to control several physiological processes. Mosquitoes are the most important vectors of human disease in the world and their control constitutes a significant area of research. Recent studies have shown the importance of insulin signaling in multiple physiological processes such as reproduction, innate immunity, lifespan, and vectorial capacity in mosquitoes. Although insulin-like peptides have been identified and functionally characterized from many mosquito species, a comprehensive review of this pathway in mosquitoes is needed. To fill this gap, our review provides up-to-date knowledge of this subfield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arvind Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, United States
| | - Andrew B. Nuss
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, United States
- Department of Agriculture, Veterinary, and Rangeland Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, United States
- *Correspondence: Andrew B. Nuss
| | - Monika Gulia-Nuss
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, United States
- Monika Gulia-Nuss
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20
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Dominguez CV, Maestro JL. Expression of juvenile hormone acid O-methyltransferase and juvenile hormone synthesis in Blattella germanica. INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 25:787-796. [PMID: 28374493 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Revised: 03/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile hormone (JH), a sesquiterpenoid synthetized by the insect corpora allata (CA), plays critical roles in metamorphosis and reproduction. Penultimate or last step of JH synthesis is catalyzed by juvenile hormone acid O-methyltransferase (JHAMT). Here we report the cloning and expression analysis of the JHAMT orthologue in the cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.) (BgJHAMT). BgJHAMT is mainly expressed in CA, with only expression traces in ovary. Three different isoforms, differing in the 3'-UTR sequence, were identified. Isoform A shows between 35 and 65 times higher expression than B and C in CA from penultimate nymphal instar and adult females. RNAi-triggered knock down of BgJHAMT produces a dramatic reduction of JH synthesis, concomitant with a decrease of fat body vitellogenin expression and basal follicle length. BgJHAMT mRNA levels in CA of females along the gonadotrophic cycle parallel, with a slight advancement, JH synthesis profile. BgJHAMT mRNA levels were reduced in starved females and in females in which we reduced nutritional signaling by knocking down insulin receptor and target of rapamycin (TOR). Results show that conditions that modify JH synthesis in adult B. germanica females show parallel changes of BgJHAMT mRNA levels and that the JH-specific branch of the JH synthesis pathway is regulated in the same way as the mevalonate branch. Furthermore, we demonstrate that nutrition and its signaling through the insulin receptor and TOR pathways are essential for activating BgJHAMT expression, which suggests that this enzyme can be a checkpoint for the regulation of JH production in relation to nutritional status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia V Dominguez
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jose L Maestro
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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21
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Nouzova M, Rivera-Pérez C, Noriega FG. Omics approaches to study juvenile hormone synthesis. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 29:49-55. [PMID: 30551825 PMCID: PMC6470398 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The juvenile hormones (JHs) are a family of insect acyclic sesquiterpenoids produced by the corpora allata (CA), a pair of endocrine glands connected to the brain. They are involved in the regulation of development, reproduction, behavior, caste determination, diapause, stress response, and numerous polyphenisms. In the post-genomics era, comprehensive analyses using functional 'omics' technologies such as transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics have increased our understanding of the activity of the minute CA. This review attempts to summarize some of the 'omics' studies that have contributed to further understand JH synthesis in insects, with an emphasis on our own research on the mosquito Aedes aegypti.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Nouzova
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biomolecular Science Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | | | - Fernando G Noriega
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biomolecular Science Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
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22
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Ojima N, Hara Y, Ito H, Yamamoto D. Genetic dissection of stress-induced reproductive arrest in Drosophila melanogaster females. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007434. [PMID: 29889831 PMCID: PMC5995346 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
