scholarly journals Silica nanoparticles control a generalist pest, American serpentine leaf miner Liriomyza trifolii

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad F. Thabet ◽  
Ola A. Galal ◽  
Midori Tuda ◽  
Magdy F.M. El–Samahy ◽  
Ryusuke Fujita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Silica Nanoparticles ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Leaf Miner ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Pupal Weight ◽  
Larval Feeding ◽  
Liriomyza Trifolii ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Wide Range

Insects quickly develop their resistance to conventional synthetic chemical insecticides. Silica nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) is a new promising approach not only in decreasing insect pest numbers but also for its safety regarding agricultural organisms such as plants and beneficial natural enemies. Here, we investigate the safety of SiO2NPs on the faba bean Vicia faba (Fabaceae) as a model plant for toxicity studies and its control efficiency against the American serpentine leafminer Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae) as a major devastating insect pest against a wide range of crops. The concentrations of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/L of SiO2NPs (spherical shape, 15.3 nm) as well as distilled water as the control were used to investigate the effect of the nanoparticles. Early stages of development of V. faba were evaluated. The same concentrations of SiO2NPs were applied by spraying on two weeks old bean seedlings to evaluate their toxic effect on the feeding, survival and body mass of L. trifolii. A qRT-PCR analysis was conducted to assess oxidative stress on the gene expression level of the major antioxidative enzymes, catalase and superoxide dismutase, in L. trifolii. SiO2NPs inhibited root development only at a high concentration and did not affect the germination percentage, germination time, shoot length and vigor index compared to the control. The survival rate of larvae was lower than the control at the highest concentration and the larval feeding velocity and pupal weight decreased at high concentrations. Gene expression of both enzymes at the pupal stage were not affected by SiO2NPs at any concentrations. This study suggests that care must be taken to utilize SiO2NPs at a suitable concentration in controlling pests, avoiding negative effects on plant growth.

scholarly journals Seasonal Abundance and Spatial Pattern of Distribution of Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae) and Its Parasitoid on Bean and Squash in South Florida

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shashan Devkota ◽  
Dakshina R. Seal
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pest ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Seasonal Abundance ◽  
Liriomyza Trifolii ◽  
Snap Bean ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Serpentine Leafminer ◽  
Polyphagous Insect

ABSTRACTAmerican serpentine leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii, is a polyphagous insect pest that feeds on a wide range of vegetable and ornamental plants around the world. To develop an effective IPM program, information on the seasonal field distribution and population dynamics of leafminer and its parasitoids is very important. Therefore, seasonal abundances and spatial distributions of, L. trifolii on snap bean and squash were studied during four crop growing periods between 2013 to 2015 in Homestead, Florida. The mean numbers of mines, larvae, pupae, emerged adults, and parasitoids on snap bean were highest at 2 weeks after planting during all four growing periods. Whereas, the mean numbers of mines, larvae, pupae, emerged adults, and parasitoids on squash were highest at 3 weeks after planting during all four growing periods. L. trifolii distributions tended to be aggregated (1 < b/β) on snap bean at 2 weeks after planting during all four growing periods but had uniform (1 > b/β) distributions on squash at 2 weeks after planting during all four growing periods. Similar results were seen on the distribution of leafminer parasitoids on both bean and squash.

scholarly journals Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Small Heat Shock Protein Genes in the Invasive Leaf Miner Fly, Liriomyza trifolii

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Lu ◽  
Du ◽  
Zhu-Salzman
Keyword(s):  
Heat Shock ◽  
Thermal Stresses ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Small Heat Shock Protein ◽  
Leaf Miner ◽  
Liriomyza Trifolii ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Shock Proteins

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) comprise numerous proteins with diverse structure and function. As molecular chaperones, they play essential roles in various biological processes, especially under thermal stresses. In this study, we identified three sHSP-encoding genes, LtHSP19.5, LtHSP20.8 and LtHSP21.7b from Liriomyza trifolii, an important insect pest of ornamental and vegetable crops worldwide. Putative proteins encoded by these genes all contain a conserved α-crystallin domain that is typical of the sHSP family. Their expression patterns during temperature stresses and at different insect development stages were studied by reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). In addition, the expression patterns were compared with those of LtHSP21.3 and LtHSP21.7, two previously published sHSPs. When pupae were exposed to temperatures ranging from -20 to 45 °C for 1 h, all LtsHSPs were strongly induced by either heat or cold stresses, but the magnitude was lower under the low temperature range than high temperatures. Developmentally regulated differential expression was also detected, with pupae and prepupae featuring the highest expression of sHSPs. Results suggest that LtsHSPs play a role in the development of the invasive leaf miner fly and may facilitate insect adaptation to climate change.

