Evaluation of Entomopathogenic Nematode Isolates against Subterranean Termites under Laboratory and Field Conditions.

Background: Termites are a major insect pest affecting agricultural production and woody materials. They cause severe devastation in the ecosystem, and lead to bare soil. This phenomenon causes the soil to become difficult to plow, which in turn leads to a reduction in the productivity of crops.

Critical Roles of Spätzle5 in Antimicrobial Peptide Production Against in Malpighian Tubules.

The dimeric cytokine ligand Spätzle (Spz) is responsible for Toll pathway activation and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) production upon pathogen challenge in . Here, we indicated that Spz5 has a functional role in response to bacterial infections. We showed that the highest expression of is induced by .

Spätzle 1b Is Required to Confer Antibacterial Defense Against Gram-Negative Bacteria by Regulation of Antimicrobial Peptides.

Innate immunity is the ultimate line of defense against invading pathogens in insects. Unlike in the mammalian model, in the insect model, invading pathogens are recognized by extracellular receptors, which activate the Toll signaling pathway through an extracellular serine protease cascade. In the Toll-NF-κB pathway, the extracellular spätzle protein acts as a downstream ligand for Toll receptors in insects.

Biosurfactants Induce Antimicrobial Peptide Production through the Activation of Spatzles in .

Biosurfactant immunomodulatory activities in mammals, nematodes, and plants have been investigated. However, the immune activation property of biosurfactants in insects has not been reported. Therefore, here, we studied the defense response triggered by lipopeptides (fengycin and iturin A), glycolipids (rhamnolipid), and cyclic polypeptides (bacitracin) in the coleopteran insect, mealworm .

PGRP-LE Plays a Critical Role in Gut Antimicrobial Peptide Production in Response to .

Invading pathogens are recognized by peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) that induce translocation of NF-κB transcription proteins and expression of robust antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). PGRP-LE (PGRP-LE) has been previously identified as a key sensor of infection. Here, we present that is highly expressed in the gut of larvae and 5-day-old adults in the absence of microbial infection.

Author Correction: TmRelish is required for regulating the antimicrobial responses to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in Tenebrio molitor.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

PGRP-SA regulates Antimicrobial Response to Bacteria and Fungi in the Fat Body and Gut of .

Antimicrobial immune response is mediated by a signal-transducing sensor, peptidoglycan recognition protein-SA (PGRP-SA), that can recognize non-self molecules. Although several studies have focused on the involvement of PGRP-SA in antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression in response to infections, studies on its role in are lacking. Here, we present a functional analysis of PGRP-SA (PGRP-SA).

Two Roles for the Relish in the Regulation of Antimicrobial Peptides and Autophagy-Related Genes in Response to .

Relish is a key NF-κB transcription factor of the immune-deficiency (Imd) pathway that combats infection by regulating antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Understanding of the fundamental role of Relish (Relish) in controlling of virulence through the regulation of both AMPs and autophagy-related (ATG) genes is unclear. Here, we show that transcripts were highly abundant in the larval fat body and hemocytes compared to the gut upon infection.

Spz4 Plays an Important Role in Regulating the Production of Antimicrobial Peptides in Response to and Infections.

Spätzle family proteins activate the Toll pathway and induce antimicrobial peptide (AMP) production against microbial infections. However, the functional importance of spätzle4 () in the immune response of has not been reported. Therefore, here, we have identified and functionally characterized the role of against bacterial and fungal infections.

TmRelish is required for regulating the antimicrobial responses to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in Tenebrio molitor.

Relish, a transcription factor, is a critical downstream component of the immune deficiency (Imd) pathway and regulates host defense against bacterial infection by mediating antimicrobial peptide (AMP) synthesis. Understanding the immunological function of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor Relish (TmRelish) will be instructive in understanding insect immunity. In the present study, full-length ORF of TmRelish was retrieved from T.

Atg6 Plays an Important Role in Anti-Microbial Defense Against in the Mealworm, .

Autophagy-related gene-6 (Beclin-1 in mammals) plays a pivotal role in autophagy and is involved in autophagosome formation and autolysosome maturation. In this study, we identified and characterized the autophagy-related gene-6 from () and analyzed its functional role in the survival of the insect against infection. The expression of was studied using qRT-PCR for the assessment of the transcript levels at various developmental stages in the different tissues.

Spz6 Is Essential for Regulating the Immune Response to Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus Aureus Infection in Tenebrio Molitor.

Spätzle is an extracellular protein that activates the Toll receptor during embryogenesis and immune responses in . However, the functions of the spätzle proteins in the innate immune response against bacteria or fungi in are not well understood. Therefore, in this study, the open reading frame (ORF) of was identified and its function in the response to bacterial and fungal infections in was investigated using RNAi.

TmDorX2 positively regulates antimicrobial peptides in Tenebrio molitor gut, fat body, and hemocytes in response to bacterial and fungal infection.

Dorsal, a member of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) family of transcription factors, is a critical downstream component of the Toll pathway that regulates the expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) against pathogen invasion. In this study, the full-length ORF of Dorsal was identified from the RNA-seq database of the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor (TmDorX2). The ORF of TmDorX2 was 1,482 bp in length, encoding a polypeptide of 493 amino acid residues.