By genetic manipulations, we study the roles played by insulin-producing cells (IPCs) in the brain and their target, the corpora allata (CA), for reproductive dormancy in female Drosophila melanogaster, which is induced by exposing them to a combination of low temperature (11°C), short-day photoperiod (10L:14D) and starvation (water only) for 7 days immediately after eclosion (dormancy-inducing conditions). Artificial inactivation of IPCs promotes, whereas artificial activation impedes, the induction of reproductive dormancy. A transcriptional reporter assay reveals that the IPC activity is reduced when the female flies are exposed to dormancy-inducing conditions. The photoperiod sensitivity of reproductive dormancy is lost in pigment-dispersing factor (pdf), but not cry, mutants, suggesting that light input to IPCs is mediated by pdf-expressing neurons. Genetic manipulations to upregulate and downregulate insulin signaling in the CA, a pair of endocrine organs that synthesize the juvenile hormone (JH), decrease and increase the incidence of reproductive dormancy, respectively. These results demonstrate that the IPC-CA axis constitutes a key regulatory pathway for reproductive dormancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriyuki Ojima
- Division of Neurogenetics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yusuke Hara
- Division of Neurogenetics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences, Sendai, Japan
- Neuro-Network Evolution Project, Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan
| | - Hiroki Ito
- Division of Neurogenetics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences, Sendai, Japan
| | - Daisuke Yamamoto
- Division of Neurogenetics, Tohoku University Graduate School of Life Sciences, Sendai, Japan
- Neuro-Network Evolution Project, Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kobe, Japan
- * E-mail:
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23
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Beeler JA, Mourra D. To Do or Not to Do: Dopamine, Affordability and the Economics of Opportunity. Front Integr Neurosci 2018; 12:6. [PMID: 29487508 PMCID: PMC5816947 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2018.00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Five years ago, we introduced the thrift hypothesis of dopamine (DA), suggesting that the primary role of DA in adaptive behavior is regulating behavioral energy expenditure to match the prevailing economic conditions of the environment. Here we elaborate that hypothesis with several new ideas. First, we introduce the concept of affordability, suggesting that costs must necessarily be evaluated with respect to the availability of resources to the organism, which computes a value not only for the potential reward opportunity, but also the value of resources expended. Placing both costs and benefits within the context of the larger economy in which the animal is functioning requires consideration of the different timescales against which to compute resource availability, or average reward rate. Appropriate windows of computation for tracking resources requires corresponding neural substrates that operate on these different timescales. In discussing temporal patterns of DA signaling, we focus on a neglected form of DA plasticity and adaptation, changes in the physical substrate of the DA system itself, such as up- and down-regulation of receptors or release probability. We argue that changes in the DA substrate itself fundamentally alter its computational function, which we propose mediates adaptations to longer temporal horizons and economic conditions. In developing our hypothesis, we focus on DA D2 receptors (D2R), arguing that D2R implements a form of “cost control” in response to the environmental economy, serving as the “brain’s comptroller”. We propose that the balance between the direct and indirect pathway, regulated by relative expression of D1 and D2 DA receptors, implements affordability. Finally, as we review data, we discuss limitations in current approaches that impede fully investigating the proposed hypothesis and highlight alternative, more semi-naturalistic strategies more conducive to neuroeconomic investigations on the role of DA in adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff A Beeler
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States.,CUNY Neuroscience Consortium, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Devry Mourra
- Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States.,CUNY Neuroscience Consortium, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
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24
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Abstract
Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes transmit the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes the majority of fatal malaria cases worldwide. The hematophagous lifestyle defines mosquito reproductive biology and is exploited by P. falciparum for its own sexual reproduction and transmission. The two main phases of the mosquito reproductive cycle, previtellogenic (PV) and postblood meal (PBM), shape its capacity to transmit malaria. Transition between these phases is tightly coordinated to ensure homeostasis between mosquito tissues and successful reproduction. One layer of control is provided by microRNAs (miRNAs), well-known regulators of blood meal digestion and egg development in Aedes mosquitoes. Here, we report a global overview of tissue-specific miRNAs (miRNA) expression during the PV and PBM phases and identify miRNAs regulated during PV to PBM transition. The observed coordinated changes in the expression levels of a set of miRNAs in the energy-storing tissues suggest a role in the regulation of blood meal-induced metabolic changes.
