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2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassondra Vernier ◽  
kathleen Zelle ◽  
Nicole Leitner ◽  
Xitong Liang ◽  
Sean Halloran ◽  
...  

Optimal mating decisions depend on the robust coupling of signal production and perception because independent changes in either could carry a fitness cost. However, since the perception and production of mating signals are often mediated by different tissues and cell types, the mechanisms that drive and maintain their coupling remain unknown for most animal species. Here, we show that in Drosophila, sensory perception and production of an inhibitory mating pheromone are co-regulated by Gr8a, a member of the Gustatory receptor gene family. Specifically, we found that the pleiotropic action of Gr8a independently regulates the perception of pheromones by the chemosensory systems of males and females, as well as their production in the fat body and oenocytes of males. These findings provide a relatively simple molecular explanation for how pleiotropic receptors maintain robust mating signaling systems at the population and species levels.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hye Jin Ko ◽  
Bharat Bhusan Patnaik ◽  
Ki Beom Park ◽  
Chang Eun Kim ◽  
Snigdha Baliarsingh ◽  
...  

The inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) kinase (IKK) is the core regulator of the NF-κB pathway against pathogenic invasion in vertebrates or invertebrates. IKKβ, -ε and -γ have pivotal roles in the Toll and immune deficiency (IMD) pathways. In this study, a homolog of IKKε (TmIKKε) was identified from Tenebrio molitor RNA sequence database and functionally characterized for its role in regulating immune signaling pathways in insects. The TmIKKε gene is characterized by two exons and one intron comprising an open reading frame (ORF) of 2,196 bp that putatively encodes a polypeptide of 731 amino acid residues. TmIKKε contains a serine/threonine protein kinases catalytic domain. Phylogenetic analysis established the close homology of TmIKKε to Tribolium castaneum IKKε (TcIKKε) and its proximity with other IKK-related kinases. The expression of TmIKKε mRNA was elevated in the gut, integument, and hemocytes of the last-instar larva and the fat body, Malpighian tubules, and testis of 5-day-old adults. TmIKKε expression was significantly induced by Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans challenge in whole larvae and tissues, such as hemocytes, gut, and fat body. The knockdown of the TmIKKε messenger RNA (mRNA) expression significantly reduced the survival of the larvae against microbial challenges. Further, we investigated the induction patterns of 14 T. molitor antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) genes in TmIKKε gene-silencing model after microbial challenges. While in hemocytes, the transcriptional regulation of most AMPs was negatively regulated in the gut and fat body tissue of T. molitor, AMPs, such as TmTenecin 1, TmTenecin 4, TmDefensin, TmColeoptericin A, TmColeoptericin B, TmAttacin 1a, and TmAttacin 2, were positively regulated in TmIKKε-silenced individuals after microbial challenge. Collectively, the results implicate TmIKKε as an important factor in antimicrobial innate immune responses in T. molitor.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kui Kang ◽  
Youjun Cai ◽  
Lei Yue ◽  
Wenqing Zhang

Growth and reproduction are the two most basic life processes of organisms and the distribution of energy in these processes is a core issue of the life history of organisms. Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), the brown planthopper (BPH), is a single-feeding rice pest. In the present study, this species was used as a model for testing the effects of nutritional conditions on various growth and reproduction indicators. First, the third-instar nymphs were fed with three different concentrations (100, 50, and 25%) of artificial diet until the second day of adulthood. The results showed that as the nutrient concentration decreased, the body development and oviposition of BPH were hindered. The total lipid content in the fat bodies was also significantly reduced. RT-PCR analysis showed compared to the 100% concentration group, the expression levels of vitellogenin (Vg) genes in the fifth-instar nymphs, adults, and in different tissues (ovary, fat body, and other tissues) were significantly decreased in the 50 and 25% treatment groups. Western blot analysis showed that Vg protein expression was highest in the 100% group, followed by the 50% group, with no expression in the 25% group. These results indicate that growth and reproduction in the BPH are regulated by, or correlated with, nutrient concentration. This study is of great significance as it reveals the adaptive strategies of the BPH to nutritional deficiencies and it also provides valuable information for the comprehensive control of this pest.


