Insecticidal activities of three recombinant venom proteins of the predatory stink bug, Arma custos.

Background: Widespread resistance of insect pests to insecticides and transgenic crops in the field is a significant challenge for sustainable agriculture, and calls for the development of novel alternative strategies to control insect pests. One potential resource for the discovery of novel insecticidal molecules is natural toxins, particularly those derived from the venoms of insect predators.

Results: In this study, we identified three insecticidal proteinaceous toxins from the venom glands (VGs) of the predatory stink bug, Arma custos (Hemiptera: Asopinae).

Contributions of University of Toronto Dentistry Alumni to China's Early Dental Education.

University of Toronto Dentistry alumni have made valuable contributions to the evolution of dentistry and the dental profession not only in Canada but also internationally. The founder and some of the early faculty members of West China College of Stomatology at Sichuan University (formerly the Dental School of West China Union University), known as the birthplace of China's modern dental science education, were alumni from the University of Toronto. With their excellent dental background, skills, and dedication, those pioneers laid a firm foundation for modern dental education in China and their contributions to this effort will be addressed in this paper.

Rifampicin synergizes the toxicity of insecticides against the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae.

Myzus persicae is an important pest that has developed resistance to nearly all currently used insecticidal products. The employment of insecticide synergists is one of the effective strategies that need to be developed for the management of this resistance. Our study showed that treatment with a combination of the antibiotic, rifampicin, with imidacloprid, cyantraniliprole, or clothianidin significantly increased their toxicities against M.

Identification of neuropeptides and their G protein-coupled receptors in the predatory stink bug, Arma custos (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

The predatory stink bug Arma custos has been selected as an effective biological control agent and has been successfully massly bred and released into fields for the control of a diverse insect pests. As a zoophytophagous generalist, A. custos relies on a complex neuropeptide signaling system to prey on distinct food and adapt to different environments.

Brown planthopper infestation on rice reduces plant susceptibility to Meloidogyne graminicola by reducing root sugar allocation.

Plants are simultaneously attacked by different pests that rely on sugars uptake from plants. An understanding of the role of plant sugar allocation in these multipartite interactions is limited. Here, we characterized the expression patterns of sucrose transporter genes and evaluated the impact of targeted transporter gene mutants and brown planthopper (BPH) phloem-feeding and oviposition on root sugar allocation and BPH-reduced rice susceptibility to Meloidogyne graminicola.

Transcriptome of Excretory Organs Revealed Potential Targets for the Control of .

The excretory organs of insects offer potential physiological targets for insect control. In this study, RNA-seq was utilized to identify a set of transporter and receptor genes enriched in the excretory organs of the brown planthopper (BPH), , which is considered the most important phloem-feeding insect pest in rice. A total of 1565 and 1084 transcripts were upregulated in the excretory organs, Malpighian tubules, and hindgut, respectively, compared to the midgut, which was enriched for transport activity and oxidoreductase activity.

Transcriptome analysis reveals salivary gland-specific neuropeptide signaling genes in the predatory stink bug, .

Predatory stink bugs derive from phytophagous stink bugs and evolved enhanced predation skills. Neuropeptides are a diverse class of ancient signaling molecules that regulate physiological processes and behavior in animals, including stink bugs. Neuropeptide evolution might be important for the development of predation because neuropeptides can be converted to venoms that impact prey.

Identification of metabolizing enzyme genes associated with xenobiotics and odorants in the predatory stink bug based on transcriptome analysis.

The predatory stink bug, , is a highly effective beneficial predator of crop pests. The lack of gene information related to xenobiotic detoxification and odorant degrading enzymes in the predator stink bugs to date has limited our ability for more in-depth studies of biological control. Hence, we conducted assembly of the transcriptome from guts, antennae, and other tiussue samples of 5th instar larvae using Illumina sequencing technology.

Prostaglandin Metabolome Profiles in Zebrafish () Exposed to Acetochlor and Butachlor.