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25
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Thounaojam B, Keshan B. Modulation of gene expression by nutritional state and hormones in Bombyx larvae in relation to its growth period. Gene Expr Patterns 2017; 25-26:175-183. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gep.2017.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2017] [Revised: 08/05/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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26
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Sugime Y, Watanabe D, Yasuno Y, Shinada T, Miura T, Tanaka NK. Upregulation of Juvenile Hormone Titers in Female Drosophila melanogaster Through Mating Experiences and Host Food Occupied by Eggs and Larvae. Zoolog Sci 2017; 34:52-57. [PMID: 28148219 DOI: 10.2108/zs160150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Juvenile hormone (JH) plays a crucial role in the determination of developmental timing in insects. In Drosophila melanogaster, reports indicate that JH titers are the highest immediately following eclosion and that the mating experience increases the titers in females. However, the titers have not been successively measured for an extended period of time after eclosion. This study reveals that JH titers are increased after eclosion in virgin females when supplied with food that is occupied by eggs and larvae as well as in mated females. With the presence of eggs and larvae, food induced the virgin females to lay unfertilized eggs. When combined with previous work indicating that females are attracted to such food where they prefer to lay eggs, these results suggest that flies can prepare themselves to lay eggs by changing the titers of JH under the presence of growing larvae, ensuring that the food is an appropriate place to oviposit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Sugime
- 1 Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Dai Watanabe
- 1 Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Yoko Yasuno
- 2 Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Shinada
- 2 Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka 558-8585, Japan
| | - Toru Miura
- 1 Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Nobuaki K Tanaka
- 3 Creative Research Institution, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan.,4 Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
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Vogel KJ, Valzania L, Coon KL, Brown MR, Strand MR. Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals Large-Scale Changes in Axenic Aedes aegypti Larvae. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2017; 11:e0005273. [PMID: 28060822 PMCID: PMC5245907 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes host communities of microbes in their digestive tract that consist primarily of bacteria. We previously reported that Aedes aegypti larvae colonized by a native community of bacteria and gnotobiotic larvae colonized by only Escherichia coli develop very similarly into adults, whereas axenic larvae never molt and die as first instars. In this study, we extended these findings by first comparing the growth and abundance of bacteria in conventional, gnotobiotic, and axenic larvae during the first instar. Results showed that conventional and gnotobiotic larvae exhibited no differences in growth, timing of molting, or number of bacteria in their digestive tract. Axenic larvae in contrast grew minimally and never achieved the critical size associated with molting by conventional and gnotobiotic larvae. In the second part of the study we compared patterns of gene expression in conventional, gnotobiotic and axenic larvae by conducting an RNAseq analysis of gut and nongut tissues (carcass) at 22 h post-hatching. Approximately 12% of Ae. aegypti transcripts were differentially expressed in axenic versus conventional or gnotobiotic larvae. However, this profile consisted primarily of transcripts in seven categories that included the down-regulation of select peptidases in the gut and up-regulation of several genes in the gut and carcass with roles in amino acid transport, hormonal signaling, and metabolism. Overall, our results indicate that axenic larvae exhibit alterations in gene expression consistent with defects in acquisition and assimilation of nutrients required for growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J. Vogel
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (KJV); (MRS)
| | - Luca Valzania
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Kerri L. Coon
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Mark R. Brown
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Michael R. Strand
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (KJV); (MRS)
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Nunes RD, Ventura-Martins G, Moretti DM, Medeiros-Castro P, Rocha-Santos C, Daumas-Filho CRDO, Bittencourt-Cunha PRB, Martins-Cardoso K, Cudischevitch CO, Menna-Barreto RFS, Oliveira JHM, Gusmão DS, Alves Lemos FJ, Alviano DS, Oliveira PL, Lowenberger C, Majerowicz D, Oliveira RM, Mesquita RD, Atella GC, Silva-Neto MAC. Polyphenol-Rich Diets Exacerbate AMPK-Mediated Autophagy, Decreasing Proliferation of Mosquito Midgut Microbiota, and Extending Vector Lifespan. