Publications by authors named "Hai-Zhong Yu"

Flupyrimin (FLP) is a novel class of insecticide acting on insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and shows robust insecticidal activity. However, the toxicological effects of FLP on Spodoptera litura have not been revealed. In this study, the results showed that the larval survival rate decreased significantly with increasing concentration of FLP.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study focuses on the insect cuticle, which is essential for protection and moisture retention in insects, and identifies a key cuticular protein (DcCP8) in the pest Diaphorina citri.
  • - DcCP8 plays a crucial role in exocuticle formation and when silenced, it disrupts the insect's metamorphosis and increases cuticle permeability, impacting its development.
  • - A new RNA interference technique using nanoparticles targeting DcCP8 showed potential for increasing mortality in Diaphorina citri, suggesting a promising pest control strategy based on dsRNA technology.
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Huanglongbing (HLB) is a systemic plant disease caused by ' Liberibacter asiaticus (Las)' and transmitted by . acquires the Las bacteria in the nymph stage and transmits it in the adult stage, indicating that molting from the nymph to adult stages is crucial for HLB transmission. However, the available reference genomes are incomplete, and gene function studies have been limited to date.

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Chitin plays an important role in the development and molting of insects. The key genes involved in chitin metabolism were considered promising targets for pest control. In this study, two splice variants of chitin deacetylase 2 (CDA2) from Diaphorina citri were identified, including DcCDA2a and DcCDA2b.

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Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease, is caused by Candidatus Liberbacter asiaticus (CLas) and transmitted by Diaphorina citri. Previous studies reported that CLas infection significantly influences the structure of the D. citri cytoskeleton.

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Glycogen is a predominant carbohydrate reserve in various organisms, which provides energy for different life activities. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) is a central player that catalyzes glucose and converts it into glycogen. In this study, a gene was identified from the genome database and named .

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Ferritin heavy-chain homolog (FerHCH), an iron-binding protein, plays an important role in the host defense against oxidative stress and pathogen infections. In our previous research, Bombyx mori native ferritin had an interaction with B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV).

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Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (GRPs) are family of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), which can recognize the peptidoglycan and trigger the innate immune system against the microorganisms in insects. In this study, we identified a GRP-LB from Spodoptera litura genome database and named SlGRP-LB, which contained a complete open reading frame (ORF) of 639 bp, encoding a protein of 212 amino acids with a signal peptide and GRP domain. Phylogenetic tree analysis suggested that the SlGRP-LB has a close relationship with Helicoverpa armigera GRP-LB (HaGRP-LB).

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Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) plays an important role in the synthesis of trehalose. In the current study, a gene was obtained from , and named as which encoded a protein of 833 amino acid residues. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis revealed that had the highest expression level in the midgut and fifth-instar nymph stage.

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Validamycin, as a broadly applied antibiotic, has been used to control rice sheath blight disease. Furthermore, validamycin was considered as an insecticide to control agricultural pests. Insight into the mechanism of validamycin's action on insects can provide molecular targets for the control of agricultural pests.

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Background: Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) in insects contribute to the sensitivity of the olfactory system and connect external odorants to olfactory receptor neurons. Determination of the chemosensory functions in Diaphorina citri, a vector of the citrus Huanglongbing pathogen, may help in developing a potential target for pest management.

Results: Diaphorina citri showed dose-dependent electroantennogram recording (EAG) responses to 12 host plant volatiles.

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Validamycin has been widely used as a specific competitive inhibitor of trehalase. In our previous research, validamycin significantly inhibited trehalase activity and chitin synthesis in Diaphorina citri, resulting in abnormal phenotypes. However, the mechanism of validamycin's action on D.

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The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri is the principal vector of huanglongbing, which transmits Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. Trehalase is a key enzyme involved in trehalose hydrolysis and plays an important role in insect growth and development. The specific functions of this enzyme in D.

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Chitin is one the main components of the insect cuticle, and chitin synthase (CHS) is an important enzyme required for chitin formation. CHS has been characterized in various insect species, but the structure and biochemical properties in have not been determined. In this study, we identified two genes, and , which encode proteins with 1565 and 1520 amino acid residues, respectively.

