AI Article Synopsis
- The study identifies and clones two neuroparsin precursor cDNAs from the desert locust's brain, linking them to reproductive regulation.
- The first transcript encodes neuroparsin A and B, while the second represents a new neuroparsin-related peptide.
- Both precursors show significant similarities to counterparts in other species and their mRNA levels fluctuate based on the locusts' reproductive cycles.
Article Abstract
Neuroparsins were originally identified in locust corpus cardiacum extracts as folliculostatic or 'antigonadotropic' neuropeptides. This paper presents the cloning of two different neuroparsin precursor cDNAs from the brain of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria. The first transcript encodes the precursor (Scg-NPP1) of S. gregaria neuroparsin A and B, whereas the second codes for a novel neuroparsin-related peptide precursor (Scg-NPP2). Both precursors display significant sequence similarities with each other and with the Locusta migratoria neuroparsin (Lom-NPP) and Aedes aegypti ovary ecdysteroidogenic hormone (Aea-OEH1) precursors. Northern blot analysis revealed that these neuroparsin transcripts are present in larval and adult locust brains. Interestingly, the Scg-NPP2 mRNA content proved to be strongly regulated during the reproductive cycle in both adult males and females.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2583.2001.00257.x | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Doppler weather radars as a game changer in desert locust swarm tracking.
Sci Rep
December 2024
India Meteorological Department, New Delhi, 110003, India.
Desert locusts, notorious for their ruinous impact on agriculture, threaten over 20% of Earth's landmass, prompting billions in losses and global food scarcity concerns. With billions of these locusts invading agrarian lands, this is no longer a thing of the past. Recent invasions, such as those in India, where losses reached US$ 3 billion in 2019-20 alone, underscore the urgency of action.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRNAi of the elastomeric protein resilin reduces jump velocity and resilience to damage in locusts.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom.
Resilin, an elastomeric protein with remarkable physical properties that outperforms synthetic rubbers, is a near-ubiquitous feature of the power amplification mechanisms used by jumping insects. Catapult-like mechanisms, which incorporate elastic energy stores formed from a composite of stiff cuticle and resilin, are frequently used by insects to translate slow muscle contractions into rapid-release recoil movements. The precise role of resilin in these jumping mechanisms remains unclear, however.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA computational model for angular velocity integration in a locust heading circuit.
PLoS Comput Biol
December 2024
Department of Psychology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Hesse, Germany.
Accurate navigation often requires the maintenance of a robust internal estimate of heading relative to external surroundings. We present a model for angular velocity integration in a desert locust heading circuit, applying concepts from early theoretical work on heading circuits in mammals to a novel biological context in insects. In contrast to similar models proposed for the fruit fly, this circuit model uses a single 360° heading direction representation and is updated by neuromodulatory angular velocity inputs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA framework for modelling desert locust population dynamics and large-scale dispersal.
PLoS Comput Biol
December 2024
Epidemiology and Modelling Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Article Synopsis
- There is a critical need for mathematical models to enhance surveillance and management of transboundary pest invasions, specifically targeting desert locusts, which pose a significant threat to smallholder farmers.
- The proposed integrated modeling framework predicts locust populations by incorporating various life stages and their movement patterns in search of suitable environments for breeding and feeding.
- This framework combines epidemiological modeling, weather data, and atmospheric transport models, aiming to serve as a practical tool for predicting locust swarm movements during future upsurges.
Kinematics and energetics of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) when jumping from compliant surfaces.
J Exp Biol
December 2024
School of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Green Lane, Lincoln LN6 7DL, UK.
Animals often leap from substrates that give way under them, such as leaves, soft ground or flexible branches. This provides an added complexity for latch-mediated spring-actuated (LaMSA) jumping animals because the spring-loaded system often works so quickly that neural feedback cannot adjust for errors caused by a yielding substrate. We studied a LaMSA jumper, the grasshopper, to determine how the mechanical properties of a substrate giving way under them would affect the kinematics of the jump.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!