Insect SciencePub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70026
Farhan Ahmad, Hu Jinhao, Muhammad Zohaib Nawaz, Mudasir A Dar, Raghda Nasser, Syed Zeeshan Haider, Waqar Ul Haq, Jianzhong Sun, Jianchu Mo, Daochen Zhu
{"title":"Lignin disruption and ligninolytic enzyme activity in the symbiotic system of the Macrotermes barneyi termite.","authors":"Farhan Ahmad, Hu Jinhao, Muhammad Zohaib Nawaz, Mudasir A Dar, Raghda Nasser, Syed Zeeshan Haider, Waqar Ul Haq, Jianzhong Sun, Jianchu Mo, Daochen Zhu","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.70026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fungus-farming termites efficiently degrade recalcitrant lignocellulose through a symbiotic relationship with Termitomyces and the gut microbiome, making them successful key decomposers in (sub)tropical ecosystems. Despite extensive research on plant biomass decomposition, the mechanisms of lignin degradation in fungus-farming termites remain elusive. In view of this information gap, the present study employed several analytical approaches and ligninolytic enzyme assays to investigate lignin modification in the symbiotic system of a fungus-farming termite, Macrotermes barneyi. The results revealed the structural modification of lignin across different points of the degradation process. Enzyme assays of termite guts and fungus combs showed the obvious differences in ligninolytic enzyme activity at different sites of decomposition, likely initiating the modification of lignin. The findings of the current study support the hypothesis that although young workers start the modification of lignin to some extent, they largely leave the lignin monomers p-hydroxyphenyl (H), guaiacyl (G) and syringyl (S) intact. Most of the lignin-derived compounds are transferred to the fresh comb, where the majority of lignin modification begins and continues in mature and older parts of the comb. This study provides new insights into biomass degradation within the microsymbiotic system of an insect. A better understanding of these mechanisms has the promising potential for unlocking new lignin-degrading agents for the production of renewable energy.</p>","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143752579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Insect SciencePub Date : 2025-04-01DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70027
Taeheon Lee, Chae Jeong Kim, Do-Hwan Lim, Young Sik Lee
{"title":"microRNA miR-315-5p regulates developmental growth in Drosophila wings by targeting S6k.","authors":"Taeheon Lee, Chae Jeong Kim, Do-Hwan Lim, Young Sik Lee","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.70027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tissue growth in Drosophila is regulated by various factors, with microRNAs (miRNAs) emerging as key players over the past decade. However, the precise roles of miRNAs in growth regulation remain incompletely understood. In this study, we explored the biological role of miR-315 in wing growth regulation. Inhibition of miR-315-5p activity using a miR-315 sponge led to an increase in wing size, whereas its overexpression resulted in reduced wing size, primarily through a decrease in wing cell size. We identified ribosomal protein kinase p-70-S6k (S6k) as a target of miR-315-5p in relation to wing growth control. Overexpression of miR-315 reduced both total S6k and phosphorylated S6k protein levels in Drosophila S2 cells and wing discs. Additionally, a luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-315-5p directly binds to the 3'-untranslated region of S6k. Consistently, RNAi-mediated depletion of S6k led to smaller wings, primarily due to a reduction in cell size. Notably, co-overexpression of active S6k rescued the wing defects caused by miR-315 overexpression. Overall, these findings demonstrate that miR-315 regulates wing growth by suppressing S6k expression.</p>","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143752582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Insect SciencePub Date : 2025-03-31DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70040
Luca Rossini, Arthur Lots, Grégoire Noël, Arnaud Segers, Serhan Mermer, Mario Contarini, Stefano Speranza, Vaughn Walton, Frédéric Francis, Emanuele Garone