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The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), is an important transmission vector of the citrus greening disease C Liberibacter asiaticus (Las). The midgut exhibits an important tissue barrier against Las infection. However, the molecular mechanism of the midgut response to Las infection has not been comprehensively elucidated.

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Ferritin is a ubiquitous and conserved iron storage protein that plays a significant role in host detoxification, iron storage, and immune response. Although ferritin has been studied in many species, little is known about its role in the Eri-silkworm (Samia cynthia ricini). In this study, the ferritin light-chain subunit gene, named ScFerLCH, was identified from S.

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Chitin deacetylase (CDA) is a chitin degradation enzyme that strictly catalyzes the deacetylation of chitin to form chitosan, which plays an important role in regulating growth and development, as well as the immune response. In this study, a gene () was identified with a complete open reading frame (ORF) of 1362 bp from the genome database of , encoding a protein of 453 amino acids. Spatiotemporal expression analysis suggested that () had the highest expression level in the integument and third-instar nymph stage.

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Chitin synthase is a critical enzyme that catalyzes -acetylglucosamine to form chitin, which plays an important role in the growth and development of insects. In this study, we identified a chitin synthase gene () with a complete open reading frame (ORF) of 3180 bp from the genome database of , encoding a protein of 1059 amino acid residues with the appropriate signature motifs (EDR and QRRRW). Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis suggested that () was expressed throughout all developmental stages and all tissues.

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Ferritin, which is ubiquitous among all living organisms, plays a crucial role in maintaining iron homeostasis, immune response, and detoxification. In the present research, we identified an iron-binding protein, ferritin heavy chain subunit, from Papilio xuthus and named PxFerHCH. The complete complementary DNA of PxFerHCH was 1,252 bp encoding a sequence of 211 amino acids, which includes an iron-responsive element.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is a key pest that spreads a citrus disease called Huanglongbing (HLB) by transmitting the pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas).
  • A new isoform of psyllid tropomyosin (DcTm1-X1) was discovered, which is less active in CLas-infected ACPs than in healthy ones and has a specific structure detailing a protein with 284 amino acids.
  • Research indicates that DcTm1-X1 interacts with important proteins and its suppression increases the mortality and infection rates in psyllid nymphs, suggesting it plays a crucial role in the ACP's response to CLas and providing a basis for future investigations.
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Proteins p38 map kinase and ribosomal S6 kinase (S6K) as members of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play important roles against pathogens. In this study, Bmp38 and BmS6K were identified as differentially expressed proteins from iTRAQ database. Bmp38 and BmS6K were expressed, and recombinant proteins were purified.

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Apolipophorin-III (ApoLp-III) is an abundant hemolymph protein mainly involved in lipid transport and innate immunity in insects. In the present study, the gene Samia cynthia ricini ApoLp-III (ScApoLp-III) was identified from a transcriptome database, and contained 790 nucleotides with a putative open reading frame (ORF) of 561 bp encoding 186 amino acid residues. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ScApoLp-III had significant homology with ApoLp-III protein from Antheraea pernyi.

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The long non-coding RNA taurine up-regulated gene 1 (TUG1) has been shown to be dysregulated in various types of malignant cancer; however, its underlying mechanism of action has not been fully elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the biological role and clinical significance of TUG1 in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). A reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay was used to evaluate TUG1 expression in tissues from patients with CRC.

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Ferritin is a ubiquitous iron storage protein that plays an important role in host defence against pathogen infections. In the present study, native ferritin was isolated from the hemolymph of Bombyx mori using native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (native-PAGE) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The results revealed that ferritin consisted of two subunits, designated as BmFerHCH and BmFerLCH.

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Samia cynthia ricini (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) is an important commercial silk-producing insect; however, in contrast to the silkworm, mulberry leaves are toxic to this insect because the leaves contain the component 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ). A transcriptomic analysis of eri-silkworm haemolymph was conducted to examine the genes related to different metabolic pathways and to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying eri-silkworm haemolymph responses to DNJ. Eight hundred sixty-five differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, among which 577 DEGs were up-regulated and 288 DEGs were down-regulated in the 2% DNJ group compared to control (ddH2O) after 12h.

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