Prostaglandins (PGs) are critically important signaling molecules that play key roles in normal and pathophysiological processes. Many endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been found to suppress PG synthesis; however, studies about the effects of pesticides on PGs are limited. The effects of two known endocrine disrupting herbicides, acetochlor (AC) and butachlor (BC), on PG metabolites in zebrafish () females and males were studied using widely targeted metabolomics analysis based on ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).

Ampicillin enhanced the resistance of Myzus persicae to imidacloprid and cyantraniliprole.

Background: Recent studies have shown that symbionts are involved in regulating insecticide detoxification in insects. However, there are few studies on the relationship between the symbionts found in Myzus persicae and the mechanism underlying host detoxification of insecticides. In this study, antibiotic ampicillin treatment was used to investigate the possible relationship between symbiotic bacteria and the detoxification of insecticides in the host, M.

A full-length transcriptome and gene expression analysis of three detoxification gene families in a predatory stink bug, .

The predatory stink bug shows potential for Integrated Pest Management programs for controlling Lepidoptera pest insects in crops and forests. The importance of this insect for biological control has stimulated several studies into its biology and ecology. However, has little genetic information available.

Proteomics of the Honeydew from the Brown Planthopper and Green Rice Leafhopper Reveal They Are Rich in Proteins from Insects, Rice Plant and Bacteria.

Honeydew is a watery fluid excreted by plant sap-feeding insects. It is a waste product for the insect hosts. However, it plays important roles for other organisms, such as serving as a nutritional source for beneficial insects and bacteria, as well as elicitors and effectors modulating plant responses.

Knockdown of TRPV Genes Affects the Locomotion and Feeding Behavior of Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).

The vanilloid-type transient receptor potential (TRPV) channel is reported to be the molecular target of the commercial insecticide pymetrozine, which specifically disrupts the feeding of plant sap-sucking insects. However, the functions of TRPV channels in plant sap-sucking insects have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, RNA interference was used to investigate the effects of the knockdown of TRPV genes (Nan and Iav) on the mortality, locomotion, and feeding behavior of an important plant-feeding insect pest in rice, the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.

Distinct cellulose and callose accumulation for enhanced bioethanol production and biotic stress resistance in OsSUS3 transgenic rice.

Genetic modification of plant cell walls is an effective approach to reduce lignocellulose recalcitrance in biofuel production, but it may affect plant stress response. Hence, it remains a challenge to reduce biomass recalcitrance and simultaneously enhance stress resistance. In this study, the OsSUS3-transgenic plants exhibited increased cell wall polysaccharides deposition and reduced cellulose crystallinity and xylose/arabinose proportion of hemicellulose, resulting in largely enhanced biomass saccharification and bioethanol production.

Combined effects of four pesticides and heavy metal chromium (Ⅵ) on the earthworm using avoidance behavior as an endpoint.

In natural ecosystems, organisms are commonly exposed to chemical mixtures rather than individual compounds. However, environmental risk is traditionally assessed based on data of individual compounds. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the individual and combined effects of four pesticides [fenobucarb (FEN), chlorpyrifos (CPF), clothianidin (CLO), acetochlor (ACE)] and one heavy metal chromium [Cr(Ⅵ)] on the earthworm (Eisenia fetida) using avoidance behavior as an endpoint.

The tiered-evaluation of the effects of transgenic cry1c rice on Cyrtorhinus lividipennis, a main predator of Nilaparvata lugens.

T1C-19, a newly developed transgenic cry1C rice line, expresses cry1C under the control of the maize ubiquitin promoter, and is highly resistant to lepidopteran pests of rice. Cyrtorhinus lividipennis is the major predator of the eggs and young nymphs of Nilaparvata lugens, which is the main non-target sap-sucking insect pest of Bt rice. C.

No impact of transgenic cry1C rice on the rove beetle Paederus fuscipes, a generalist predator of brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens.