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0005034. [PMID: 27732590 PMCID: PMC5061323 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mosquitoes feed on plant-derived fluids such as nectar and sap and are exposed to bioactive molecules found in this dietary source. However, the role of such molecules on mosquito vectorial capacity is unknown. Weather has been recognized as a major determinant of the spread of dengue, and plants under abiotic stress increase their production of polyphenols. Results Here, we show that including polyphenols in mosquito meals promoted the activation of AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK positively regulated midgut autophagy leading to a decrease in bacterial proliferation and an increase in vector lifespan. Suppression of AMPK activity resulted in a 6-fold increase in midgut microbiota. Similarly, inhibition of polyphenol-induced autophagy induced an 8-fold increase in bacterial proliferation. Mosquitoes maintained on the polyphenol diet were readily infected by dengue virus. Conclusion The present findings uncover a new direct route by which exacerbation of autophagy through activation of the AMPK pathway leads to a more efficient control of mosquito midgut microbiota and increases the average mosquito lifespan. Our results suggest for the first time that the polyphenol content and availability of the surrounding vegetation may increase the population of mosquitoes prone to infection with arboviruses. The dramatic climate changes currently occurring on our planet may likely influence the biology and the distribution of mosquitoes. Aedes aegypti is a major vector of arboviruses. However, females feed on plants for a few days before feeding on blood for the first time. Plants are sessile and cannot move to search for better environmental conditions. In times of extreme temperatures, drought, or UV radiation plants produce polyphenols that allow plants to survive under such extreme conditions. Polyphenol ingestion by mosquitoes enhances the activity of an enzyme named AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Mosquitoes emerging from pupae leave the aquatic environment and are readily colonized by many bacterial strains. Polyphenol-fed mosquitoes display a huge activation of AMPK which enhances autophagy in the midgut cells that increases the capture and killing of midgut bacteria, thus enhancing vector lifespan. Therefore, early meals on polyphenol sources allow for the regulation of vector microbiota. These data may provide the basis of a novel strategy that promotes bacterial proliferation and a shortening of vector lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Dutra Nunes
- Laboratório de Sinalização Celular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Ventura-Martins
- Laboratório de Sinalização Celular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Débora Monteiro Moretti
- Laboratório de Sinalização Celular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Priscilla Medeiros-Castro
- Laboratório de Sinalização Celular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carlucio Rocha-Santos
- Laboratório de Sinalização Celular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carlos Renato de Oliveira Daumas-Filho
- Laboratório de Sinalização Celular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Paula Rego Barros Bittencourt-Cunha
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Lipídios e Lipoproteínas, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Karina Martins-Cardoso
- Laboratório de Sinalização Celular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Cecília Oliveira Cudischevitch
- Laboratório de Sinalização Celular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - José Henrique Maia Oliveira
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Desiely Silva Gusmão
- Laboratório de Biologia, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Francisco José Alves Lemos
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Daniela Sales Alviano
- Instituto de Microbiologia Prof. Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Prédio do CCS, Bloco I, Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pedro Lagerblad Oliveira
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carl Lowenberger
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David Majerowicz
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Departamento de Biotecnologia Farmacêutica, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Melo Oliveira
- Laboratório de Sinalização Celular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rafael Dias Mesquita
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioinformática, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Georgia Correa Atella
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Lipídios e Lipoproteínas, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mário Alberto Cardoso Silva-Neto
- Laboratório de Sinalização Celular, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Lipídios e Lipoproteínas, Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Duan D, Zheng R, Lin S, Chen Y, Tian H, Zhao J, Tian S, Wei H, Gu X. Modulation of Juvenile Hormone Esterase Gene Expression Against Development of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 2016; 109:865-872. [PMID: 26880398 DOI: 10.1093/jee/tow003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is a widespread and destructive pest of cruciferous crops. Owing to its increasing resistance to conventional pesticides, new strategies need to be developed for diamondback moth control. Here, we investigated factors that modulate juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) activity and jhe (Px004817) transcription, and determined the effects of these factors on subsequent growth and development in diamondback moth. Starvation inhibited JHE activity and jhe transcription, increased mortality, and decreased the rate of molting from the third- to the fourth-instar stages. Larvae kept at 32°C molted earlier and showed increased JHE activity and jhe transcription after 24-h treatment. Exposure to 1,325 mg/liter OTFP (3-octylthio-1,1,1-trifluoro-2-propanone) delayed molting and pupation, increased pupal weight, and decreased JHE activity and jhe transcription at both 24 and 48 h. Treatment with 500 mg/liter pyriproxyfen delayed molting, completely suppressed pupation, and significantly increased JHE activity at 48 h and jhe transcription at 24 and 48 h. A combination of OTFP (1,325 mg/liter) and pyriproxyfen (500 mg/liter) induced the highest mortality, delayed molting, completely suppressed pupation, and significantly increased JHE activity at 48 h and jhe transcription at 24 and 48 h. These effects on JHE activity and jhe transcription were similar to those in insects treated only with pyriproxyfen. The results demonstrated that JHE and jhe (Px004817) were involved in the responses of diamondback moth to external modulators and caused changes in growth and development. The combination of OTFP and pyriproxyfen increased the effectiveness of action against diamondback moth.
