A quantitative peptidomics approach to unravel immunological functions of angiotensin converting enzyme in Locusta migratoria.

Locusta migratoria angiotensin converting enzyme (LmACE) is encoded by multiple exons displaying variable number of genomic duplications. Treatments of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as well as peptidoglycan but not β-1-3 glucan resulted in enhanced expression of angiotensin converting enzyme in hemocytes of Locusta migratoria. No such effect was observed in fat body cells.

PHARMACOLOGICAL REGULATION OF DIGESTION IN THE ANAUTOGENOUS FLESH FLY, Sarcophaga crassipalpis, BY SIMPLE INJECTION OF 6-HYDROXYDOPAMINE.

Female anautogenous Sarcophaga flesh flies need a protein meal to start large-scale yolk polypeptides (YPs) production and oocyte maturation. Protein meal rapidly elicits a brain-dependent increase in midgut proteolytic activity. Trypsin and chymotrypsin together represent over 80% of protease activity in liver-fed flies.

The endocrine system controlling sexual reproduction in animals: Part of the evolutionary ancient but well conserved immune system?

Drastic changes in hormone titers, in particular of steroid hormones, are intuitively interpreted as necessary and beneficial for optimal functioning of animals. Peaks in progesterone- and estradiol titers that accompany the estrus cycle in female vertebrates as well as in ecdysteroids at each molt and during metamorphosis of holometabolous insects are prominent examples. A recent analysis of insect metamorphosis yielded the view that, in general, a sharp rise in sex steroid hormone titer signals that somewhere in the body some tissue(s) is undergoing programmed cell death/apoptosis.

Identification and functional characterization of a novel locust peptide belonging to the family of insect growth blocking peptides.

Growth blocking peptides (GBPs) are recognized as insect cytokines that take part in multifaceted functions including immune system activation and growth retardation. The peptides induce hemocyte spreading in vitro, which is considered as the initial step in hemocyte activation against infection in many insect species. Therefore, in this study, we carried out a series of in vitro bioassay driven fractionations of Locusta migratoria hemolymph combined with mass spectrometry to identify locust hemocyte activation factors belonging to the family of insect GBPs.

Development of primary cell cultures using hemocytes and phagocytic tissue cells of Locusta migratoria: an application for locust immunity studies.

Insect cell cultures played central roles in unraveling many insect physiological and immunological processes. Regardless, despite imminent needs, insect cell lines were developed primarily from Dipteran and Lepidopteran orders, leaving many important insects such as Orthopteran locusts under-represented. Besides the lack of cell lines, the slow progress in development of in vitro techniques is attributed to poor communications between different laboratories regarding optimized primary cell cultures.

Locust cellular defense against infections: sites of pathogen clearance and hemocyte proliferation.

The locust cellular defense is mediated by hemocytes and hematopoietic tissue. In Locusta migratoria, the hemocytes and hematopoietic tissue mutually assist each other in clearing invading pathogens from circulation. A β-1, 3-glucan infection induces nodule formation and apoptotic, TUNEL positive, cells in the hematopoietic tissue and massive loss of hemocytes in the circulation, calling for instant proliferation of hemocytes and hematopoietic tissue cells to assure continued host cellular defense.

Lipophorins can adhere to dsRNA, bacteria and fungi present in the hemolymph of the desert locust: a role as general scavenger for pathogens in the open body cavity.

Desert locusts are characterized by a highly sensitive and effective RNA interference (RNAi) response. Moreover, delivery of dsRNA into the open body cavity will elicit potent silencing effects throughout the body. On the other hand, many other insect species, such as Bombyx mori and Drosophila melanogaster, lack the ability to efficiently spread the RNAi-signal.

Neprilysins: an evolutionarily conserved family of metalloproteases that play important roles in reproduction in Drosophila.

Members of the M13 class of metalloproteases have been implicated in diseases and in reproductive fitness. Nevertheless, their physiological role remains poorly understood. To obtain a tractable model with which to analyze this protein family's function, we characterized the gene family in Drosophila melanogaster and focused on reproductive phenotypes.

Characterisation of a functional allatotropin receptor in the bumblebee, Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera, Apidae).

Allatotropins (ATs) are multifunctional neuropeptides initially isolated from the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, where they were found to stimulate juvenile hormone synthesis and release from the corpora allata. ATs have been found in a wide range of insects, but appear to be absent in Drosophila. The first AT receptor (ATR) was characterised in 2008 in the lepidopteran Bombyx mori.

Developmental- and food-dependent foraging transcript levels in the desert locust.

Drastic changes in the environment during a lifetime require developmental and physiological flexibility to ensure animal survival. Desert locusts, Schistocerca gregaria, live in an extremely changeable environment, which alternates between periods of rainfall and abundant food and periods of drought and starvation. In order to survive, locusts display an extreme form of phenotypic plasticity that allows them to rapidly cope with these changing conditions by converting from a cryptic solitarious phase to a swarming, voracious gregarious phase.