{"title":"Life tables data collection in entomology: an overview on the differential and the integral representation and proposal for a standard electronic file.","authors":"Luca Rossini, Arthur Lots, Grégoire Noël, Arnaud Segers, Serhan Mermer, Mario Contarini, Stefano Speranza, Vaughn Walton, Frédéric Francis, Emanuele Garone","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.70040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Life tables allow the exploration of insects' and terrestrial arthropods' biology, and how they respond to external factors. Data collection process has been partially standardized, but the presentation of results mainly depends on the purpose of the study. Two different data representations can be obtained from the raw dataset: the differential representation provides the distribution of the stage-development times, while the integral representation provides the number of individuals into the different life stages, over time. The representations provide relevant biological information, but they lead to a loss of information with respect to the raw dataset. To date, a conceptual explanation of how the two representations can be obtained from the raw data, and of their respective properties, is still missing; moreover, providing the raw dataset as supporting information of the published papers is still not customary. This paper highlights three main points: (i) how the two representations are obtained from life tables raw dataset; (ii) without raw data, it is not possible to switch between the two representations, with a subsequent loss of information; and (iii) why there is the need for a data collection standard. The conceptual explanation is further completed by an electronic file that could support data collection and sharing, and that automatically transform the data in the two representations. We believe that this study is a first step toward a more efficient diffusion of the information among the scientific community, maximizing the efforts made by scholars during the experimental and data analysis process.</p>","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143752576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Insect SciencePub Date : 2025-03-30DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70031
Ying Yan, Jing Zhao, Jonas Schwirz, Cristina Borghesi, Conghui Liu, Bo Liu, Wanqiang Qian, Fanghao Wan, Marc F Schetelig
{"title":"The transformer gene controls sexual development in Drosophila suzukii.","authors":"Ying Yan, Jing Zhao, Jonas Schwirz, Cristina Borghesi, Conghui Liu, Bo Liu, Wanqiang Qian, Fanghao Wan, Marc F Schetelig","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.70031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The genetic network of sex determination in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster was investigated in great detail. Such knowledge not only advances our understanding of the evolution and regulation of sexual dimorphism in insects, but also serves as a basis for developing genetic control strategies for pest species. In this study, we isolated the sex determination gene transformer (Dstra) from a global fruit pest, the spotted-wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), and characterized its gene organization. By comparing the deduced protein sequence of Dstra with its orthologs from 22 species, we found that tra genes from Dipteran species are divergent. Our research demonstrated that Dstra undergoes sex-specific splicing, and we validated its developmental expression profile. We engineered a piggyBac-based transformation vector expressing the complete Dstra coding sequence under the control of the Tetracycline-Off system. Through germ-line transformation, we generated 4 independent transgenic lines, producing pseudo-females from chromosomal males in the absence of tetracycline. This observation indicated ectopic expression of Dstra, confirmed by the detection of female Dstra transcripts in transgenic males. The pseudo-females exhibited altered wing patterns, feminized abdomen, abnormal reproductive organs, and disrupted sexual behavior. Ectopic expression of Dstra affected the sex-specific splicing pattern of the downstream gene fruitless, but not doublesex. In conclusion, our study provides comprehensive genetic, morphological, and behavioral evidence that Dstra controls sexual development in D. suzukii. We discuss the potential applications of this research for genetic control strategies targeting Dstra or using its gene elements.</p>","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143752587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Insect SciencePub Date : 2025-03-26DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70025
Xiao-Pei Wang, Ming-Zhu Ye, Wen-Tao Tu, Xiao-Fan Zhao
{"title":"20-hydroxyecdysone via upregulating 4EBP expression and inhibiting its phosphorylation represses cell proliferation to permit insect larval molting.","authors":"Xiao-Pei Wang, Ming-Zhu Ye, Wen-Tao Tu, Xiao-Fan Zhao","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.70025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein (4EBP) represses protein translation as a nonphosphorylated form by interacting with the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E). However, the upstream regulator of 4EBP is unclear. Using the major agricultural pest, Helicoverpa armigera, cotton bollworm, as a research model, we observed higher expression levels of 4Ebp at the 5th instar molting stage and metamorphosis. 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) significantly upregulated the expression of 4Ebp and inhibited its phosphorylation. 20E promoted the binding of ecdysone receptor B (EcRB) to the ecdysone response element (EcRE) in the promoter sequence of 4Ebp, thus facilitating 4Ebp transcription. Knocked down 4Ebp by RNA interference caused abnormal molting of the 5th instar larvae, and overexpression of 4EBP in the H. armigera epidermal cell line inhibited cell proliferation. These data suggested that 20E repressed cell proliferation temporarily by upregulating 4Ebp expression level and inhibiting its phosphorylation, which is necessary for insect larval molting.</p>","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143709774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Insect SciencePub Date : 2025-03-24DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70036
