Dual function of the transcription factor Ftz-f1 on oviposition in the cockroach Blattella germanica.

The transcription factor Ftz-f1 has multiple functions in insect development in a spatial-temporal line. One of these roles is in the insect ovaries, specifically in the regulation of steroidogenic enzymes production. We studied the function of F in Blattella germanica oogenesis, as it shows two moments of high expression in ovaries: before the imaginal moult, and just before ovulation in the adult.

Effects of the Agglutinins Extracted From Rhizoctonia solani (Cantharellales: Ceratobasidiaceae) on Pieris brassicae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae).

Lectins are widespread proteins found in plants, fungi, bacteria, and vertebrates, and they play the critical roles in many physiological functions. Two lectin molecules (namely, RSAI and RSAII) were extracted from Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn and their effects on Pieris brassicae L. larvae were determined by larval survival rate, body mass, nutritional indices, digestive enzyme activities, and caspase-3 gene expression.