Cells ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Ping Zhang ◽  
Zhichao Yao ◽  
Shuai Bai ◽  
Hongyu Zhang

Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs) are key regulators in insects’ immune response, functioning as sensors to detect invading pathogens and as scavengers of peptidoglycan (PGN) to reduce immune overreaction. However, the exact function of PGRPs in Bactrocera dorsalis is still unclear. In this study, we identified and functionally characterized the genes BdPGRP-LB, BdPGRP-SB1 and BdPGRP-SC2 in B. dorsalis. The results showed that BdPGRP-LB, BdPGRP-SB1 and BdPGRP-SC2 all have an amidase-2 domain, which has been shown to have N-Acetylmuramoyl-l-Alanine amidase activity. The transcriptional levels of BdPGRP-LB and BdPGRP-SC2 were both high in adult stages and midgut tissues; BdPGRP-SB1 was found most abundantly expressed in the 2nd instar larvae stage and adult fat body. The expression of BdPGRP-LB and BdPGRP-SB1 and AMPs were significantly up-regulated after injury infected with Escherichia coli at different time points; however, the expression of BdPGRP-SC2 was reduced at 9 h, 24 h and 48 h following inoculation with E. coli. By injection of dsRNA, BdPGRP-LB, BdPGRP-SB1 and BdPGRP-SC2 were knocked down by RNA-interference. Silencing of BdPGRP-LB, BdPGRP-SB1 and BdPGRP-SC2 separately in flies resulted in over-activation of the Imd signaling pathway after bacterial challenge. The survival rate of the ds-PGRPs group was significantly reduced compared with the ds-egfp group after bacterial infection. Taken together, our results demonstrated that three catalytic PGRPs family genes, BdPGRP-LB, BdPGRP-SB1 and BdPGRP-SC2, are important negative regulators of the Imd pathway in B. dorsalis.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Sofie De Groef ◽  
Tom Wilms ◽  
Séverine Balmand ◽  
Federica Calevro ◽  
Patrick Callaerts

Obesity is a chronic disease affecting millions of people worldwide. The fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is an interesting research model to study metabolic and transcriptomic responses to obesogenic diets. However, the sex-specific differences in these responses are still understudied and perhaps underestimated. In this study, we exposed adult male and female Dahomey fruit flies to a standard diet supplemented with sugar, fat, or a combination of both. The exposure to a diet supplemented with 10% sugar and 10% fat efficiently induced an increase in the lipid content in flies, a hallmark for obesity. This increase in the lipid content was more prominent in males, while females displayed significant changes in the glycogen content. The strong effects of the diets on the ovarian size and number of mature oocytes were also present in females exposed to diets supplemented with fat and a combination of fat and sugar. In both males and females, the fat body morphology changed and was associated with an increase in the lipid content of fat cells in response to the diets. The expression of metabolism-related genes also displayed a strong sexually dimorphic response under normal conditions and in response to the sugar and/or fat-supplemented diets. Here, we showed that the exposure of adult fruit flies to an obesogenic diet containing both sugar and fat allowed studying sexual dimorphism in metabolism and the expression of genes regulating metabolism.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 177-182
Author(s):  
O. V. Ruzhytska ◽  
◽  
A. R. Kucher ◽  
V. Yu. Vovk ◽  
Yu. V. Vovk ◽  
...  

The purpose of the study was to conduct a scientific and practical analysis of clinical sonographic results of examination of patients with different face types in the process of planning the reconstruction of facial soft tissues with the involvement of buccal fat pad. Materials and methods. The study was conducted on 28 patients of different age groups (from 20 to 45 years old) with defects and deformities of the tissues of the dental system. Instrumental sonographic analysis of the thickness of the buccal fat body was performed using an ultrasound scanner GE Logiq E (USA), transducer frequency 7.5-12 MHz. The types of buccal fat pad of correct (oval) or irregular (“hourglass”) shapes were determined, as well as its localization in relation to the median axial location of the crown of the first upper molars and the average value of the buccal fat pad thickness with an accuracy of 0.01 mm. Results and discussion. The results of a clinical study of the average value of the thickness of the cheek of patients with mesofacial type of face allowed to establish that on the left its value is 8.94±0.89 mm, on the right side – 9.05±0.82 mm. In patients with brachyfacial type of face on the left the value of the thickness of the cheek is 12.33±1.63 mm, and on the right side – 12.44±1.54 mm. In patients with dolichofacial type of face on the left, the index of the thickness of the cheek reaches the value of 7.53±0.61 mm, on the right side – 8.58±1.093 mm. Statistical significance was determined in comparison with data from the group of patients with mesofacial facial type. The obtained statistical results show mediocre values of buccal fat pad thickness in patients with mesofacial type of face, which are 1.117 times larger than in dolichofacials and 0.73 times smaller than in brachyfacials, which should be taken into account when conducting sonographic studies. Differences in the quantitative values of buccal fat pad thickness, which are established by clinical and sonographic studies conducted in patients with different types of faces is recommended to take into account when choosing surgical approaches during surgical closure of tissue defects of the alveolar processes of the jaws with autologous buccal fat pad. Conclusion. Buccal fat pad has morphological advantages associated with its saturation with cell complexes that have significant degree of vascularization, pliable texture, plasticity and direct participation in the implementation of the basic functions of the maxillofacial area