scholarly journals Seasonal Abundance and Spatial Pattern of Distribution of Liriomyza trifolii (Diptera: Agromyzidae) and Its Parasitoid on Bean and Squash in South Florida

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2094-2105
Author(s):  
Shashan Devkota ◽  
Dakshina Seal
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pest ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Seasonal Abundance ◽  
Liriomyza Trifolii ◽  
Snap Bean ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Serpentine Leafminer ◽  
Polyphagous Insect

American serpentine leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii, is a polyphagous insect pest that feeds on a wide range of vegetable and ornamental plants around the world. To develop an effective IPM program, information on the seasonal field distribution and population dynamics of leafminer and its parasitoids is very important. Therefore, seasonal abundances and spatial distributions of, L. trifolii on snap bean and squash were studied during four crop growing periods between 2013 to 2015 in Homestead, Florida. The mean numbers of mines, larvae, pupae, emerged adults, and parasitoids on snap bean were highest at 2 weeks after planting during all four growing periods. Whereas, the mean numbers of mines, larvae, pupae, emerged adults, and parasitoids on squash were highest at 3 weeks after planting during all four growing periods. L. trifolii distributions tended to be aggregated on snap bean at 2 weeks after planting during most of growing periods but had uniform distributions on squash at 2 weeks after planting during most of growing periods. Similar results were seen on the distribution of leafminer parasitoids on both bean and squash.

scholarly journals Analysis of RogB-Controlled Virulence Mechanisms and Gene Expression in Streptococcus agalactiae

2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 5056-5064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heike Gutekunst ◽  
Bernhard J. Eikmanns ◽  
Dieter J. Reinscheid
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Reporter Gene ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Streptococcus Agalactiae ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Significant Similarity ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Fibrinogen Receptor ◽  
Wide Range

ABSTRACT Streptococcus agalactiae is the leading cause of bacterial sepsis and meningitis in neonates and also the causative agent of different serious infections in immunocompromised adults. The wide range of diseases that are caused by S. agalactiae suggests regulatory mechanisms that control the formation of specific virulence factors in these bacteria. The present study describes a gene from S. agalactiae, designated rogB, encoding a protein with significant similarity to members of the RofA-like protein (RALP) family of transcriptional regulators. Disruption of the rogB gene in the genome of S. agalactiae resulted in mutant strain RGB1, which was impaired in its ability to bind to fibrinogen and fibronectin. Mutant RGB1 also exhibited a reduced adherence to human epithelial cells but did not show an altered invasion of eukaryotic cells. By real-time PCR analysis, mutant RGB1 revealed an increased expression of the cpsA gene, encoding a regulator of capsule gene expression. However, strain RGB1 exhibited a reduced expression of the rogB gene and of two adjacent genes, encoding putative virulence factors in S. agalactiae. Furthermore, mutant RGB1 was impaired in the expression of the fbsA gene, coding for a fibrinogen receptor from S. agalactiae. The altered gene expression in mutant RGB1 could be restored by plasmid-mediated expression of rogB, confirming a RogB deficiency as the cause for the observed changes in virulence gene expression in S. agalactiae. Reporter gene studies with a promotorless luciferase gene fused to fbsA allowed a growth-dependent analysis of fbsA expression in S. agalactiae. These reporter gene studies also suggest that RogB exerts a positive effect on fbsA expression in S. agalactiae.

Effects of rhizobacteria on the biology and behavior of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Robson Thomaz Thuler ◽  
Fernando Henrique Iost Filho ◽  
Hamilton César De Oliveira Charlo ◽  
Sergio Antônio De Bortoli
Keyword(s):  
Plutella Xylostella ◽  
Diamondback Moth ◽  
Insect Behavior ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Pupal Weight ◽  
Larval Feeding ◽  
Direct Effects ◽  
Plant Feeding ◽  
Kluyvera Ascorbata ◽  
And Behavior

Plant induced resistance is a tool for integrated pest management, aimed at increasing plant defense against stress, which is compatible with other techniques. Rhizobacteria act in the plant through metabolic changes and may have direct effects on plant-feeding insects. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of cabbage plants inoculated with rhizobacteria on the biology and behavior of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). Cabbage seeds inoculated with 12 rhizobacteria strains were sowed in polystyrene trays and later transplanted into the greenhouse. The cabbage plants with sufficient size to support stress were then infested with diamondback moth caterpillars. Later, healthy leaves suffering injuries were collected and taken to the laboratory to feed P. xylostella second instar caterpillars that were evaluated for larval and pupal viability and duration, pupal weight, and sex ratio. The reduction of leaf area was then calculated as a measure of the amount of larval feeding. Non-preference for feeding and oviposition assays were also performed, by comparing the control treatment and plants inoculated with different rhizobacterial strains. Plants inoculated with the strains EN4 of Kluyvera ascorbata and HPF14 of Bacillus thuringiensis negatively affected the biological characteristics of P. xylostella when such traits were evaluated together, without directly affecting the insect behavior.

