Structural and functional analysis of aquaporins in Bombus terrestris.

Bombus terrestris are efficient pollinators in forestry and agriculture, with higher cold tolerance than other bees. Yet, their cold tolerance mechanism remains unclear. Aquaporins (AQPs) function as cell membrane proteins facilitating rapid water flow, aiding in osmoregulation.

The dual coding of a single sex pheromone receptor in Asian honeybee Apis cerana.

In Asian honeybees, virgin queens typically only mate during a single nuptial flight before founding a colony. This behavior is controlled by the queen-released mandibular pheromone (QMP). 9-oxo-(E)-2-decenoic acid (9-ODA), a key QMP component, acts as sex pheromone and attracts drones.

Odorant Receptors Expressing and Antennal Lobes Architecture Are Linked to Caste Dimorphism in Asian Honeybee, (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Insects heavily rely on the olfactory system for food, mating, and predator evasion. However, the caste-related olfactory differences in , a eusocial insect, remain unclear. To explore the peripheral and primary center of the olfactory system link to the caste dimorphism in , transcriptome and immunohistochemistry studies on the odorant receptors (ORs) and architecture of antennal lobes (ALs) were performed on different castes.

Functional Characterization of the Niemann-Pick C2 Protein BdioNPC2b in the Parasitic Wasp (Chalcidodea: Eulophidae).

Reverse chemical ecology has been widely applied for the functional characterization of olfactory proteins in various arthropods, but few related studies have focused on parasitic wasps. Here, the odorant carrier Niemann-Pick C2 protein of (BdioNPC2b) was studied in vitro and in vivo. Ligand binding analysis revealed that BdioNPC2b most strongly bound to 2-butyl-2-octenal and which compound could elicit an EAG response and attracted adults.

Circabidian rhythm of sex pheromone reception in a scarab beetle.

Animals have endogenous clocks that regulate their behavior and physiology. These clocks rely on environmental cues (time givers) that appear approximately every 24 h due to the Earth's rotation; thus, most insects exhibit a circadian rhythm. One notable exception is the scarab beetle, Holotrichia parallela, a severe agricultural pest in China, Japan, South Korea, and India.

Transcriptome analysis and identification of genes related to environmental adaptation of Zhou & Ren 2023.

is a true cave insect living in the dark areas of caves. It has the characteristics of sparse skin pigmentation, degeneration of the compound eyes and monocular eyes, and obvious preference for high-humidity and low-temperature environments. Given the highly specialized, rare, and limited distribution, is considered an endangered species and also a first-level national protected insect in China.

Decreasing the memory of the discontinuous Galerkin volume integral equation method for scattering from inhomogeneous dielectric objects.

A memory-efficient implementation scheme for the discontinuous Galerkin volume integral equation method (DGVIE) using Schaubert-Wilton-Glisson (SWG) basis functions is proposed to analyze electromagnetic scattering from inhomogeneous dielectric objects. For this proposed scheme, almost no half-SWG basis functions are needed for the elements separating nonconformal meshes, while these half-SWG basis functions are indispensable for the conventional DGVIE-SWG method. This is realized by applying the divergence-free condition of the electric displacement vector explicitly for nonconformal meshes separating neighboring subdomains of an inhomogeneous dielectric body.

Identification and functional characterization of female antennae-biased odorant receptor 23 involved in acetophenone detection of the Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella.

The Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), a globally distributed storage pest, relies on odors that are emitted from stored foods to select a suitable substrate for oviposition. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the chemical communication between P. interpunctella and its host remains elusive.

Screening and identification of genes associated with flight muscle histolysis of the house cricket .

Flight muscle histolysis, as an important survival strategy, is a widespread phenomenon in insects and facilitates adaptation to the external environment in various insect taxa. However, the regulatory mechanism underlying this phenomenon in Orthoptera remains unknown. In this study, the flight muscle histolysis in the house cricket was investigated by transcriptomics and RNA interference.

Descriptions of a new genus and a new species, (Grylloblattidae) from China.

We erected a new genus ( Zhou & Ren gen. nov.) and defined a new species ( Zhou & Ren sp.

Transcriptome Analysis and Identification of Chemosensory Genes in (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae).

is a pupal endoparasitoid of many Pyralidae pests and has been used as a biocontrol agent against insect pests that heavily damage the cone and seed of the Korean pine. The olfactory system of wasps plays an essential role in sensing the chemical signals during their foraging, mating, host location, etc., and the chemosensory genes are involved in detecting and transducing these signals.

Morphology and ultrastructure of antennal sensilla of the parasitic wasp Baryscapus dioryctriae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae).

Baryscapus dioryctriae is an endoparasitic wasp in the pupae of many Pyralidae pests, such as Dioryctria mendacella, Ostrinia furnacalis, and Chilo suppressalis. To provide requisite background for our ongoing research on the mechanisms of host location in B. dioryctriae, the morphology, abundance, distribution, and ultrastructure of the antennal sensilla were investigated using scanning and transmission electron microscopy.

