Functionally Modified Graphene Oxide as an Alternative Nanovehicle for Enhanced dsRNA Delivery in Improving RNAi-Based Insect Pest Control.

RNA interference (RNAi) has shown substantial promise as a sustainable pest management solution. However, the efficacy of RNAi-based insecticides heavily relies on advanced nanocarrier-mediated delivery systems. In this study, we modified raw graphene oxide into positively charged nanocarriers (GONs) tailored to bind with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA).

Development of Population: Does the Nutritional Status Matter?

(Hübner) is a common agricultural pest that can harm hundreds of crops. Nutrition conditions can significantly affect the development of insects, especially carbohydrates (C) and proteins (P), which are the two most critical nutrients. To study the development of the population under different carbohydrate and protein nutrition conditions, we constructed a life table of both sexes of an population under three artificial diets: high nitrogen (P:C = 7:1), medium nitrogen, medium sugar (P:C = 1:1), and high sugar (P:C = 1:7).

CRISPR/Cas9 in lepidopteran insects: Progress, application and prospects.

Clustered regularly spaced short palindrome repeats (CRISPR) structure family forms the acquired immune system in bacteria and archaea. Recent advances in CRISPR/Cas genome editing as derived from prokaryotes, confirmed the characteristics of robustness, high target specificity and programmability, and also revolutionized the insect sciences field. The successful application of CRISPR in a wide variety of lepidopteran insects, with a high genetic diversity, provided opportunities to explore gene functions, insect modification and pest control.

CCHamide2-receptor regulates feeding behavior in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum.

Neuropeptide CCHamide-2 is a recently discovered peptide presents in many arthropods and it is the ligand of the CCHamide-2 receptor (CCHa2-R), which is playing a regulatory role in diverse physiological processes, such as feeding, insulin production, lipid metabolism, growth and reproduction, however, the function of this gene in aphids is still unknown. Here, we characterized and determined the presumed role of CCHa2-R signaling in the wingless pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed the expression levels of CCHa2-R transcripts in different development stages and different tissues, which indicates that the CCHa2-R expression was high in the first instar as compared to the upcoming nymphal instars and adult and was predominantly high in the brain.

Genomics, transcriptomics, and peptidomics of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) neuropeptides.

Neuropeptides control many physiological and behavioral processes, and so they are functionally important classes of cell-to-cell signaling molecules. Nowadays, the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is one of the most destructive agricultural pests in the world. In this study, we mined the publicly accessible genome assembly data for S.

Genome-wide identification of neuropeptides and their receptor genes in Bemisia tabaci and their transcript accumulation change in response to temperature stresses.

Insect neuropeptides play an important role in regulating physiological functions such as growth, development, behavior and reproduction. We identified temperature-sensitive neuropeptides and receptor genes of the cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. We identified 38 neuropeptide precursor genes and 35 neuropeptide receptors and constructed a phylogenetic tree using additional data from other insects.

Randomised controlled trial of WISENSE, a real-time quality improving system for monitoring blind spots during esophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Objective: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is the pivotal procedure in the diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal lesions. However, there are significant variations in EGD performance among endoscopists, impairing the discovery rate of gastric cancers and precursor lesions. The aim of this study was to construct a real-time quality improving system, WISENSE, to monitor blind spots, time the procedure and automatically generate photodocumentation during EGD and thus raise the quality of everyday endoscopy.