Ziqi Cheng, Longfei Chen, Bin Yan, Mengyu Zhang, Jialin Tian, Yang Mei
{"title":"Insect-eP450DB: A resource of functionally characterized P450s in insects.","authors":"Ziqi Cheng, Longfei Chen, Bin Yan, Mengyu Zhang, Jialin Tian, Yang Mei","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.70036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70036","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143700382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Insect SciencePub Date : 2025-03-23DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70028
Bin Yu, Chunxia Wang, Shaogang He, Yuanke Hu, Xianzhi Meng, Junhong Wei, Tian Li, Guoqing Pan, Zeyang Zhou, Chunfeng Li
{"title":"Construction of microsporidia-inducible GAL4/UAS-RTA system to generate resistance to Nosema bombycis in Bombyx mori.","authors":"Bin Yu, Chunxia Wang, Shaogang He, Yuanke Hu, Xianzhi Meng, Junhong Wei, Tian Li, Guoqing Pan, Zeyang Zhou, Chunfeng Li","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.70028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The presence of microsporidian infections in the animal industry could result in substantial economic losses. Nosema bombycis, as the first identified species of microsporidia, poses a significant threat to the silkworm industry. Currently, there is no strain of silkworm with obvious resistance that can inhibit the proliferation of N. bombycis in silkworm rearing. In this study, we developed a microsporidia-inducible GAL4/UAS-RTA (Ricin toxin A chain) system in silkworms that confers resistance against N. bombycis. This system utilizes the microsporidia-inducible promoters of BmUGT2 and BmUGT3 genes (PUGT2 and PUGT3) to drive the expression of GAL4 gene, while RTA is driven by a UAS cis-acting element. We generated hybrid silkworms through crosses between GAL4 transgenic silkworms (PUGT2-GAL4 or PUGT3-GAL4) and UAS-RTA transgenic silkworms. Under normal conditions, these hybrid lines exhibited unaltered fundamental economic characteristics compared to wild-type silkworms. However, when exposed to N. bombycis infection, they displayed significantly enhanced resistance against microsporidia. Our research successfully demonstrated mitigation of microsporidia proliferation in transgenic individuals using the microsporidia-inducible GAL4/UAS-RTA system in silkworms. This approach not only provides a novel strategy for developing resistant strains against microsporidia but also serves as an important reference for genetically enhancing resistance against intracellular pathogens in other economically significant insects.</p>","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143692161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Insect SciencePub Date : 2025-03-23DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70023
Daniel A Bastías, Luis Carvalho, Ruy Jáuregui, Richard D Johnson, Wei Zhang, Pedro E Gundel
{"title":"Is the endophyte-based plant protection against aphids mediated by changes in the insect microbiome?","authors":"Daniel A Bastías, Luis Carvalho, Ruy Jáuregui, Richard D Johnson, Wei Zhang, Pedro E Gundel","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.70023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aphids are important herbivores in natural and managed environments. We studied the response of aphids and their associated microbiota to the presence of the fungal endophyte Epichloë sp. LpTG-3 strain AR37, and the AR37-derived alkaloids in plants. We hypothesized that AR37 and/or AR37-derived alkaloids would reduce the aphid performance, and that this reduction would be associated with endophyte-mediated changes in the abundance, composition, and diversity of beneficial bacterial endosymbionts of aphids (e.g., Buchnera). Plants of Lolium perenne associated with AR37 variants able (wild type and ∆idtA) and unable (∆idtM) to produce indole diterpene alkaloids were challenged with Rhopalosiphum padi aphids. We measured aphid population size, plant biomass, and the abundance, composition and diversity of the aphid's bacterial microbiota. The presence of AR37 increased the resistance of plants against R. padi aphids via the production of indole diterpene alkaloids, and this effect was independent of the plant biomass. The endophyte-mediated reduction in aphid performance was not associated with changes in the abundance, composition and diversity of the insect's bacterial microbiota. However, we cannot rule out that the reduction in aphid performance could be associated with a putative endophyte effect on the bacterial provision of benefits to aphids. Our study highlighted the protective role of endophyte-derived indole diterpene alkaloids against aphids. Further investigations will be needed to determine if there is a link between the endophyte-mediated aphid resistance and the integrity of the insect's bacterial microbiota.