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Areiza M, Nouzova M, Rivera-Perez C, Noriega FG. 20-Hydroxyecdysone stimulation of juvenile hormone biosynthesis by the mosquito corpora allata. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 64:100-5. [PMID: 26255691 PMCID: PMC4558257 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2015.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2015] [Revised: 07/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/02/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile hormone III (JH) is synthesized by the corpora allata (CA) and plays a key role in mosquito development and reproduction. JH titer decreases in the last instar larvae allowing pupation and metamorphosis to progress. As the anti-metamorphic role of JH comes to an end, the CA of the late pupa (or pharate adult) becomes again "competent" to synthesize JH, which plays an essential role orchestrating reproductive maturation. 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) prepares the pupae for ecdysis, and would be an ideal candidate to direct a developmental program in the CA of the pharate adult mosquito. In this study, we provide evidence that 20E acts as an age-linked hormonal signal, directing CA activation in the mosquito pupae. Stimulation of the inactive brain-corpora allata-corpora cardiaca complex (Br-CA-CC) of the early pupa (24 h before adult eclosion or -24 h) in vitro with 20E resulted in a remarkable increase in JH biosynthesis, as well as increase in the activity of juvenile hormone acid methyltransferase (JHAMT). Addition of methyl farnesoate but not farnesoic acid also stimulated JH synthesis by the Br-CA-CC of the -24 h pupae, proving that epoxidase activity is present, but not JHAMT activity. Separation of the CA-CC complex from the brain (denervation) in the -24 h pupae also activated JH synthesis. Our results suggest that an increase in 20E titer might override an inhibitory effect of the brain on JH synthesis, phenocopying denervation. All together these findings provide compelling evidence that 20E acts as a developmental signal that ensures proper reactivation of JH synthesis in the mosquito pupae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Areiza
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Marcela Nouzova
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | | | - Fernando G Noriega
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
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Hernández-Martínez S, Rivera-Perez C, Nouzova M, Noriega FG. Coordinated changes in JH biosynthesis and JH hemolymph titers in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 72:22-27. [PMID: 25445664 PMCID: PMC4333059 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2014] [Revised: 11/11/2014] [Accepted: 11/14/2014] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile hormone III (JH) is synthesized by the corpora allata (CA) and plays a key role in mosquito development and reproduction. A decrease in JH titer during the last instar larvae allows pupation and metamorphosis to proceed. As the anti-metamorphic role of JH comes to an end, the CA of the late pupa once again synthesizes JH, which plays an essential role in orchestrating reproductive maturation. In spite of the importance of Aedes aegypti as a vector, a detailed study of the changes of JH hemolymph titers during the gonotrophic cycle has never been performed. In the present studies, using a high performance liquid chromatography coupled to a fluorescent detector (HPLC-FD) method, we measured changes in JH levels in the hemolymph of female mosquitoes during the pupal and adult stages. Our results revealed tightly concomitant changes in JH biosynthesis and JH hemolymph titers during the gonotrophic cycle of female mosquito. Feeding high sugar diets resulted in an increase of JH titers, and mating also modified JH titers in hemolymph. In addition these studies confirmed that JH titer in mosquitoes is fundamentally determined by the rate of biosynthesis in the CA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvador Hernández-Martínez
- Centro de Investigaciones Sobre Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62100, Mexico
| | | | - Marcela Nouzova
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Fernando G Noriega
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
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Juvenile Hormone Biosynthesis in Insects: What Is New, What Do We Know, and What Questions Remain? INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARLY RESEARCH NOTICES 2014; 2014:967361. [PMID: 27382622 PMCID: PMC4897325 DOI: 10.1155/2014/967361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2014] [Accepted: 07/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of JH biosynthesis has significantly changed in the last years. In this review I would like to discuss the following topics: (1) the progresses in understanding the JH biosynthesis pathway. Access to genome sequences has facilitated the identification of all the genes encoding biosynthetic enzymes and the completion of comprehensive transcriptional studies, as well as the expression and characterization of recombinant enzymes. Now the existence of different flux directionalites, feed-back loops and pathway branching points in the JH biosynthesis pathways can be explored; (2) the new concepts in the modulation of JH synthesis by allatoregulators. The list of putative JH modulators is increasing. I will discuss their possible role during the different physiological states of the CA; (3) the new theoretical and physiological frameworks for JH synthesis analysis. I will discuss the bases of the flux model for JH biosynthesis. JH plays multiple roles in the control of ovary development in female mosquitoes; therefore, the CA presents different physiological states, where JH synthesis is altered by gating the flux at distinctive points in the pathway; (4) in the final section I will identify new challenges and future directions on JH synthesis research.
