NPF and sNPF can regulate the feeding behaviour and affect the growth and antioxidant levels of the rice brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.

Neuropeptide F (NPF) and short neuropeptide F (sNPF) are important neuropeptides and mainly affect feeding behaviour of insects. However, the regulation of insect feeding behaviour by NPF and sNPF appears to differ between species, and it is not clear how NPF and sNPF regulate the food intake of the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens). Therefore, the functions of NPF and sNPF in regulating food intake and affecting the growth and antioxidant levels of N.

Azotobacter inoculation can enhance the resistance of Bt cotton to cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera.

The rising trend in the cultivation of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) transgenic crops may cause a destabilization of agroecosystems, thus increasing concerns about the sustainability of Bt crops as a valid pest management method. Azotobacter can be used as a biological regulator to increase environmental suitability and improve the soil nitrogen utilization efficiency of crops, especially Bt cotton. A laboratory test investigated effects on the development and food utilization of Helicoverpa armigera fed with different Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac proteins and nitrogen metabolism-related compounds from cotton (transgenic variety SCRC 37 vs non-Bt cotton cv.

Screening and characterization of inhibitory vNAR targeting nanodisc-assembled influenza M2 proteins.

Influenza A virus poses a constant challenge to human health. The highly conserved influenza matrix-2 (M2) protein is an attractive target for the development of a universal antibody-based drug. However, screening using antigens with subphysiological conformation in a nonmembrane environment significantly reduces the generation of efficient antibodies.

Quercetin improves cognitive disorder in aging mice by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Quercetin is one of the most abundant dietary flavonoid compounds, and its mechanism for combating age-related neurodegenerative diseases is unclear. In this study, quercetin (35 and 70 mg kg, orally administered for 4 weeks) was administered to 7-month-old aging mice (senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 mice). As a result, it was found that quercetin could improve spatial learning and memory impairment displayed by aging mice in the Morris water maze.

Evaluating the effects of transgenic Bt rice cultivation on soil stability.

Insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins produced by genetically modified rice that enter the soil via pollen dispersal, plant residues, and root exudation may disturb soil health. In the present study, we assessed the influences of transgenic Bt rice (i.e.

Geomagnetic field absence reduces adult body weight of a migratory insect by disrupting feeding behavior and appetite regulation.

The geomagnetic field (GMF) is well documented for its essential role as a cue used in animal orientation or navigation. Recent evidence indicates that the absence of GMF (mimicked by the near-zero magnetic field, NZMF) can trigger stress-like responses such as reduced body weight, as we have previously shown in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. In this study, we found that consistent with the significantly decreased body weight of newly emerged female (-14.

Enhancement of the geomagnetic field reduces the phototaxis of rice brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens associated with frataxin down-regulation.

The geomagnetic field (GMF) is an environmental cue that provides directional information for animals. The intensity of GMF is varied over space and time. Variations in the GMF intensity affect the navigation of animals and their physiology.

Host-selection behavior and physiological mechanisms of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, in response to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO) levels can markedly affect the growth, development, reproduction and behavior of herbivorous insects, mainly by changing the primary and secondary metabolites of their host plants. However, little is known about the host-selection behavior and the respective intrinsic mechanism of sap-sucking insects in response to elevated CO. In this experiment, the host-selection behavior, as well as the physiological mechanism based on the analysis of growth, development and energy substances, and the expression of the olfactory-related genes of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, were studied under ambient (407.

[Double-ambient CO concentration affects the growth, development and sucking behavior of non-target brown plant hopper Nilaparvata lugens fed on transgenic Bt rice].

In recent years, the two issues of climate change including elevated CO etc., and resistance of transgenic Bt crops against non-target insect pests have received widespread attention. Elevated CO can affect the herbivorous insects.

Molecular characterization, spatial-temporal expression and magnetic response patterns of iron-sulfur cluster assembly1 (IscA1) in the rice planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.

The mechanisms of magnetoreception have been proposed as the magnetite-based, the chemical radical-pair and biocompass model, in which magnetite particles, the cryptochrome (Cry) or iron-sulfur cluster assembly 1 (IscA1) may be involved. However, little is known about the association among the molecules. Here we investigated the molecular characterization and the mRNA expression of IscA1 in different developmental stages, tissues and magnetic fields in the migratory brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens.

Brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens was concentrated at the rear of the typhoon Soudelor in Eastern China in August 2015.

Sometimes, extreme weather is vital for the population survival of migratory insects by causing sudden population collapse or outbreak. Several studies have shown that rice planthopper migration was significantly influenced by typhoons in eastern Asia. Most typhoons occur in the summer, especially in August.

[Activity patterns and foraging behavior of Apis cerana cerana in the urban gardens in winter].

Bees and other pollinating insects are the important parts of biodiversity due to their great role in plant reproduction and crop production. To explore the role of city garden in native bees conservation, activity patterns, visiting behaviors and flowering plants with nectar or pollen were recorded in south Sichuan in winter. The results showed that, worker bees (Apis cerana cerana) were active to collect food out hive under suitable weather conditions, the duration of working was long.

Molecular characterization, tissue and developmental expression profiles of cryptochrome genes in wing dimorphic brown planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens.

