Insect Molecular Biology最新文献

{"title":"LncRNA:CR43306 modulates testicular aging via cell adhesion in Drosophila.","authors":"Xiaorong Wang, Qiuru Huang, Zhenbei Li, Chenyu Wang, Xuxin He, Jiaxin Li, Xinda Wang, Ziwen Lin, Binbin Yang, Qingqing Hu, Qiushi Xia, Xiaoli Sun, Jun Yu, Yujuan Qi","doi":"10.1111/imb.70028","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imb.70028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The decline in testicular function with age has raised significant concerns. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) influences a wide array of physiological processes, including spermatogenesis. Nevertheless, the precise roles and regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA in testicular aging remain elusive. This investigation delves into the function of lncRNA:CR43306 in governing spermatogenesis during testicular aging. Depletion of lncRNA:CR43306 in 40-day-old Drosophila testes resulted in the hindrance of spermatogenesis, particularly affecting elongated spermatids, leading to functional senescence. Additionally, differentially expressed gene (DEG) expression analysis through bulk RNA-seq unveiled genes linked to elongated spermatids and cell adhesion. Our findings underscore the pivotal role of lncRNA:CR43306 in testicular aging by influencing cell adhesion. These discoveries illuminate the regulatory pathways of lncRNA in testicular aging and offer valuable insights for potential studies and therapeutic interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":13526,"journal":{"name":"Insect Molecular Biology","volume":" ","pages":"284-295"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146085629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Endosymbiont load dictates reproductive fate: Experimental validation for the bacterial dosage model in a parthenogenetic weevil (Coleoptera, Curculionidae).","authors":"Lucia Fernandez Goya, Lucía da Cruz Cabral, Alejandra C Scannapieco, Viviana A Confalonieri, Analía A Lanteri, Marcela S Rodriguero","doi":"10.1111/imb.70030","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imb.70030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In many arthropods, reproductive manipulations induced by maternally inherited symbionts appear to depend upon surpassing a bacterial density threshold. The Naupactini tribe harbours a diverse array of Neotropical weevils, many of which exhibit parthenogenetic reproduction linked to Wolbachia pipientis and Rickettsia sp., with parthenogenetic species typically displaying high Wolbachia and Rickettsia sp. densities, and sexually reproducing species characterized by either low density or absence of infections altogether. The main focus of this work was testing the bacterial dosage model, that is, that a threshold density of Wolbachia and/or Rickettsia sp. is required for parthenogenetic reproduction. Through tetracycline-curing experiments coupled with bacterial density quantification by real-time PCR, we analysed clutch viability in Pantomorus postfasciatus as a function of Wolbachia and Rickettsia sp. density. Clutch size was not affected by the antibiotic treatment, but clutch viability (proportion of eggs hatched) declined to zero, coinciding with a significant reduction in bacterial densities without complete clearance. Fitting a three-parameter log-logistic (Hill-type) model revealed a sigmoidal relationship between bacterial density and clutch viability, demonstrating a quantitative, dosage-dependent effect. In contrast, clutch viability of sexually reproducing females was unaffected by antibiotic treatment, confirming that the reduced egg hatching in parthenogenetic females results from symbiont depletion rather than direct drug effects. Additionally, Rickettsia sp. proved to be more susceptible to tetracycline than Wolbachia, while Wolbachia densities decreased more markedly in reproductive tissues-a pattern potentially linked to the observed collapse in clutch viability. This work highlights bacterial load as a key determinant of parthenogenetic reproduction within the Naupactini.</p>","PeriodicalId":13526,"journal":{"name":"Insect Molecular Biology","volume":" ","pages":"310-322"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147276250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification and localization of the set of serine peptidases and their homologs in the larval midgut of Tenebrio molitor L.","authors":"Nikita I Zhiganov, Valeriia F Tereshchenkova, Marina V Serebryakova, Yakov E Dunaevsky, Mikhail A Belozersky, Elena N Elpidina","doi":"10.1111/imb.70031","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imb.70031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Peptidases play a key role in the metabolism of proteins and peptides. In this work, we studied the spectrum of midgut serine peptidases (SPs) and serine peptidase homologs (SPHs) in the IV instar larvae of the yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor using biochemical and proteomic approaches. Seventeen SPs were isolated from the larval midgut of T. molitor and identified using MALDI-TOF MS analyses and genomic and transcriptomic data. The proteins were isolated separately from the anterior part (AM) and the posterior part of the midgut (PM) using size-exclusion chromatography, specific chromogenic and fluorogenic substrates and PAGE under native conditions. Of the 17 SPs, 3 were trypsins, 10 chymotrypsin-like, and 4 elastase-like. Three SPs were localized only in the AM, five SPs in the PM and nine SPs were identified both in AM and PM. In addition, six SPHs with 1-3 substitutions in the catalytic amino acid residues were identified. The majority of analysed proteins had a high level of mRNA expression specific to the feeding stages of development. The results obtained suggest that T. molitor larvae possess a wide range of digestive SPs and SPHs, which may provide them with high resistance to numerous dietary or insecticidal SP inhibitors, as well as indicate wide possibilities for their use for biotechnological production of T. molitor food/feed hydrolysates of this edible insect with increased digestibility, reduced allergenicity and possibly new biological activities.