Publications by authors named "Longwa Zhang"

Thiacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, has become one of the major control agents for the pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus alternatus Hope, however, the mechanism of detoxification is unknown. We demonstrate that glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are involved in the rapid detoxification of thiacloprid in M. alternatus larvae.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses the harmful impact of a wood-boring pest on trees and explores the potential for eco-friendly control strategies through understanding its olfactory sensory system.
  • Researchers conducted transcriptome sequencing of different body parts of the pest, focusing on odorant binding protein (OBP) genes, and found eight highly expressed OBPs in the antennae.
  • Among these, AgerOBP23 demonstrated strong binding to various pheromones, plant volatiles, and insecticides, suggesting it could be a target for future research on pest control strategies through chemical interactions.
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Background: Sensing dietary components in the gut is important to ensure an appropriate hormonal response and metabolic regulation after food intake. The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, is a major invasive pest in China and has led to significant economic losses and ecosystem disruption. The larvae's broad host range and voracious appetite for leaves make H.

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Background: General odor-binding proteins (GOBPs) play critical roles in insect olfactory recognition of sex pheromones and plant volatiles. Therefore, the identification of GOBPs in Hyphantria cunea (Drury) based on their characterization to pheromone components and plant volatiles is remain unknown.

Results: In this study, two H.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the olfactory genes in male and female moths, specifically looking at their ability to detect type-II sex pheromone components, which play a crucial role in their communication and reproduction.
  • Researchers identified 150 candidate olfactory genes, including various types of receptors and proteins, with notable findings that certain receptors were more abundant in males, suggesting a specialized role in pheromone detection.
  • In contrast, many other receptors showed higher expression in female antennae, indicating possible functions related to detecting host plant volatiles, highlighting the complexity of olfactory mechanisms in these moths.
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Background: The entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana is a popular fungus used to control the Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus alternatus Hope, the key vector of pine wood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) that is the causal agent of pine wilt disease, resulting in devastating losses of pines in China and Portugal. However, recent studies have demonstrated that some insect-associated bacteria might decrease fungal toxicity and further undermine its biological control efficacy against M. alternatus.

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The red-necked longicorn beetle, (Faldermann) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is a major destructive, wood-boring pest, which is widespread throughout the world. The sex pheromone of was reported earlier; however, the chemosensory mechanism of the beetle remains almost unknown. In this study, 45 AbunORs, 6 AbunGRs and 2 AbunIRs were identified among 42,197 unigenes derived from the antennal transcriptome bioinformatic analysis of adults.

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The olfactory system of insects is important for behavioral activities as it recognizes internal and external volatile stimuli in the environment. Insect odorant degrading enzymes (ODEs), including antennal-specific carboxylesterases (CXEs), are known to degrade redundant odorant molecules or to hydrolyze important olfactory sex pheromone components and plant volatiles. Compared to many well-studied Type-I sex pheromone-producing lepidopteran species, the molecular mechanisms of the olfactory system of Type-II sex pheromone-producing (Drury) remain poorly understood.

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(Drury) is a destructive invasive pest species in China that uses type II sex pheromone components. To date, however, the binding mechanisms of its sex pheromone components to their respective pheromone-binding proteins (HcunPBPs 1/2/3) have not been explored. In the current study, all three were expressed in the antennae of both sexes.

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Studies were conducted from 2015 to 2018 to evaluate spotted lanternfly (SLF) distribution and developmental suitability of different plant species in the U.S. Tree bands on 283 trees spanning 33 species captured 21,006 SLF in 2 yr.

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Article Synopsis
  • Sex pheromone-based pest management is important for controlling insect pests like the Scopula subpunctaria tea pest in China, which uses Type II sex pheromones.
  • Researchers analyzed the sex pheromone gland transcriptome of this pest and identified 85,246 transcripts, including 79 Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, 29 odorant-binding proteins, and 17 chemosensory proteins that likely play roles in pheromone biosynthesis and transportation.
  • Findings suggest specific genes (like SsubCYP341A and SsubOBPs) are highly expressed in the pheromone gland and male antennae, providing crucial information for developing biological control methods by targeting these pheromone pathways.
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Insects' olfactory receptor plays a central role in detecting chemosensory information from the environment. Odorant receptors (ORs) and ionotropic receptors (IRs) are two types of olfactory receptors, and they are essential for the recognition of ligands at peripheral neurons. (Hope) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is one of the most serious insect pests that cause damage to economic trees and landscaping trees, resulting in massive environmental damages and economic losses.

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Athetis lepigone (Alep) is a polyphagous pest native to Europe and Asia that has experienced major outbreaks in the summer maize area of China since 2011 and has shown evidence of resistance to some insecticides. Insect olfaction is crucial for recognition of sex pheromones, host plant volatiles and even insecticides, in which two general-odorant binding proteins (GOBPs) play important roles. To elucidate the functions of GOBPs in A.