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzuko Kinoshita ◽  
Kazuki Takarada ◽  
Yoshihiro H. Inoue

Mechanisms of cancer cell recognition and elimination by the innate immune system remains unclear. Circulating hemocytes are associated with the hematopoietic tumors in Drosophila mxcmbn1 mutant larvae. The innate immune signalling pathways are activated in the fat body to suppress the tumor growth by inducing antimicrobial peptides (AMP). Here, we investigated the regulatory mechanism underlying the activation in the mutant. Reactive oxygen species accumulated in the hemocytes due to induction of dual oxidase and its activator. The hemocytes were also localized on the fat body. These were essential for transmitting the information on tumors toward the fat body to induce AMP expression. Regarding to the tumor recognition, we found that matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1) and MMP2 were highly expressed in the tumors. Ectopic expression of MMP2 was associated with AMP induction in the mutants. Furthermore, the basement membrane components in the tumors were reduced and ultimately lost. The hemocytes may recognize the disassembly in the tumors. Our findings highlight the underlying mechanism via which macrophage-like hemocytes recognize tumor cells and relay the information toward the fat body to induce AMPs. and contribute to uncover the immune system's roles against cancer.


Author(s):  
Enrique Verdú ◽  
Judit Homs ◽  
Pere Boadas-Vaello

A sedentary lifestyle is associated with overweight/obesity, which involves excessive fat body accumulation, triggering structural and functional changes in tissues, organs, and body systems. Research shows that this fat accumulation is responsible for several comorbidities, including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic dysfunctions, as well as pathological pain behaviors. These health concerns are related to the crosstalk between adipose tissue and body systems, leading to pathophysiological changes to the latter. To deal with these health issues, it has been suggested that physical exercise may reverse part of these obesity-related pathologies by modulating the cross talk between the adipose tissue and body systems. In this context, this review was carried out to provide knowledge about (i) the structural and functional changes in tissues, organs, and body systems from accumulation of fat in obesity, emphasizing the crosstalk between fat and body tissues; (ii) the crosstalk between fat and body tissues triggering pain; and (iii) the effects of physical exercise on body tissues and organs in obese and non-obese subjects, and their impact on pathological pain. This information may help one to better understand this crosstalk and the factors involved, and it could be useful in designing more specific training interventions (according to the nature of the comorbidity).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin P Kelly ◽  
Mroj Alassaf ◽  
Camille E Sullivan ◽  
Ava E Brent ◽  
Zachary H Goldberg ◽  
...  

Diet-induced obesity (DIO) leads to dysfunctional feeding behavior. But the precise molecular nodes that are dysregulated by DIO that alter satiety sensing and feeding motivation are not fully disentangled. The fruit fly is a simple genetic model system yet displays significant evolutionary conservation to mammalian nutrient sensing and energy balance. Using a longitudinal high sugar regime, in Drosophila, we sought to address how lipid alteration in fat cells alters feeding motivation. We find that long-term exposure to an HSD increases baseline feeding in flies. However, prolonged exposure to HSD degrades the hunger-driven feeding (HDF) response. Lipidomics analysis reveals that longitudinal exposure to HSD significantly alters whole body phospholipid profiles. Then, performing a systematic screen for phospholipid enzymes, we identify that a specific enzyme PECT, a rate-limiting enzyme in the phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) biosynthesis pathway and the fly ortholog of human PCYT2, was critical to maintaining hunger-driven feeding motivation. We show that disrupting PECT only in the fat body causes insulin-resistant phenotypes and a loss of hunger-driven feeding. Excitingly, we find that overexpression of PECT restores HSD-induced loss of hunger-driven feeding response. Strikingly human studies have noted a correlation between PCYT2/PECT levels and clinical obesity. Now, our unbiased studies in Drosophila provide specific genetic evidence for PECT in maintaining nutrient sensing during DIO. Our study provides novel insights on the role of phospholipids in interorgan communication of nutrient status.


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