Integrated transcriptome and proteome unveiled distinct toxicological effects of long-term cadmium pollution on the silk glands of Pardosa pseudoannulata.

Cadmium (Cd) induces severe soil pollution worldwide and exerts adverse effects on paddy field arthropods. Spiders grant a novel perspective to assess the Cd-induced toxicity, yet the impacts of long-term Cd stress on spider silk glands and its underlying mechanism remain elusive. The study showed that Cd stress enervated the antioxidant system in the spider Pardosa pseudoannulata, manifested as the decreases of glutathione peroxidase and peroxidase, and the increase of malonaldehyde (p < 0.

Comparative genomic analysis of carboxylesterase genes in Tenebrio molitor and other four tenebrionids.

Carboxylesterases (COEs) have various functions in wide taxons of organisms. In insects, COEs are important enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of a variety of ester-containing xenobiotics, neural signal transmission, pheromone degradation, and reproductive development. Understanding the diversity of COEs is basic to illustrate their functions.

Genome-wide and expression-profiling analyses of the cytochrome P450 genes in Tenebrionidea.

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) are present in almost all areas of the tree of life. As one of the largest and most diverse superfamilies of multifunctional enzymes, they play important roles in the metabolism of xenobiotics and biosynthesis of endogenous compounds, shaping the success of insects. In this study, the CYPome (an omics term for all the CYP genes in a genome) diversification was examined in the four Tenebrionidea species through genome-wide analysis.

Identification and expression profiling of serine protease-related genes in Tenebrio molitor.

In insects, serine proteases and serine protease homologs (SPs/SPHs) are involved in a variety of physiological processes including digestion, development, and immunity. Here, we identified 112 SP and 88 SPH genes in the genome of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor. Based on the features of domain structure, they were divided into "S" group containing single Tryp-SPc or Tryp-SPHc domain, "C" group containing 1-4 CLIP domain (CLIPA-D) and "M" group containing the CBD, CUB, EGF, Fz, Gd, LDLa, PAN, SEA, SR, Sushi, and TSP domains, and have 115, 48, and 37 gene members, respectively.

Differences in pulmonary nodular consolidation and pulmonary cavity among drug-sensitive, rifampicin-resistant and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients: a computerized tomography study with history length matched cases.

Background: There have been concerns that literature described radiological feature differences between drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis (DS-PTB) and multidrug-resistant (MDR)-PTB were confounded by that MDR-PTB cases tend to have a longer history. Using history length matched DS-PTB and MDR-PTB cases from a well-defined urban region in Dalian, we retrospectively analysed the CT feature differences of these paired cases with a focus on pulmonary nodular (PN) consolidation and pulmonary cavity (PC).

Methods: There were 33 consecutive MDR-PTB cases [inclusive of rifampicin-resistant (RR) cases, 27 males and 6 females, mean age: 49.

Genomic and transcriptomic analyses of chitin metabolism enzymes in Tenebrio molitor.

Chitin is of great importance in the cuticle and inner cuticular linings of insects. Chitin synthases (CHSs), chitin deacetylases (CDAs), chitinases (CHTs), and β-N-acetylhexosaminidases (HEXs) are important enzymes required for chitin metabolism, and play essential roles in development and metamorphosis. Although chitin metabolism genes have been well characterized in limited insects, the information in the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, a model insect, is presently still unavailable.

Characterization and expression profiling of serine protease inhibitors in the yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor.

Serine protease inhibitors (SPIs) act in diverse biological processes in insects such as immunity, development, and digestion by preventing the unwanted proteolysis. So far, the repertoire of genes encoding SPIs has been identified from few insect species. In this study, 62 SPI genes were identified from the genome of the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor.

DNA methylation-mediated expression of zinc finger protein 615 affects embryonic development in .

Cell division and differentiation after egg fertilization are critical steps in the development of embryos from single cells to multicellular individuals and are regulated by DNA methylation via its effects on gene expression. However, the mechanisms by which DNA methylation regulates these processes in insects remain unclear. Here, we studied the impacts of DNA methylation on early embryonic development in .