Reverse Screening Bioinformatics Approach to Identify Potential Anti Breast Cancer Targets Using Thymoquinone from Neutraceuticals Black Cumin Oil

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 599-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumathi Sundaravadivelu ◽  
Sonia K. Raj ◽  
Banupriya S. Kumar ◽  
Poornima Arumugamand ◽  
Padma P. Ragunathan
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽  
Normal Cells ◽  
Black Cumin ◽  
In Silico Docking ◽  
Wide Range

Background: Functional foods, neutraceuticals and natural antioxidants have established their potential roles in the protection of human health and diseases. Thymoquinone (TQ), the main bioactive component of Nigella sativa seeds (black cumin seeds), a plant derived neutraceutical was used by ancient Egyptians because of their ability to cure a variety of health conditions and used as a dietary food supplement. Owing to its multi targeting nature, TQ interferes with a wide range of tumorigenic processes and counteracts carcinogenesis, malignant growth, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis. Additionally, TQ can specifically sensitize tumor cells towards conventional cancer treatments (e.g., radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy) and simultaneously minimize therapy-associated toxic effects in normal cells besides being cost effective and safe. TQ was found to play a protective role when given along with chemotherapeutic agents to normal cells. Methods: In the present study, reverse in silico docking approach was used to search for potential molecular targets for cancer therapy. Various metastatic and apoptotic targets were docked with the target ligand. TQ was also tested for its anticancer activities for its ability to cause cell death, arrest cell cycle and ability to inhibit PARP gene expression. Results: In silico docking studies showed that TQ effectively docked metastatic targets MMPs and other apoptotic and cell proliferation targets EGFR. They were able to bring about cell death mediated by apoptosis, cell cycle arrest in the late apoptotic stage and induce DNA damage too. TQ effectively down regulated PARP gene expression which can lead to enhanced cancer cell death. Conclusion: Thymoquinone a neutraceutical can be employed as a new therapeutic agent to target triple negative breast cancer which is otherwise difficult to treat as there are no receptors on them. Can be employed along with standard chemotherapeutic drugs to treat breast cancer as a combinatorial therapy.

scholarly journals Synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism in arsenic (+3) methyltransferase of the Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) and its gene expression among field populations

Ecotoxicology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daesik Park ◽  
Catherine R. Propper ◽  
Guangning Wang ◽  
Matthew C. Salanga
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Sequence Variation ◽  
Allelic Variation ◽  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
Gambusia Affinis ◽  
Contamination Level ◽  
Water Medium ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Arsenic

AbstractNaturally occurring arsenic is toxic at extremely low concentrations, yet some species persist even in high arsenic environments. We wanted to test if these species show evidence of evolution associated with arsenic exposure. To do this, we compared allelic variation across 872 coding nucleotides of arsenic (+3) methyltransferase (as3mt) and whole fish as3mt gene expression from three field populations of Gambusia affinis, from water sources containing low (1.9 ppb), medium-low (3.3 ppb), and high (15.7 ppb) levels of arsenic. The high arsenic site exceeds the US EPA’s Maximum Contamination Level for drinking water. Medium-low and high populations exhibited homozygosity, and no sequence variation across all animals sampled. Eleven of 24 fish examined (45.8%) in the low arsenic population harbored synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exons 4 and/or 10. SNP presence in the low arsenic population was not associated with differences in as3mt transcript levels compared to fish from the medium-low site, where SNPs were noted; however, as3mt expression in fish from the high arsenic concentration site was significantly lower than the other two sites. Low sequence variation in fish populations from sites with medium-low and high arsenic concentrations suggests greater selective pressure on this allele, while higher variation in the low population suggests a relaxed selection. Our results suggest gene regulation associated with arsenic detoxification may play a more crucial role in influencing responses to arsenic than polymorphic gene sequence. Understanding microevolutionary processes to various contaminants require the evaluation of multiple populations across a wide range of pollution exposures.

