Morphological and Chemical Changes in the Hemolymph of the Wax Moth Infected by the Entomopathogenic Fungus .

Hemolymph enables communication between organs in insects and ensures necessary coordination and homeostasis. Its composition can provide important information about the physiological state of an insect and can have diagnostic significance, which might be particularly important in the case of harmful insects subjected to biological control. Linnaeus 1758 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is a global pest to honey bee colonies.

Sex- and Metamorphosis-Related Changes in the Cuticular Lipid Profile of Pupae and Adults.

The majority of insects reproduce sexually. Among the many factors involved in controlling the reproductive process, cuticular lipids play an important role as unique chemical signatures of species, developmental stage, and sex, and participate in mate recognition. An understanding of the sex- and metamorphosis-related fluctuations in the cuticular lipid profiles of harmful insects is necessary to hamper their reproductive process.

The multifunctional role of IFN-γ in Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera) immunocompetent cells.

Cytokines are highly conserved between mammals and insects. The present study examines the multiple effects of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) application on the immunological defence mechanisms of Galleria mellonella larvae, invertebrates which are gaining popularity as a replacement for mammalian research models in immunological studies. G.

Insect Lipids: Structure, Classification, and Function.

Lipids are a diverse group of compounds that play several important roles in insect physiology. Among biological lipids, the fundamental category comprises fatty acyl structures, with significant members being fatty acids (FAs). They play several crucial functions in insect physiology; they are used as the source of energy for flight and play key roles in the insect immune system.

The effect of infection with the entomopathogenic fungus (Entomopthorales) on eighteen cytokine-like proteins in (Lepidoptera) larvae.

Background: In response to the replace mammal research models with insects in preliminary immunological studies, interest has grown in invertebrate defense systems. The immunological response is regulated by cytokines; however, while their role in mammals is well understood, little is known of their function in insects. A suitable target for studies into insect immunology is (Lepidoptera), the wax moth: a common host for human fungal and bacterial pathogens.

The Entomopathogenic Fungus Has Similar Effects on the Cuticular Free Fatty Acid Profile of Sensitive and Resistant Insects.

The mechanisms underlying the recognition of a susceptible host by a fungus and the role of cuticular compounds (CCs) in this process remain unclear; however, accumulated data suggest that this is influenced to a great degree by cuticular lipids. Two insect species differing in their sensitivity to fungal infection, viz. the highly sensitive Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and the resistant Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae), exhibited significant qualitative and quantitative changes in cuticular free fatty acid (FFA) profiles after exposure to (Constantin) Batko (Entomopthorales).

The Changes in Mitochondrial Morphology and Physiology Accompanying Apoptosis in (Lepidoptera) Immunocompetent Cells during (Entomophthorales) Infection.

Mitochondria have been shown to play an important role in apoptosis using mammalian cell lines. However, their role in insects is not fully understood; thus, more indepth studies of insect cell apoptosis are necessary. The present study investigates mitochondrial involvement during -induced apoptosis in hemocytes.

Lipids as a key element of insect defense systems.

The relationship between insect pathogenic fungi and their insect hosts is a classic example of a co-evolutionary arms race between pathogen and target host: parasites evolve towards mechanisms that increase their advantage over the host, and the host increasingly strengthens its defenses. The present review summarizes the literature data describing the direct and indirect role of lipids as an important defense mechanism during fungal infection. Insect defense mechanisms comprise anatomical and physiological barriers, and cellular and humoral response mechanisms.

A comprehensive analysis of chemical and biological pollutants (natural and anthropogenic origin) of soil and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) samples.

A range of analytical methods (GC-MS, LC-MS, voltammetry, microbiological and microscopic techniques, PCR) was used to assay a range of potential chemical and biological contaminants in soil and dandelion samples. The results provide the first comprehensive safety analysis of dandelion as a herbal product. Samples were collected from three different sites in Poland where the local population collects dandelion plants for their own consumption: Rudenka (a mountain meadow in the European Ecological Network of Natura 2000 protection area, free of agrotechnical treatments for over 30 years), Warszawa 1 (dense single-family housing with heavy traffic), and Warszawa 2 (recreation area with heavy traffic near a coal-fired heat and power plant).

Intracellular cytokine detection based on flow cytometry in hemocytes from Galleria mellonella larvae: A new protocol.

Invertebrates are becoming increasingly popular models for research on the immune system. The innate immunity possessed by insects shows both structural and functional similarity to the resistance displayed by mammals, and many processes occurring in insect hemocytes are similar to those that occur in mammals. However, the use of insects as research models requires the development of methods for working with hemocytes.

Insect cuticular compounds affect Conidiobolus coronatus (Entomopthorales) sporulation and the activity of enzymes involved in fungal infection.

Mycoses are a global problem that affects humans and animals. In the present study, the entomopathogenic soil fungus Conidiobolus coronatus (Entomophthorales), infecting in tropics also humans, sheep and horses, was cultivated with the addition of insect cuticular compounds (CCs) previously detected in the cuticle of C. coronatus-resistant fly species (C10-C30 fatty alcohols, butyl oleate, butyl stearate, glycerol oleate, squalene, tocopherol acetate).

Octanoic Acid-An Insecticidal Metabolite of (Entomopthorales) That Affects Two Majors Antifungal Protection Systems in (Lepidoptera): Cuticular Lipids and Hemocytes.

The food flavour additive octanoic acid (C8:0) is also a metabolite of the entomopathogenic fungus , which efficiently infects and rapidly kills . GC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of C8:0 in insecticidal fraction FR3 extracted from filtrate. Topical administration of C8:0 had a dose-dependent effect on survival rates of larvae but not on pupation or adult eclosion times of the survivors.