The Wnt gene family in Tenebrio molitor and other coleopterans.

The Wnt gene family is involved in a wide range of developmental processes. Despite its significance, the evolution and function of Wnt genes remain largely unclear. Here, an exhaustive survey of Wnt genes was conducted in Tenebrio molitor and 17 other beetle genomes.

Comparative genomic analysis of ABC transporter genes in Tenebrio molitor and four other tenebrionid beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidea).

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, one of the largest transmembrane protein families, transport a diverse number of substate across membranes. Details of their diverse physiological functions have not been established. Here, we identified 87 ABC transporter genes in the genomes of Tenebrio molitor along with those from Asbolus verrucosus (104), Hycleus cichorii (65), and Hycleus phaleratus (80).

Integrated transcriptomics and proteomics provide new insights into the cadmium-induced ovarian toxicity on Pardosa pseudoannulata.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is intractable heavy metal pollution in the farmland ecosystem, posing a life-threatening challenge to the paddy field organisms. Spiders are riveting animal biomarkers for evaluating Cd-induced toxicity, yet the effects of long-term Cd toxicity on spider reproductive function and its underlying mechanism remain unclear. In the present study, we found that Cd exposure impaired the antioxidant enzyme system in the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata and decreased the concentration of four antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase) (p < 0.

Comparative analysis unveils the cadmium-induced reproductive toxicity on the testes of Pardosa pseudoannulata.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is one of the most serious heavy metal pollutions in the world, which has been demonstrated to cause different toxicities to living organisms. Cd has been widely suggested to cause reproductive toxicity to vertebrates, yet its reproductive toxicity to invertebrates is not comprehensive. In this study, the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata was used as a bioindicator to evaluate the male reproductive toxicity of invertebrates under Cd stress.

Molecular response uncovers neurotoxicity of Pardosa pseudoannulata exposed to cadmium pressure.

Cadmium (Cd) is a widely distributed heavy metal in south of China. Growing evidence indicates that systemic exposure to Cd, particularly the long-term exposure, may cause neurotoxic effects. Nevertheless, mechanisms underlying Cd neurotoxicity remain not completely understood.

Cadmium exposure alters expression of protective enzymes and protein processing genes in venom glands of the wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is currently the most serious type of heavy metal pollution throughout the world. Previous studies have shown that Cd elevates the mortality of paddy field spiders, but the lethal mechanism remains to be explored profoundly. In the present study, we measured the activities of protective enzymes (acetylcholinesterase, glutathione peroxidase, phenol oxidase) and a heavy metal chelating protein (metallothionein) in the pond wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata after Cd exposure.

The antibiotic jinggangmycin increases brown planthopper (BPH) fecundity by enhancing rice plant sugar concentrations and BPH insulin-like signaling.

The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, is a resurgent pest with an unexpected response to jinggangmycin (JGM), a broadly applied antibiotic used to control rice sheath blight disease. JGM stimulates BPH fecundity, but the underlining molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report that JGM sprays led to increased glucose concentrations, photosynthesis and gene expression, specifically Rubsico, sucrose phosphate synthase, invertase 2 (INV2) and INV3 in rice plants.

The Pupal Ectoparasitoid Regulates Cellular and Humoral Immunity of Host .

The immunological interaction between and its larval parasitoids has been thoroughly investigated, however, little is known about the interaction between the host and its pupal parasitoids. , a pupal ectoparasitoid of , injects venom into its host while laying eggs on the puparium, which regulates host immunity and interrupts host development. To resist the invasion of parasitic wasps, various immune defense strategies have been developed in their hosts as a consequence of co-evolution.

Biogenic amine biosynthetic and transduction genes in the endoparasitoid wasp Pteromalus puparum (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae).

Biogenic amines (BAs), such as octopamine, tyramine, dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine regulate various behaviors and physiological functions in insects. Here, we identified seven genes encoding BA biosynthetic enzymes and 16 genes encoding BA G protein-coupled receptors in the genome of the endoparasitoid wasp, Pteromalus puparum. We compared the genes with their orthologs in its host Pieris rapae and the related ectoparasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis.

