Aspirin Inhibition of Prostaglandin Synthesis Impairs Mosquito Egg Development.

Several endocrine signals mediate mosquito egg development, including 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). This study reports on prostaglandin E (PGE) as an additional, but core, mediator of oogenesis in a human disease-vectoring mosquito, . Injection of aspirin (an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase (COX)) after blood-feeding (BF) inhibited oogenesis by preventing nurse cell dumping into a growing oocyte.

CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis against sex pheromone biosynthesis leads to loss of female attractiveness in Spodoptera exigua, an insect pestt.

Virgin female moths are known to release sex pheromones to attract conspecific males. Accurate sex pheromones are required for their chemical communication. Sex pheromones of Spodoptera exigua, a lepidopteran insect, contain unsaturated fatty acid derivatives having a double bond at the 12th carbon position.

Physiological Alterations in Deletion Mutants of Two Insulin-Like Peptides Encoded in Using CRISPR/Cas9.

Most insect species encode multiple insulin-like peptides (ILPs) that exhibit functional overlaps in mediating physiological processes such as development and reproduction. Why do they need multiple ILPs? To address this question, we tested a hypothesis of the requirement of multiple ILPs by generating mutants lacking individual ILP genes using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Two ILPs (ILP1 and ILP2) in the legume pod borer, , mediate similar physiological processes such as hemolymph sugar level, larval development, and adult reproduction.

The prostanoids, thromboxanes, mediate hemocytic immunity to bacterial infection in the lepidopteran Spodoptera exigua.

We report on a new insect prostanoid in a lepidopteran insect, Spodoptera exigua. Thromboxane B (TXB) was detected by LC-MS/MS in extracts of larval epidermis, midgut, fat body and hemocytes, with highest amounts in hemocytes (about 300 ng/g tissue with substantial variation). Thromboxane A (TXA) is an unstable intermediate that is non-enzymatically hydrolyzed into the stable TXB In S.

Variations of Indole Metabolites and NRPS-PKS Loci in Two Different Virulent Strains of .

ANU1 is known to be an entomopathogenic bacterium symbiotic to nematode . Another bacterial strain DY1 was isolated from a local population of . This bacterial strain DY1 was found to exhibit high insecticidal activities against lepidopteran and coleopteran species after hemocoelic injection.

The first report of prostacyclin and its physiological roles in insects.

Prostaglandins (PGs) mediate physiological processes of insects as well as mammals. Prostaglandin I (PGI) is a relatively well-known eicosanoid with potent hormone-like actions on various tissues of vertebrates, however, its presence and biosynthetic pathway have not been described in insects. This study demonstrated that fat bodies of the lepidopteran species, Spodoptera exigua, contained ~ 3.

Deletion mutant of PGE receptor using CRISPR-Cas9 exhibits larval immunosuppression and adult infertility in a lepidopteran insect, Spodoptera exigua.

Prostaglandins (PGs) mediate various physiological processes in insects and other invertebrates, but there is very little information on PG receptors. This study identified a PGE receptor (SePGER) in the lepidopteran insect, Spodoptera exigua, and addressed its functional association with cellular immunity, development, and reproduction. SePGER is expressed in most developmental stages and tissues.

Male-biased Adult Production of the Striped Fruit Fly, , by Feeding dsRNA Specific to .

Sterile insect release technique (SIT) is effective for eradicating quarantine insects including various tephritid fruit flies. When SIT is used for fruit flies, it is challenging to remove females from sterile males due to oviposition-associated piercing damage. This study developed a sex transition technique by feeding double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) specific to a sex-determining gene, () of the striped fruit fly, .

Prostaglandin D synthase and its functional association with immune and reproductive processes in a lepidopteran insect, Spodoptera exigua.

Several prostaglandins (PGs) have been identified in different insect species. However, their biosynthesis and physiological roles in insects remain unclear. PGD is synthesized by isomerization from PGH in mammals.

Deletion mutant of sPLA using CRISPR/Cas9 exhibits immunosuppression, developmental retardation, and failure of oocyte development in legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata.

Phospholipase A (PLA) catalyzes release of free fatty acids linked to phospholipids at sn-2 position. Some of these released free fatty acids are used to synthesize eicosanoids that mediate various physiological processes in insects. Although a large number of PLAs form a superfamily consisting of at least 16 groups, few PLAs have been identified and characterized in insects.

Insulin signaling mediates previtellogenic development and enhances juvenile hormone-mediated vitellogenesis in a lepidopteran insect, Maruca vitrata.

Background: Insulin/insulin-like growth peptide signaling (IIS) down-regulates hemolymph sugar level and facilitates larval growth in the soybean pod borer, Maruca vitrata. The objective of this study is to determine whether IIS of M. vitrata can mediate ovarian development of adult females.

Inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis leads to suppressed ovarian development in Spodoptera exigua.

Prostaglandins (PGs) are a group of eicosanoids that are C20 oxygenated polyunsaturated fatty acids. PGs can mediate various physiological processes such as immunity, salivary secretion, excretion, and reproduction in insects. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of PG on oocyte development in Spodoptera exigua, a lepidopteran insect known to biosynthesize PGs.

Insulin-like peptides of the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata, and their mediation effects on hemolymph trehalose level, larval development, and adult reproduction.

Insulin-like peptides (ILPs) of insects mediate various physiological processes including hemolymph sugar level, immature growth, female reproduction, and lifespan. In target cells of ILPs, insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) is highly conserved in animals. IIS in the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is known to be involved in maintaining hemolymph trehalose levels and promoting larval growth.

Application of insulin signaling to predict insect growth rate in Maruca vitrata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

Insect growth is influenced by two major environmental factors: temperature and nutrient. These environmental factors are internally mediated by insulin/insulin-like growth factor signal (IIS) to coordinate tissue or organ growth. Maruca vitrata, a subtropical lepidopteran insect, migrates to different climate regions and feeds on various crops.

Regulation of hemolymph trehalose titers by insulin signaling in the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

A disaccharide, trehalose, is a main hemolymph sugar of the legume pod borer, Maruca vitrata larvae, but its titers fluctuated with feeding activity. During diurnal feeding in the photophase, hemolymph trehalose remained at a relatively low level (69 mM) and increased (98 mM) during scotophase. Starvation significantly increased the hemolymph trehalose level, in which the elevation of trehalose titers was dependent on the non-feeding period.