Chemosensory genes in the head of Spodoptera litura larvae

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Lu-Lu Li ◽  
Ji-Wei Xu ◽  
Wei-Chen Yao ◽  
Hui-Hui Yang ◽  
Youssef Dewer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spodoptera Litura ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Larval Feeding ◽  
Chemosensory System ◽  
Chemosensory Genes

Abstract The tobacco cutworm Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous pest with a highly selective and sensitive chemosensory system involved in complex physiological behaviors such as searching for food sources, feeding, courtship, and oviposition. However, effective management strategies for controlling the insect pest populations under threshold levels are lacking. Therefore, there is an urgent need to formulate eco-friendly pest control strategies based on the disruption of the insect chemosensory system. In this study, we identified 158 putative chemosensory genes based on transcriptomic and genomic data for S. litura, including 45 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs, nine were new), 23 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), 60 odorant receptors (ORs, three were new), and 30 gustatory receptors (GRs, three were new), a number higher than those reported by previous transcriptome studies. Subsequently, we constructed phylogenetic trees based on these genes in moths and analyzed the dynamic expression of various genes in head capsules across larval instars using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Nine genes–SlitOBP8, SlitOBP9, SlitOBP25, SlitCSP1, SlitCSP7, SlitCSP18, SlitOR34, SlitGR240, and SlitGR242–were highly expressed in the heads of 3- to 5-day-old S. litura larvae. The genes differentially expressed in olfactory organs during larval development might play crucial roles in the chemosensory system of S. litura larvae. Our findings substantially expand the gene inventory for S. litura and present potential target genes for further studies on larval feeding in S. litura.

scholarly journals Gene Expression Space Shapes the Bioprocess Trade-Offs among Titer, Yield and Productivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 5859
Author(s):  
Fernando N. Santos-Navarro ◽  
Yadira Boada ◽  
Alejandro Vignoni ◽  
Jesús Picó
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Transcription ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Gene Copy ◽  
Substrate Uptake ◽  
Promoter Strength ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Wide Range

Optimal gene expression is central for the development of both bacterial expression systems for heterologous protein production, and microbial cell factories for industrial metabolite production. Our goal is to fulfill industry-level overproduction demands optimally, as measured by the following key performance metrics: titer, productivity rate, and yield (TRY). Here we use a multiscale model incorporating the dynamics of (i) the cell population in the bioreactor, (ii) the substrate uptake and (iii) the interaction between the cell host and expression of the protein of interest. Our model predicts cell growth rate and cell mass distribution between enzymes of interest and host enzymes as a function of substrate uptake and the following main lab-accessible gene expression-related characteristics: promoter strength, gene copy number and ribosome binding site strength. We evaluated the differential roles of gene transcription and translation in shaping TRY trade-offs for a wide range of expression levels and the sensitivity of the TRY space to variations in substrate availability. Our results show that, at low expression levels, gene transcription mainly defined TRY, and gene translation had a limited effect; whereas, at high expression levels, TRY depended on the product of both, in agreement with experiments in the literature.

scholarly journals Effect of directly acting anti-viral agents on immunological imprints in chronic HCV-4a patients: interleukin-10 and vascular endothelial growth factor genes expression level

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iman S. Naga ◽  
Amel Abdel Fattah Kamel ◽  
Said Ahmed Ooda ◽  
Hadeer Muhammad Fath Elbab ◽  
Rania Mohamed El-Sharkawy
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Angiogenic Factor ◽  
Vascular Endothelial ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Chronic Hcv ◽  
Endothelial Growth Factor

Abstract Background Hepatitis C virus infection is a global health challenge with Egypt being one of the highly affected countries. IL-10 has been suggested as a suitable marker to assess necroinflammation and to monitor the progression of liver damage. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic factor playing a central role in many physiological as well as pathological processes. Several factors can be predictive of the response to treatment and achievement of SVR; some of which are host-related, and others are virus-related. The gene expression of IL-10 and VEGF have multiple effects for treatment response. The aim of the present work was to study the effect of treatment with directly acting agents (DAA) on the expression of VEGF and IL-10 genes in chronic hepatitis C virus-infected Egyptian genotype-4a patients. Twenty-five HCV subjects where evaluated for IL-10 and VEGF gene expression before and after treatment with DAA. Results IL-10 expression was downregulated in 92% of the cases. VEGF expression was heterogeneous showing spreading of values along a wide range with 64% of the cases being downregulated. Conclusion DAAs do not completely reverse the immunological imprints established upon chronic HCV infection.

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