Male Selenoprotein F-Like (SPF-L) Influences Female Reproduction and Population Growth in (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).

Selenoproteins serve in anti-oxidant and cellular redox functions in almost all organisms. A recent study characterized a selenoprotein F-like (SPF-L) in the brown plant hopper's (BPH), , male accessory glands (MAGs), raised the question of whether the SPF-L is associated with female fecundity. In this study, mRNA was found to be enriched in the internal reproductive organ (IRO) of virgin males, also expressed relatively stably in virgin males and females, and dietary dsSPF-L-treatments led to reduced MAG protein and Arginine content.

Genomic and transcriptomic analyses of glutathione S-transferases in an endoparasitoid wasp, Pteromalus puparum.

Pteromalus puparum is a gregarious pupal endoparasitoid with a wide host range. It deposits eggs into pierid and papilionid butterfly pupae. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a family of multifunctional detoxification enzymes that act in xenobiotic metabolism in insects.

Genome-wide characterization and transcriptomic analyses of neuropeptides and their receptors in an endoparasitoid wasp, Pteromalus puparum.

In insects, neuropeptides constitute a group of signaling molecules that act in regulation of multiple physiological and behavioral processes by binding to their corresponding receptors. On the basis of the bioinformatic approaches, we screened the genomic and transcriptomic data of the parasitoid wasp, Pteromalus puparum, and annotated 36 neuropeptide precursor genes and 33 neuropeptide receptor genes. Compared to the number of precursor genes in Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera), Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera), Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera), Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera), Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera), and Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera), P.

Identification of novel antimicrobial peptides from rice planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.

In this study, two novel antibacterial peptide genes, termed lugensin A and B were identified and characterized from a rice sap-sucking hemipteran insect pest, the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. Lugensin gene expression was significantly induced by Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial stains under the regulation of a signal receptor, the long peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP-LC) in the IMD pathway. Knockdown of PGRP-LC by RNAi eliminated bacterium induced Lugensin gene expression.

Jinggangmycin-Induced UDP-Glycosyltransferase 1-2-Like Is a Positive Modulator of Fecundity and Population Growth in (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).

The antibiotic jinggangmycin (JGM) is broadly applied in Chinese rice producing regions to control rice blight, a fungal disease. Aside from protecting rice plants from the disease, JGM leads to the unexpected action of stimulating brown planthopper (BPH; ; Hemiptera: Delphacidae) reproduction to the extent it can influence population sizes. The JGM-induced BPH population growth has potential for severe agricultural problems and we are working to understand and mitigate the mechanisms of the enhanced reproduction.

Identification of a C-type lectin possessing both antibacterial and antiviral activities from red swamp crayfish.

C-type lectins are important immune molecules that participate in crustacean defense response. The present work reports a novel C-type lectin (PcLec6) from the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii. PcLec6 encodes a single-peptide protein of 385 amino acids, which include a C-type lectin domain (CTLD) and a serine-rich region.

Identification and characterization of chemosensory gene families in the bark beetle, Tomicus yunnanensis.

The bark beetle, Tomicus yunnanensis (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), is a seriously destructive pest of Yunnan pine (Pinus yunnanensis) and is distributed solely in Southwestern China. It has been a challenge to control this pest owing to its resistance to chemical pesticides, which have been used as the main control strategy of this species in recent years. Since this approach will continue until an alternative mitigation strategy is implemented, it is essential to develop novel or improved biocontrol approaches.

Characterization of a double WAP domain-containing protein from the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii.

Crustaceans express multiple whey acidic protein (WAP) domain containing proteins which are components of host immunity. In the present study, a new double WAP domain containing protein was identified from red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii, designated Pc-DWD. The ORF is 387 bp, encoding 128 amino acids consisting of signal peptide of 18 residues, and two tandem WAP domains of 38 and 44 residues.