T1C-19 is newly developed transgenic rice active against lepidopteran pests, and expresses a synthesized cry1C gene driven by the maize ubiquitin promoter. The brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, is a major non-target pest of rice, and the rove beetle (Paederus fuscipes) is a generalist predator of N. lugens nymphs.

Identification of the secreted watery saliva proteins of the rice brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) by transcriptome and Shotgun LC-MS/MS approach.

The rice brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), a major rice insect pest in Asia, is a vascular bundle-feeder that ejects gelling and watery saliva during the feeding process. Although major proteins in the salivary glands of N. lugens have been identified using 2D PAGE, very little is known about the secreted saliva of this insect.

Apterous A modulates wing size, bristle formation and patterning in Nilaparvata lugens.

Apterous A (apA), a member of the LIM-homeobox gene family, plays a critical role in the development of wing. The achaete-scute Complex (AS-C) encodes basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors and functions in bristle development. In the present study, we cloned apA (NlapA) and an achaete-scute homologue (NlASH) from N.

Bt rice expressing Cry2Aa does not harm Cyrtorhinus lividipennis, a main predator of the nontarget herbivore Nilapavarta lugens.

T2A-1 is a newly developed transgenic rice that expresses a synthesized cry2Aa gene driven by the maize ubiquitin promoter. T2A-1 exhibits high resistance against lepidopteran pests of rice. The brown planthopper, Nilapavarta lugens (Stål), is a main nontarget sap-sucking insect pest of rice, and Cyrtorhinus lividipennis (Reuter) is the major predator of the eggs and young nymphs of planthoppers.

Host plant probing analysis reveals quick settlement of the solenopsis mealybug during host shift.

Quantitative feeding behaviors were analyzed by electronic penetration graph technique to evaluate the resources utilization efficiency of the solenopsis mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis (Tinsley) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), transferred to a novel host. Both nonphloem and phloem factors were contributed to the host availability during host shift; while only "prephloem" factor was involved with their offspring's fitness to the transferred host, on which they fed as effectively as their mothers did on the origin host. Different performances on different hosts were supposed to have relations with the diverse phloem components, rather than feeding behaviors.

Effect of synergists on susceptibility to chlorantraniliprole in field populations of Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

The Asiatice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker), an important rice insect pest in China, has developed resistances to several classes of insecticides. To control C. suppressalis, chlorantraniliprole has been introduced as a novel insecticide in rice field since 2008.

Regression analysis of dynamics of insecticide resistance in field populations of Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) during 2002-2011 in China.

To understand the evolution of insecticide resistance in the Asiatic rice borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), in field, regression analysis based on a linear or nonlinear model was adopted for analyzing resistance dynamics to six insecticides of two field populations of the Lianyungang (LYG) and Ruian (RA) populations during 2002-2011. For the low-level resistance population, LYG population, sustained susceptibilities to abamectin and fipronil were seen for 10 yr; a polynomial curve regression model showed an increase in resistance to chlorpyrifos; exponential growth models fit to the resistance dynamics to triazophos and deltamethrin, and a sigmoidal growth curve for monosultap. For the high-level multiple resistance population, RA population, a slight increase from susceptible to a minor resistance to abamectin could be modeled by a polynomial cubic equation; an exponential growth model fit to the increase of resistance to fipronil from 8.

Resistance monitoring and assessment of resistance risk to pymetrozine in Laodelphax striatellus (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).

Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén) is a major pest of cultivated rice. Pymetrozine, a pyridine azomethine compound, represents a novel insecticide with a selective activity against sucking pests. The resistance of L.

Microarray analysis of gene regulations and potential association with acephate-resistance and fitness cost in Lygus lineolaris.

The tarnished plant bug has become increasingly resistant to organophosphates in recent years. To better understand acephate resistance mechanisms, biological, biochemical, and molecular experiments were systematically conducted with susceptible (LLS) and acephate-selected (LLR) strains. Selection of a field population with acephate significantly increased resistance ratio to 5.