</p>","PeriodicalId":13526,"journal":{"name":"Insect Molecular Biology","volume":" ","pages":"323-337"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147305406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diverse PGRPs cooperatively maintain homeostasis of facultative symbiont Arsenophonus to promote reproduction of Nilaparvata lugens.","authors":"Faliang Qin, Ping Li, Xuan He, Sen Zheng, Lihaotian Gao, Shuo Wang, Xingya Wang","doi":"10.1111/imb.70027","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imb.70027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) play a critical role in insect innate immunity in defending against pathogen invasion and regulating the homeostasis of endosymbionts. Arsenophonus, an emerging clade of intracellular symbionts, has been extensively studied for its roles in host reproductive manipulation and environmental adaptation. However, the molecular mechanisms by which host insects maintain Arsenophonus homeostasis through PGRPs remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the functional roles of PGRPs in regulating Arsenophonus homeostasis in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, a devastating pest of rice crops. While a previous study reported the existence of only two PGRPs (PGRP-LC and PGRP-LB) in N. lugens, we further determined that PGRP-LC produced two functional isoforms, PGRP-LCa and PGRP-LCb, respectively. PGRP-LCa and PGRP-LCb shared identical intracellular domains but possessed different extracellular domains. Simultaneously, Arsenophonus was observed to localize to the gut muscle layer, fat bodies and ovarian tissues by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Functional assays revealed that PGRP-LCa and PGRP-LCb bound not only peptidoglycan but also directly interacted with cultured Arsenophonus. Artificially transfected Arsenophonus upregulated the expression of PGRP-LCa, PGRP-LCb and Relish, while suppressing PGRP-LB. PGRP-LCa or Relish knockdown increased Arsenophonus density, whereas silencing PGRP-LCb reduced the symbiont load and female fecundity by the non-IMD pathway. Notably, inhibiting PGRP-LB not only elevated Arsenophonus density but also triggered symbiont dispersal from the gut muscle layer into epithelium. Our findings indicate that PGRPs cooperatively maintain Arsenophonus homeostasis to ensure the fecundity in N. lugens. These studies provide insight into the interaction of immunity between host and endosymbiont.</p>","PeriodicalId":13526,"journal":{"name":"Insect Molecular Biology","volume":" ","pages":"296-309"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146051882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Divergent immune strategies of Colorado potato beetle larvae against the entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium robertsii and Beauveria bassiana: A comparative transcriptomic analysis.","authors":"Vadim Kryukov, Maria Antonets, Ulyana Rotskaya, Evelyn Kabirova, Irina Slepneva, Yana Vorontsova, Yury Noskov, Ekaterina Kamanova, Olga Yaroslavtseva, Veniamin Fishman, Denis Antonets","doi":"10.1111/imb.70034","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imb.70034","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium robertsii are natural pathogens of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) and hold promise for biocontrol. However, the insect's immune responses to fungal infections remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed transcriptomic analyses of haemocytes and fat body tissue from CPB larvae topically infected with B. bassiana and M. robertsii at the stage of pathogen encapsulation. Quantitative PCR validation of gene expression, along with complementary physiological and biochemical assays, was also conducted. Reference gene annotations were expanded using both the classical bioinformatic tool InterProScan and the AI-based tool ProteInfer. For the first time, pathogen-specific differences in CPB tissue responses to fungal infections were revealed. Gene Ontology enrichment and expression profiles of immune-related genes indicated a stronger antifungal response to M. robertsii, whereas infection with B. bassiana was associated with enhanced protection against self-damage. Pathogen-specific responses were linked to the expression of genes encoding certain receptors, serine proteases, serpins, Toll signalling components, antimicrobial peptides, chitin deacetylases, chitin synthases, laccases, as well as to the production of phenoloxidases and reactive oxygen species. The most diverse and pathogen-specific gene expression changes occurred in haemocytes rather than in the fat body. We propose that the observed differences in immune responses are mainly driven by the fungal enzymatic machinery, secondary metabolites and pigments. The differentially expressed genes identified in this study provide novel insights into insect-pathogen interactions and represent promising molecular targets for advancing both fundamental research on insect immunity and the applied development of innovative biocontrol strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":13526,"journal":{"name":"Insect Molecular Biology","volume":" ","pages":"338-358"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147389953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developmental expression of Ap-Vas proteins in aphids and flies reveals their evolutionary roles in insects.","authors":"Gee-Way Lin, Szu-Chieh Wang, Charles E Cook, Ming-Der Lin, Chun-Che Chang","doi":"10.1111/imb.70020","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imb.70020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Germ cells depend on germline genes for their specification, migration and differentiation during development. Among these, the ATP-dependent RNA helicase gene vasa (vas) is one of the most conserved germline genes across animal phyla. Most organisms have a single copy of