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Sex pheromone biosynthesis in moths relies on the activity of multiple enzymes, including Δ9 desaturase, which plays an important role in catalyzing desaturation at the Δ9 position of the carbon chain. However, the physiological function of moth Δ9 desaturase has not been elucidated in vivo. In this study, we used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to knockout the Δ9 desaturase gene (SlitDes11) of Spodoptera litura to analyze its role in sex pheromone biosynthesis.

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Ectropis obliqua Prout (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is the most devastating insect pest of tea plants in China and infests thousands of hectares of tea plantations in China annually. (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a major phenolic compound in tea leaves and has a strong antibacterial function. Here, we show that EGCG can effectively improve the fitness of E.

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The spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (White), is an invasive phloem feeder recently introduced into North America that attacks a broad range of woody plants. When feeding in large numbers, they can seriously damage or kill a tree. Their preferred host is the invasive tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima Swingle (Sapindales: Simaroubaceae), but they are serious pests of grape, Vitis vinifera L.

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Chinese hickory, Carya cathayensis Sargent (Juglandaceae), is a tree naturally occurring and industrially grown in China for the nuts that are valued for their taste and nutrient content. Larvae of a previously unknown species of gall midge were found feeding on male and female inflorescences of Carya cathayensis in Zhejiang and Anhui Provinces in eastern China, reducing pollination and fruit development, and causing substantial damage to the nut industry. The new species is named Contarinia caryafloralis Jiao, Bu Kolesik, its morphology is described, the basic biology is given, and the Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI) mitochondrial gene segment is sequenced.

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Dendroctonus valens LeConte is one of the most economically important forest pest in China. Leptographium procerum, a mutualistic fungus can assist the host beetle in overcoming the pine's chemical defenses, and Beauveria bassiana, an entomopathogenic fungus has shown high beetle killing efficiency. Considering that the D.

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The citrus long-horned beetle (CLB), (Forster) is a destructive native pest in China. Chemosensory receptors including odorant receptors (ORs), gustatory receptors (GRs), and ionotropic receptors (IRs) function to interface the insect with its chemical environment. In the current study, we assembled the antennal transcriptome of by next-generation sequencing.

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The longhorned beetle Aromia bungii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is a major pest of stone fruit trees in the genus Prunus, including cherries, apricots, and peaches. Its native range includes China, Korea, Mongolia, and eastern Russia, but it has recently invaded and become established in several countries in Europe, and Japan, and it has been intercepted in shipments coming into North America and Australia. Here, we report the identification of its male-produced aggregation pheromone as the novel compound (E)-2-cis-6,7-epoxynonenal.

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The olfaction system of insects plays an important role in mediating various physiological behaviors, including locating hosts, avoiding predators, and recognizing mates and oviposition sites. Therefore, some key genes in the system present valuable opportunities as targets for developing novel green pesticides. , a noctuid moth can feed on more than 30 different host plants making it a serious polyphagous pest worldwide, and it has become one of the major maize pests in northern China since 2011.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Female moths, like the beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua), release sex pheromones as chemical signals for mating, but the genes involved in their production are not well understood.
  • - In S. exigua, specific female sex pheromones have been identified in glands, with a distinct composition measured and a total of 59 genes related to pheromone biosynthesis discovered through transcriptome analysis.
  • - Key genes involved in producing these pheromones showed specific expression patterns and similarities to known pheromone synthesis genes in other moths, offering insights that could aid in developing eco-friendly pest control strategies.
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Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) is an invasive insect pest which, in China, causes unprecedented damage and economic losses due to its extreme fecundity and wide host range, including forest and shade trees, and even crops. Compared to the better known lepidopteran species which use Type-I pheromones, little is known at the molecular level about the olfactory mechanisms of host location and mate choice in H. cunea, a species using Type-II lepidopteran pheromones.

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During field trials of the two known cerambycid beetle pheromone components 3-hydroxyhexan-2-one and 1-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-1,2-propanedione (henceforth "pyrrole") in Guangxi and Anhui provinces in China, four species in the subfamily Cerambycinae were attracted to lures containing one of the two components, or the blend of the two. Thus, the invasive species Callidiellum villosulum (Fairmaire) (tribe Callidiini) and a second species, Xylotrechus buqueti (Castelnau & Gory) (tribe Clytini), were specifically attracted to the blend of 3-hydroxyhexan-2-one and the pyrrole. In contrast, Allotreus asiaticus (Schwarzer) (tribe Phoracanthini) and Semanotus bifasciatus Motschulsky (tribe Callidiini) were specifically attracted to the pyrrole as a single component.

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