Cryptochromes (CRYs) are blue and UV light photoreceptors, known to play key roles in circadian rhythms and in the light-dependent magnetosensitivity of insects. Two novel cryptochrome genes were cloned from the brown planthopper, and were given the designations of Nlcry1 and Nlcry2, with the accession numbers KM108578 and KM108579 in GenBank. The complementary DNA sequences of Nlcry1 and Nlcry2 are 1935 bp and 2463 bp in length, and they contain an open reading frame of 1629 bp and 1872 bp, encoding amino acids of 542 and 623, with a predicted molecular weight of 62.

Cryptochromes and Hormone Signal Transduction under Near-Zero Magnetic Fields: New Clues to Magnetic Field Effects in a Rice Planthopper.

Although there are considerable reports of magnetic field effects (MFE) on organisms, very little is known so far about the MFE-related signal transduction pathways. Here we establish a manipulative near-zero magnetic field (NZMF) to investigate the potential signal transduction pathways involved in MFE. We show that exposure of migratory white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera, to the NZMF results in delayed egg and nymphal development, increased frequency of brachypterous females, and reduced longevity of macropterous female adults.

Intercrop movement of convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), between adjacent cotton and alfalfa.

A 2-year study was conducted to characterize the intercrop movement of convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) between adjacent cotton and alfalfa. A dual protein-marking method was used to assess the intercrop movement of the lady beetles in each crop. In turns field collected lady beetles in each crop were assayed by protein specific ELISA to quantify the movement of beetles between the crops.

[Effects of phytase transgenic corn planting on soil nematode community].

A healthy soil ecosystem is essential for nutrient cycling and energy conversion, and the impact of exogenous genes from genetically modified crops had aroused wide concerns. Phytase transgenic corn (i. e.

Bio-effects of near-zero magnetic fields on the growth, development and reproduction of small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus and brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.

Magnetic fields markedly affect the growth and development of many species of organisms potentially due to cryptochrome and endogenous presence of magnetic materials. Sensitivity to magnetic fields can also be involved in geomagnetic orientation by some long-distance migratory insects. In this study, near-zero magnetic fields (NZMF) in relation to normal geomagnetic fields (GMF) were setup using the Hypomagnetic Field Space System (HMFs) to investigate the effects of magnetic fields on the growth, development and reproduction of two species of migratory planthopper, the small brown planthopper (abbr.

[Effects of two years planting transgenic Bt rice (BtSY63) on soil nematode community].

A two-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of planting transgenic Bt rice (BtSY63) and its near-isogenic non-Bt rice (SY63) on the soil nematode abundance, trophic group composition, ecological indices, and community structure. With the planting of BtSY63 and SY63, the soil nematode abundance changed obviously with sampling time, but had no significant difference between planting BtSY63 and SY63. Only at specific sampling time, the percentage of omnivore-predators and the Shannon diversity index of nematode community under the planting of BtSY63 were significantly higher than those under the planting of SY63.

[Effects of transgenic Bt rice on soil dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen contents and microbiological properties].

A two-year field experiment (2009 and 2010) was conducted to evaluate the effects of three transgenic Bt rice lines (KMD, HH1, and BtSY63) and their non-Bt lines (XSD, MH63, and SY63) on soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) and microbiological properties. All the measured indices changed significantly with sampling time. Comparing with their corresponding non-Bt lines, the test transgenic Bt lines had little effects on the soil DOC, DON, and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN).

[Occurrence dynamics of migratory pest insects Cnaphalocrocis medinalis and Sogatella furcifera in transgenic Bt rice field in Xing'an County of Guangxi Province].

An investigation was conducted in Xing' an County of Guangxi Province in 2010 to study the occurrence and damage characteristics of two unique migratory pest insects, rice leaffolder (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) and white-backed planthopper (Sogatella furcifera), in a transgenic Bt rice (cv. HH1 with dual Cry1Ab+Cry1Ac genes) field, taking the corresponding non-transgenic parent (cv. MH63) field as the control.

Elevated CO2 changes interspecific competition among three species of wheat aphids: Sitobion avenae, Rhopalosiphum padi, and Schizaphis graminum.

Effects of elevated CO2 (twice ambient) on the interspecific competition among three species of wheat aphids (Sitobion avenae, Rhopalosiphum padi, and Schizaphis graminum) and on wheat-aphid interactions were studied. Wheat plants had higher biomass and yield and lower water and nitrogen content of grain when grown under elevated CO2 than under ambient CO2; levels of condensed tannins, total phenols, and total nonstructural carbohydrates were also higher in wheat ears under elevated CO2. Compared with ambient CO2, elevated CO2 increased the abundance of R.

Response of successive three generations of cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), fed on cotton bolls under elevated CO2.

The growth, development and consumption of successive three generations of cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), fed on cotton bolls grown under elevated CO2 (double-ambient vs. ambient) in open-top chambers were examined. Significant decreases in protein, total amino acid, water and nitrogen content and increases in free fatty acid were observed in cotton bolls.

Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) allomone response to cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, in a closed-dynamics CO(2) chamber (CDCC).

Allocation of allomones of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis Gossypium hirsutum (Bt cotton) (cv. GK-12) and non-Bt-transgenic cotton (cv. Simian-3) grown in elevated CO(2) in response to infestation by cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, was studied in a closed-dynamics CO(2) chamber.