vas, but duplications are observed in some lineages. The evolutionary basis for this duplication remains unclear. Most insects, such as the fly Drosophila melanogaster, possess a single vas gene, but the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum and related species have four paralogs. Previously, we identified Ap-vas1 as the germline-specific gene in aphids. Here, we examine the developmental expression of Ap-vas2, Ap-vas3 and Ap-vas4 at both mRNA and protein levels, compare their patterns with those of Ap-vas1 and analyse their developmental roles. Using antibodies specific to each Ap-Vas protein for immunostaining, we find that Ap-Vas2-4 proteins are not enriched in germ cells but exhibit distinct somatic expression patterns, suggesting roles in somatic development, such as chromosome segregation and nuage formation. We further assessed the divergent N-terminal regions of Ap-Vas proteins using chimeric constructs in Drosophila oocytes. Only the N-terminus of Ap-Vas1 partially mediated germ-plasm localisation, whereas those of Ap-Vas2-4 significantly impaired posterior localisation. These findings suggest how divergence in the N-terminal regions of Vas proteins may underlie their functional diversification in germline and somatic cell development across insects.</p>","PeriodicalId":13526,"journal":{"name":"Insect Molecular Biology","volume":" ","pages":"217-231"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13140035/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145648476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13526,"journal":{"name":"Insect Molecular Biology","volume":"35 3","pages":"E1-E3"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148067717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13526,"journal":{"name":"Insect Molecular Biology","volume":"35 3","pages":"338-358"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148072732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of receptor tyrosine kinase family member CAD96CA on hormone signalling and ontogeny of silkworm","authors":"Chaojie Chen,&nbsp;Hao Sun,&nbsp;Tao Zhong,&nbsp;Dan Liu,&nbsp;Junjie Lao,&nbsp;Yan Zhang,&nbsp;Zijian Shi,&nbsp;Jingya Chen,&nbsp;Mengting Shen,&nbsp;Sanyuan Ma,&nbsp;Ling Jia","doi":"10.1111/imb.70018","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imb.70018","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Moulting and metamorphosis are fundamental physiological processes in the growth and development of holometabolous insects, primarily regulated by ecdysteroids and juvenile hormone (JH), which are synthesized and secreted by the prothoracic gland and corpora allata, respectively. However, the signalling regulatory network involved in the synthesis of these hormones and their effects is complex and interactive and involves many unidentified functional genes. In this study, we conducted a basic bioinformatics analysis of the <i>CAD96CA</i> gene and obtained <i>CAD96CA</i> mutants at the individual level in domestic silkworms using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology. We analysed the growth, development and silk protein synthesis phenotypes of the mutants and detected the synthesis and signalling effects of 20E and JH. The results revealed that knocking out the <i>CAD96CA</i> gene resulted in inhibited larval growth, reduced silk protein production, hindered larval-pupal transition and led to larval mortality. The synthesis of 20E and its signalling pathways, as well as the signalling pathways of JH, were all affected to varying degrees following <i>CAD96CA</i> knockout. Our study elucidates the role of <i>CAD96CA</i> in the growth and development of silkworms and provides a reference for studying metamorphosis mechanisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":13526,"journal":{"name":"Insect Molecular Biology","volume":"35 2","pages":"197-208"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/imb.70018","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145573676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbohydrate biosynthesis pathway is associated with lineage-specific diapause termination in the silkworm, Bombyx mori","authors":"Dongbin Chen,&nbsp;Dehong Yang,&nbsp;Yongping Huang,&nbsp;Zulian Liu","doi":"10.1111/imb.70015","DOIUrl":"10.1111/imb.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Diapause is a crucial biological adaptation that enables many insects to endure unfavourable environmental conditions and maintain species survival. The silkworm, <i>Bombyx mori</i>, a classic model organism exhibiting embryonic diapause, provides an excellent system for investigating diapause mechanisms. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of electrical stimulation in terminating diapause and explored its underlying regulatory mechanisms during the termination process in silkworms. Specifically, electrical stimulation significantly improved the economic traits of silkworms compared to HCl treatment. Transcriptome sequencing was performed to analyse dynamic gene regulation during diapause termination following electrical stimulation in two silkworm strains: the Chinese lineage strain <i>Qiufeng</i> and the Japanese lineage strain <i>Baiyu</i>. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed, for the first time, that the mechanism of diapause termination in silkworms is lineage-specific. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) further indicated that this lineage-specific diapause release is primarily driven by the differential expression of genes involved in the carbohydrate biosynthesis pathway. These findings both validate the practical application of electrical stimulation in sericulture and reveal fundamental differences in diapause regulation between silkworm lineages, advancing our understanding of this crucial biological process.</p>","PeriodicalId":13526,"journal":{"name":"Insect Molecular Biology","volume":"35 2","pages":"139-150"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145587378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}