Nuclear receptor estrogen-related receptor modulates antimicrobial peptide expression for host innate immunity in Tribolium castaneum.

Nosema ceranae infection in Apis mellifera acts as a virulent pathogenic factor of honeybee colony collapse. Fumagillin is the only effective antimicrobial agent currently used against the microsporidial parasite N. ceranae. However, the toxicity of fumagillin is a concern. Therefore, in the present study, the screening of potent alternatives for fumagillin was performed for a total of 21 compounds, including 15 phenolics and 6 monoterpenes, based on their structure–activity correlation. The anti-nosemosis activity of each compound was determined by the relative inhibition level against the expression of the N. ceranae virulence factor encoding the polar tube protein 3 (ptp3) mRNA of the ptp3 gene. Each compound was preliminarily evaluated at 100 and 200 µM treatment concentrations. Then, the activity of 12 compounds showing activity at 200 µM was additionally determined at 40 µM, a concentration generally used in apiaries. At this concentration, gallol (benzene-1,2,3-triol) and 3-pentylcatechol (PC) showed higher activities than fumagillin, and 4-pentylgallol (PG) exhibited activity at a similar level to fumagillin. All three compounds selected in this study were low-molecular-weight phenolics. Among them, PC and PG, chemically synthesized compounds, commonly possess a hydrocarbon side chain of the pentyl group (-C5H11) in catechol and gallol, respectively. That is, the three treatment compounds were selected as potential beneficial alternatives for fumagillin and were markedly different from fumagillin in terms of their chemical structure. These results may trigger further extensive research on the biological mechanism for the prevention of nosemosis.

Screening of anti-nosemosis active compounds based on the structure-activity correlation

Toxicity effect of the edible pigment carmoisine on Polyrhachis vicina Roger (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Simple Summary In this study, we found mating-induced sex-specific behavioral and transcriptional changes, and the transcriptional variation is consistent with postmating physiological and behavioral alteration in each sex. Virgin females and males showed high calling or courting behavior, whereas mated females and males showed very low calling or courting behavior. Mated females started to lay eggs at the beginning of the next night after the first mating. Obvious differences on female oviposition patterns were found between different mate treatments, suggesting that females may use a fertilization or oviposition strategy to obtain indirect genetic benefits. Differential expression analysis indicated that mating induced upregulation of many reproductive related genes and soma maintenance related genes in females. Mating in males also induced upregulation on soma maintenance related genes immediately after mating (0 h postmating), but induced downregulation on these genes after a period of time (6–24 h postmating). Abstract The intermediate process between mating and postmating behavioral changes in insects is still poorly known. Here, we studied mating-induced common and sex-specific behavioral and transcriptional changes in both sexes of Spodoptera frugiperda and tested whether the transcriptional changes are linked to postmating behavioral changes in each sex. A behavioral study showed that mating caused a temporary suppression of female calling and male courting behavior, and females did not lay eggs until the next day after the first mating. The significant differences on daily fecundity under the presence of males or not, and the same or novel males, suggest that females may intentionally retain eggs to be fertilized by novel males or to be fertilized competitively by different males. RNA sequencing in females revealed that there are more reproduction related GO (gene ontology) terms and KEGG (Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) pathways (mainly related to egg and zygote development) enriched to upregulated DEGs (differentially expressed genes) than to downregulated DEGs at 0 and 24 h postmating. In males, however, mating induced DEGs did not enrich any reproduction related terms/pathways, which may be because male reproductive bioinformatics is relatively limited in moths. Mating also induced upregulation on soma maintenance (such as immune activity and stress reaction) related processes in females at 0, 6 and 24 h postmating. In males, mating also induced upregulation on soma maintenance related processes at 0 h postmating, but induced downregulation on these processes at 6 and 24 h postmating. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that mating induced sex-specific postmating behavioral and transcriptional changes in both sexes of S. frugiperda and suggested that the transcriptional changes are correlated with postmating physiological and behavioral changes in each sex.

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Mating-Induced Common and Sex-Specific Behavioral, Transcriptional Changes in the Moth Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, Noctuidae, Lepidoptera) in Laboratory

BACKGROUND
Aphids are significant pests of cash crops and food farm crops. Botanical insecticides are safe for aphids control, especially for organic farming. In this study, Eleocharis dulcis (Burm. f.) Trin. peel extract (EDPE), a new botanical insecticide, was investigated for its active compositions against several agricultural aphids.


RESULTS
The results showed that the EDPE had high insecticidal activity against Sitobion avenae Fabricius, Aphis gossypii Glover, Megoura crassicauda Mordvilko, and Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris, with the half lethal concentration (LC50 ) values of 95.92, 81.04, 140.31, and 255.73 mg/L after 48 h treatment. In the pot culture assay, the aphicidal effects of 25% EDPE soluble liquid (SL) at a concentration of 0.016% were 68.98±5.61%, 79.33±8.27%, and 88.82±3.91% after the 1st , 3rd , and 7th days of treatment, respectively. Nine compounds were identified by bioactivity-directed fractionation, which was dimethoxy-6, 6-dimethylpyranoisoflavone (1), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxylonchocarpin (2), 4-hydroxylonchocarpin (3), 4-methoxylonchocarpin (4), barbigerone (5), lonchocarpusone (6), 6a, 12a-dehydrodeguelin (7), 13-homo-13-oxa-6a,12a-dehydrodeguelin (8) and deguelin (9). Among them, 4-hydroxylonchocarpin (3) showed the highest aphidicidal activity against M. crassicauda, S. avenae, and A. pisum, with LC50 values of 97.24, 140.63, and 112.31 mg/L, respectively.


CONCLUSION
These data contribute to a better understanding of the aphicidal activity of EDPE and its main component, 4-hydroxylonchocarpin. This will help to develop new botanical insecticides to control aphids.

Da Jung Lim

Papers

Aphid estrogen-related receptor controls glycolytic gene expression and fecundity.