Sex peptide receptor mediates the post-mating switch in Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) female reproductive behavior.

Background: In Drosophila, the sex peptide receptor (SPR) in females to detect male sex peptide (SP) and trigger changes in female behavior including mating rejection and oviposition. In moths, the SPR had been identified and investigated the limited function by using RNA interference (RNAi). However, the detailed function of SPR after a normal mating in moths, especially the role in female sexual receptivity, remains to be elucidated.

Essential role for SNMP1 in detection of sex pheromones in Helicoverpa armigera.

The sensory neuron membrane protein, SNMP1, was initially discovered in moths and is associated with sex pheromone sensitive neurons, suggesting a role in the detection of these semiochemicals. Although DrosophilaSNMP1 has been reported to be involved in detecting of the sex pheromone cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), the role of this protein in moths in vivo is still largely unexplored. In this study we developed a SNMP1 homozygous mutant line of Helicoverpa armigera using CRISPR/Cas9.

Microdon dentigiganteum sp. nov. and other Microdontinae species (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Northeast China.

Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) of the subfamily Microdontinae were surveyed in Northeast China. A total of six species were identified, including one new to science, Microdon dentigiganteum sp. nov.

Genome of the webworm Hyphantria cunea unveils genetic adaptations supporting its rapid invasion and spread.

Background: The fall webworm Hyphantria cunea is an invasive and polyphagous defoliator pest that feeds on nearly any type of deciduous tree worldwide. The silk web of H. cunea aids its aggregating behavior, provides thermal regulation and is regarded as one of causes for its rapid spread.

Molecular Characterization and Key Binding Sites of Sex Pheromone-Binding Proteins from the Meadow Moth, .

The meadow moth, , is a typical agricultural pest that uses sex pheromones to mediate mating behavior; however, the mechanism underlying the selectivity of its pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) remains unknown. In this study, LstiPBP1 and LstiPBP3 were cloned, expressed, and purified, and the fluorescence binding assay showed that LstiPBP1 binds to the major sex pheromone component, E-11-tetradecenol (E11-14:OH), with high affinity; moreover, E11-14:OH could evoke a significant antennal electrophysiological response and attract males. After LstiPBP1 was silenced, both the antennal response and attractiveness of E11-14:OH decreased significantly.

A herbivore-induced plant volatile of the host plant acts as a collective foraging signal to the larvae of the meadow moth, Loxostege sticticalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

The meadow moth Loxostege sticticalis is a serious agricultural pest that feeds on the leaves of many economic crops, such as sugar beet, soybean, sunflower, and potato. In addition to the rapid migration of adult moths, the collective foraging behavior of the larvae is also thought to be involved in the search for new food sources and substantially contributes to the expansion of the infested area. However, whether and how the chemical signals take part in this process remains unknown.

Additive antidepressant-like effects of fasting with β-estradiol in mice.

Our recent study has shown that acute fasting produces antidepressant-like effects in male mice. However, there is little evidence regarding the antidepressant-like effects of acute fasting in female mice. Moreover, it is not yet clear whether estrogen produces additive effects with acute fasting.

Involvement of heat shock protein 40 in the wing dimorphism of the house cricket Acheta domesticus.

Wing dimorphism is a common phenomenon in a wide range of insect taxa. In most insects, the two morphs are macropterous and micropterous, in extreme cases of the latter, wing shedding can occur. Wing dimorphism contributes significantly to the ecological success of many insect species.

Phylogeny and acoustic signal evolution of a pure tone song katydid Pseudophyllus titan (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) based on the complete mitogenome.

Ensifera is an extremely diverse group in the order Orthoptera, and it has been the subject of considerable research, especially in terms of phylogeny and bioacoustics. Katydids are known for using high-frequency broadband signals whereas most cricket songs are pure tones with a frequency range of 2-8 kHz. Pseudophyllus titan is a special katydid emits low-frequency pure tone songs similar to that of crickets.

Identification and evolution of olfactory genes in the small poplar longhorn beetle Saperda populnea.

Saperda populnea is a serious pest of poplar and willow trees in the Palaearctic region, causing extensive damage to forests and the lumber industry. Until recently, there is no safe and effective chemical method to control this pest due to the lack of sufficient knowledge on the molecular basis of its olfactory genes, moreover, the evolutionary history of the olfactory gene family in subfamily Lamiinae is still fully unknown. Our RNA sequencing of the antennae of S.

Selectivity and ligand-based molecular modeling of an odorant-binding protein from the leaf beetle Ambrostoma quadriimpressum (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in relation to habitat-related volatiles.

In this study, the most abundant and antenna-specific odorant-binding protein (OBP) of the elm pest A. quadriimpressum, AquaOBP4, was expressed and purified. The selectivity of AquaOBP4 was investigated by screening against a panel of 40 habitat-relevant compounds.