Infection of (Lepidoptera) Larvae With the Entomopathogenic Fungus (Entomophthorales) Induces Apoptosis of Hemocytes and Affects the Concentration of Eicosanoids in the Hemolymph.

Apoptosis and autophagy, the mechanisms of programmed cell death, play critical roles in physiological and pathological processes in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Apoptosis is also known to play an important role in the immune response, particularly in the context of entomopathogenic infection. Of the factors influencing the apoptotic process during infection, two of the lesser known groups are caspases and eicosanoids.

The metabolism and role of free fatty acids in key physiological processes in insects of medical, veterinary and forensic importance.

Insects are the most widespread group of organisms and more than one million species have been described. These animals have significant ecological functions, for example they are pollinators of many types of plants. However, they also have direct influence on human life in different manners.

The Impact of the Entomopathogenic Fungus on the Free Fatty Acid Profile of the Flesh Fly .

The chemical composition of the insect cuticle varies remarkably between species and their life stages. It can affect host resistance and substrate utilization by invading entomopathogen fungi, such as the soil fungus . In this study, flies were exposed to sporulating colonies for 24 h; the pupae were resistant, but the adults demonstrated 60% mortality.

Fungi of entomopathogenic potential in Chytridiomycota and Blastocladiomycota, and in fungal allies of the Oomycota and Microsporidia.

The relationship between entomopathogenic fungi and their insect hosts is a classic example of the co-evolutionary arms race between pathogen and target host. The present review describes the entomopathogenic potential of Chytridiomycota and Blastocladiomycota fungi, and two groups of fungal allies: Oomycota and Microsporidia. The Oomycota (water moulds) are considered as a model biological control agent of mosquito larvae.

Dodecanol, metabolite of entomopathogenic fungus Conidiobolus coronatus, affects fatty acid composition and cellular immunity of Galleria mellonella and Calliphora vicina.

One group of promising pest control agents are the entomopathogenic fungi; one such example is Conidiobolus coronatus, which produces a range of metabolites. Our present findings reveal for the first time that C. coronatus also produces dodecanol, a compound widely used to make surfactants and pharmaceuticals, and enhance flavors in food.

The type of blood used to feed Aedes aegypti females affects their cuticular and internal free fatty acid (FFA) profiles.

Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of various arthropod-borne viral (arboviral) diseases such as dengue and Zika, is a popular laboratory model in vector biology. However, its maintenance in laboratory conditions is difficult, mostly because the females require blood meals to complete oogenesis, which is often provided as sheep blood. The outermost layer of the mosquito cuticle is consists of lipids which protects against numerous entomopathogens, prevents desiccation and plays an essential role in signalling processes.

In vitro screening of 65 mycotoxins for insecticidal potential.

The economic losses and threats to human and animal health caused by insects and the pathogens transmitted by them require effective and environmentally-friendly methods of controlling them. One such group of natural biocontrol agents which may be used as biopesticides is that of the entomopathogenic fungi and their toxic secondary metabolites (mycotoxins). The present in vitro work examined the insecticidal potential of 65 commercially-available mycotoxins against the insect Sf-9 cell line.

Metamorphosis-related changes in the free fatty acid profiles of Sarcophaga (Liopygia) argyrostoma (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830).

The flies of the Sarcophagidae, widespread throughout the temperate zone, are of great significance in Medicine, Veterinary science, Forensics and Entomotoxicology. Lipids are important elements of cell and organelle membranes and a source of energy for embryogenesis, metamorphosis and flight. Cuticular lipids protect from desiccation and act as recognition cues for species, nest mates and castes, and are a source of various pheromones.

The interaction between cuticle free fatty acids (FFAs) of the cockroaches Blattella germanica and Blatta orientalis and hydrolases produced by the entomopathogenic fungus Conidiobolus coronatus.

The interactions between entomopathogenic fungi and insects serve a classic example of a co-evolutionary arms race between pathogens and their target host. The cuticle, site of the first contact between insects and entomopathogenic fungus, is an important defensive barrier against pathogens. It is covered by a layer of lipids that appears to play a key role in these processes and cuticular free fatty acid (FFA) profiles are consider as a determinant of susceptibility, or resistance, to fungal infections.

Heat shock proteins (HSP 90, 70, 60, and 27) in Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera) hemolymph are affected by infection with Conidiobolus coronatus (Entomophthorales).

Invertebrates are becoming more popular models for research on the immune system. The innate immunity possessed by insects shows both structural and functional similarity to the resistance displayed by mammals, and many processes occurring in insect hemocytes are similar to those that occur in mammals. The humoral immune response in insects acts by melanization, clotting and the production of reactive oxygen species and antimicrobial peptides, while the cellular immunity system is based on nodulation, encapsulation and phagocytosis.

Conidiobolus coronatus induces oxidative stress and autophagy response in Galleria mellonella larvae.

Cell homeostasis requires the correct levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to be maintained as these regulate the proliferation and differentiation of cells, and control the immune response and inflammation. High levels of ROS can cause oxidative stress, leading to protein, lipid and DNA damage, or even cell death. Under physiological conditions, the rate of autophagy remains stable; however, it can be accelerated by a number of exogenous stimuli such as oxidative stress, starvation or hypoxia, leading to cell death.

Harman and norharman, metabolites of the entomopathogenic fungus (Entomophthorales), affect the serotonin levels and phagocytic activity of hemocytes, insect immunocompetent cells, in (Lepidoptera).

Background: Although the β-carboline alkaloids harman and norharman are considered as plant metabolites, they can also be secreted by fungi such as the entomopathogen . Norharman and harman are also known to be reversible competitive monamine oxidase inhibitors, which increase serotonin concentrations in tissues. In addition, these alkaloids are able to bind to serotonin receptors, an important immune regulatory molecule in both vertebrates and invertebrates.