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Rivera-Perez C, Nouzova M, Lamboglia I, Noriega FG. Metabolic analysis reveals changes in the mevalonate and juvenile hormone synthesis pathways linked to the mosquito reproductive physiology. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2014; 51:1-9. [PMID: 24833260 PMCID: PMC4107215 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2014.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2014] [Revised: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 05/02/2014] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile hormone (JH) regulates reproductive maturation in insects; therefore interruption of JH biosynthesis has been considered as a strategy for the development of target-specific insecticides. The corpora allata (CA) from mosquitoes is highly specialized to supply variable levels of JH, which are linked to ovarian developmental stages and influenced by nutritional signals. However, very little is known about how changes in JH synthesis relate to reproductive physiology and how JH synthesis regulation is translated into changes in the CA machinery. With the advent of new methods that facilitate the analysis of transcripts, enzymes and metabolites in the minuscule CA, we were able to provide comprehensive descriptions of the mevalonic (MVA) and JH synthesis pathways by integrating information on changes in the basic components of those pathways. Our results revealed remarkable dynamic changes in JH synthesis and exposed part of a complex mechanism that regulates CA activity. Principal component (PC) analyses validated that both pathways (MVAP and JH-branch) are transcriptionally co-regulated as a single unit, and catalytic activities for the enzymes of the MVAP and JH-branch also changed in a coordinate fashion. Metabolite studies showed that global fluctuations in the intermediate pool sizes in the MVAP and JH-branch were often inversely related. PC analyses suggest that in female mosquitoes, there are at least 4 developmental switches that alter JH synthesis by modulating the flux at distinctive points in both pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcela Nouzova
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Ivanna Lamboglia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Fernando G Noriega
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
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Abrisqueta M, Süren-Castillo S, Maestro JL. Insulin receptor-mediated nutritional signalling regulates juvenile hormone biosynthesis and vitellogenin production in the German cockroach. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2014; 49:14-23. [PMID: 24657890 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2014.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Revised: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/10/2014] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Female reproductive processes, which comprise, amongst others, the synthesis of yolk proteins and the endocrine mechanisms which regulate this synthesis, need a considerable amount of energy and resources. The role of communicating that the required nutritional status has been attained is carried out by nutritional signalling pathways and, in particular, by the insulin receptor (InR) pathway. In the present study, using the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, as a model, we analysed the role of InR in different processes, but mainly those related to juvenile hormone (JH) synthesis and vitellogenin production. We first cloned the InR cDNA from B. germanica (BgInR) and then determined that its expression levels were constant in corpora allata and fat body during the first female gonadotrophic cycle. Results showed that the observed increase in BgInR mRNA in fat body from starved compared to fed females was abolished in those females treated with systemic RNAi in vivo against the transcription factor BgFoxO. RNAi-mediated BgInR knockdown during the final two nymphal stages produced significant delays in the moults, together with smaller adult females which could not spread the fore- and hindwings properly. In addition, BgInR knockdown led to a severe inhibition of juvenile hormone synthesis in adult female corpora allata, with a concomitant reduction of mRNA levels corresponding to 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthase-1, HMG-CoA synthase-2, HMG-CoA reductase and methyl farnesoate epoxidase. BgInR RNAi treatment also reduced fat body vitellogenin mRNA and oocyte growth. Our results show that BgInR knockdown produces similar phenotypes to those obtained in starved females in terms of corpora allata activity and vitellogenin synthesis, and indicate that the InR pathway mediates the activation of JH biosynthesis and vitellogenin production elicited by nutrition signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Abrisqueta
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Songül Süren-Castillo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - José L Maestro
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
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