RNA interference mortality points to noncircadian functions for the clock gene in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria.

One of the core genes in the circadian regulation network is clock (clk). By forming a heterodimer with CYCLE (CYC) that binds on an E-box in the promoter region, it induces the transcription of other elements in the circadian transcriptional feedback loops and different clock output genes. In contrast to other insects, a clk double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) treatment is lethal in adults and fifth instar nymphs of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, in a dose-dependent manner.

Male reproduction is affected by RNA interference of period and timeless in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria.

In all living organisms, behavior, metabolism and physiology are under the regulation of a circadian clock. The molecular machinery of this clock has been conserved throughout the animal kingdom. Besides regulating the circadian timing of a variety of processes through a central oscillating mechanism in the brain, these circadian clock genes were found to have a function in peripheral tissues in different insects.

Fruitless RNAi knockdown in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, influences male fertility.

In Drosophila melanogaster, the male-specific splice isoform of the fruitless gene (Fru(M)) encodes a set of transcription factors that are involved in the regulation of male courtship and copulation. Recent insights from non-drosophilid insects suggest a conserved evolutionary role for the transcription factor Fruitless. In the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria and the German cockroach, Blatella germanica, both orthopteran insects, a conserved functional role for fruitless has been proposed.

Transcriptome analysis of the desert locust central nervous system: production and annotation of a Schistocerca gregaria EST database.

Background: The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) displays a fascinating type of phenotypic plasticity, designated as 'phase polyphenism'. Depending on environmental conditions, one genome can be translated into two highly divergent phenotypes, termed the solitarious and gregarious (swarming) phase. Although many of the underlying molecular events remain elusive, the central nervous system (CNS) is expected to play a crucial role in the phase transition process.

Fruitless RNAi knockdown in males interferes with copulation success in Schistocerca gregaria.

In Drosophila melanogaster, the male-specific splice isoform of the fruitless gene (Fru(M)) codes for a set of transcription factors that are involved in the regulation of male courtship and copulation. Fru(M) is expressed in an interconnected neuronal circuit containing central and sensory neurons as well as motor neurons. A partial sequence from the Schistocerca gregaria fru-gene from an EST database allowed quantitative real time analysis of fru-expression in adult locusts, and revealed the highest expression in the testes, accessory glands as well as the brain (and optic lobes).

The circadian clock genes affect reproductive capacity in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria.

The circadian clocks govern many metabolic and behavioral processes in an organism. In insects, these clocks and their molecular machinery have been found to influence reproduction in many different ways. Reproductive behavior including courtship, copulation and egg deposition, is under strong influence of the daily rhythm.

Age- and task-dependent foraging gene expression in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris.

In eusocial insects, the division of labor within a colony, based on either age or size, is correlated with a differential foraging (for) gene expression and PKG activity. This article presents in the first part a study on the for gene, encoding a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. Cloning of the open reading frame allowed phylogenetic tracing, which showed conservation of PKGs among social insects.

Control of ecdysteroidogenesis in prothoracic glands of insects: a review.

The very first step in the study of the endocrine control of insect molting was taken in 1922. Stefan Kopec characterized a factor in the brain of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar which appeared to be essential for metamorphosis. This factor was later identified as the neuropeptide prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH), the first discovery of a series of factors involved in the regulation of ecdysteroid biosynthesis in insects.

Identification and validation of housekeeping genes in brains of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria under different developmental conditions.

Background: To obtain reliable quantitative RT-PCR data, normalization relative to stable housekeeping genes is required. However, in practice, expression levels of 'typical' housekeeping genes have been found to vary between tissues and under different experimental conditions. To date, validation studies of reference genes in insects are extremely rare and have never been performed in locusts.

Sublethal effects of crop protection on honey bee pollination: foraging behaviour and flower visits.

Crop protection strategies essential for pest and disease control can pose risk to pollinators. Fruits cannot be grown commercially without the use of crop protection agents, either from organic or chemical origin. The use of products with toxic effects is banned during flowering, and precise pre-flowering intervals have to be respected in Good Agricultural Practice.

Effects of sublethal doses of crop protection agents on honey bee (Apis mellifera) global colony vitality and its potential link with aberrant foraging activity.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are the most economically valuable pollinators of fruit crops worldwide. Taking into account bees' contributions to other flowering agricultural crops, about one-third of our total diet comes directly or indirectly from bee-pollinated plants. However, in recent years there increasingly have been worrisome alarm sounds on serious bee mortalities and mysterious disappearance of bees from beehives.

Amfor expression in the honeybee brain: a trigger mechanism for nurse-forager transition.

The honeybee's colony fitness relies on an optimized age-dependent division of labor. Transition from nursing activities to foraging activities is associated with an increase in the expression of the Amfor gene. Ben-Shahar et al.