</p>","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143692163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The involvement of Apolipophorin-III in orchestrating prophenoloxidase activation and NO production in Ostrinia furnacalis larvae.","authors":"Xu Liu, Wenlong Guo, Zitian Wang, Shuzhong Li, Honglun Bi, Congjing Feng","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.70030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Apolipophorin-III (ApoLp-III), a multifunctional protein with lipid transport and immune defense functions, widely exists in insects. Although the function of ApoLp-III as a pattern recognition receptor (PRR) in immunity has been relatively studied, the immune response mediated by ApoLp-III is still vague. To understand whether ApoLp-III is involved in the activation of the prophenoloxidase-activating system (PPO-AS), we examined the production of nitric oxide (NO), and the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides after immune recognition. The larvae of lepidopteran pest Ostrinia furnacalis were used as a model to address these questions by detecting the changes of phenoloxidase (PO) activity and NO concentration after the knockdown of OfApoLp-III and bacterial infections. In the present study, we reported the cloning and characterization of the OfApoLp-III complementary DNA, and found that OfApoLp-III is mainly expressed in the larval fat body. These investigations revealed that OfApoLp-III was an immune-related gene, its knockdown reduced the PO activity by 41.9%, and NO concentration reached 2.7-fold higher level than that after double-stranded GFP treatment. Our data indicated that OfApoLp-III was involved in increased expression of Moricin, activation of PPO, and reduction of NO production in O. furnacalis larvae after different bacterial infections, which were required for innate immunity. ApoLp-III is a candidate target for an integrated pest control strategy using the combined application of double-stranded RNA and biocontrol bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143692166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Insect SciencePub Date : 2025-03-18DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70024
Ya Guo, Tingting Ge, Qiang Wang, Tong-Xian Liu, Zhaofei Li
{"title":"An RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a based platform for rapid, sensitive, and visual detection of Apis mellifera filamentous virus.","authors":"Ya Guo, Tingting Ge, Qiang Wang, Tong-Xian Liu, Zhaofei Li","doi":"10.1111/1744-7917.70024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.70024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Apis mellifera filamentous virus (AmFV) is an emerging DNA virus significantly affecting honey bee health. AmFV infections weaken bee resistance to other pathogens, and can cause tissue lysis and death. Early, accurate detection of AmFV is crucial for timely intervention and preventing large-scale outbreaks. Current AmFV detection relies largely on polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. To enable rapid field detection of AmFV, we developed a rapid and ultrasensitive detection platform using recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) / CRISPR-associated nuclease 12a (Cas12a) technology. A CRISPR RNA (crRNA1) specifically targeting the AmFV Bro gene was designed, ensuring no cross-reactivity with other insect DNA viruses or uninfected honey bees. After optimization of the reaction time, the platform generated results within 35 min: 20 min for the RPA reaction and 15 min for CRISPR-mediated cleavage. Two visualization approaches, fluorescence-based and lateral flow dipstick, were used to display the detection results. The detection sensitivity of both approaches was as few as 10 copies of the AmFV genome. Validation with field-collected honey bee samples demonstrated consistency with conventional PCR, revealing widespread latent AmFV infections in the field. Taken together, we successfully developed an RPA-CRISPR/Cas12 platform for rapid, specific, and sensitive detection of AmFV in Apis mellifera and Apis cerana. This platform holds promise as a simple, accurate, and cost-effective tool for point-of-care AmFV diagnosis in the field.</p>","PeriodicalId":13618,"journal":{"name":"Insect Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143648442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}