Publications

isolation, characterization, kinetics, and enzymatic and nonenzymatic microbicidal activities of a novel c-type lysozyme from plasma of schistocerca gregaria (orthoptera: acrididae).	a protein, designated as sgl, showing a muramidase lytic activity to the cell wall of the gram-positive bacterium micrococcus lysodeikticus was isolated for the first time from plasma of escherichia coli-immunized fifth instar schistocerca gregaria. the isolated sgl was detected as a single protein band, on both native- and sds-page, has a molecular weight of ∼15.7 kda and an isoelectric point (pi) of ca 9.3 and its antiserum has specifically recognized its isolated form. fifty-nine percentage o ...	2015	25972507
isolation and characterization of chitosan from different local insects in egypt.	chitin was extracted from four different local sources: the shrimp (penaeus monodon), the desert locust (schistocerca gregaria), the honey bee (apis mellifera) and the beetles (calosoma rugosa). chitosan was then obtained by deacetylation of chitin and physicochemically characterized using the fourier transform infrared (ftir) and x-ray diffraction. the moisture content, water binding capacity, fats binding capacity, ash content were determined and chitosans morphology was visualized using the s ...	2016	26459168
assaying visual memory in the desert locust.	the involvement of associative learning cues has been demonstrated in several stages of feeding and food selection. short neuropeptide f (snpf), an insect neuropeptide whose effects on feeding behavior have previously been well established, may be one of the factors bridging feeding and learning behavior. recently, it was shown in drosophila melanogaster that the targeted reduction of drome-snpf transcript levels significantly reduced sugar-rewarded olfactory memory. while drosophila mainly reli ...	2015	26463192
pioneer neurons of the antennal nervous system project to protocerebral pioneers in the grasshopper schistocerca gregaria.	the twin nerve tracts of the antenna of the grasshopper schistocerca gregaria are established early in embryogenesis by sibling pairs of pioneers which delaminate from the epithelium into the lumen at the antennal tip. these cells can be uniquely identified via their co-expression of the neuronal labels horseradish peroxidase and the lipocalin lazarillo. the apical pioneers direct axons toward the antennal base where they encounter guidepost-like cells called base pioneers which transiently expr ...	2015	26553379
microsatellite evolutionary rate and pattern in schistocerca gregaria inferred from direct observation of germline mutations.	unravelling variation among taxonomic orders regarding the rate of evolution in microsatellites is crucial for evolutionary biology and population genetics research. the mean mutation rate of microsatellites tends to be lower in arthropods than in vertebrates, but data are scarce and mostly concern accumulation of mutations in model species. based on parent-offspring segregations and a hierarchical bayesian model, the mean rate of mutation in the orthopteran insect schistocerca gregaria was esti ...	2015	26562076
molecular characterization of a c-type lysozyme from the desert locust, schistocerca gregaria (orthoptera: acrididae).	lysozymes are bacteriolytic peptides that are implicated in the insect nonspecific innate immune responses. in this study, a full-length cdna encoding a c-type lysozyme from schistocerca gregaria (sglys) has been cloned and characterized from the fat body of immune-challenged 5(th) instar. the deduced mature lysozyme is 119 amino acid residues in length, has a calculated molecular mass of 13.4 kda and an isoelectric point (ip) of 9.2. sglys showed high identities with other insect lysozymes, ran ...	2016	26997372
identification and characterization of two "sensory neuron membrane proteins" (snmps) of the desert locust, schistocerca gregaria (orthoptera: acrididae).	pheromone-responsive neurons of insects not only require specific receptors but in addition several auxiliary components, including the "sensory neuron membrane protein," snmp. accordingly, snmp is considered as a marker for neurons responding to pheromones. for the desert locust schistocerca gregaria, it is known that the behavior, including aggregation behavior and courtship inhibition, is largely controlled by pheromones. however, little is known about pheromones, their receptors, and the phe ...	2016	27012870
biomechanical factors in the adaptations of insect tibia cuticle.	insects are among the most diverse groups of animals on earth. their cuticle exoskeletons vary greatly in terms of size and shape, and are subjected to different applied forces during daily activities. we investigated the biomechanics of the tibiae of three different insect species: the desert locust (schistocerca gregaria), american cockroach (periplaneta americana) and death's head cockroach (blaberus discoidalis). in a previous work, we showed that these tibiae vary not only in geometry (leng ...	2016	27486904
ontogeny of pioneer neurons in the antennal nervous system of the grasshopper schistocerca gregaria.	the nervous system of the antenna of the grasshopper schistocerca gregaria consists of two nerve tracts in which sensory cells project their axons to the brain. each tract is pioneered early in embryogenesis by a pair of identified cells located apically in the antennal lumen. the pioneers are thought to originate in the epithelium of the antenna and then delaminate into the lumen where they commence axogenesis. however, unambiguous molecular identification of these cells in the epithelium, of a ...	2017	27833997
tissue-specific expression and silencing phenotypes of mitochondrial phosphate carrier paralogues in several insect species.	the mitochondrial phosphate carrier gene (pic) encodes a membrane protein that mediates the supply of inorganic phosphate from the cytosol into the mitochondrial matrix. this substrate-specific transport system plays an important role in efficient atp synthesis. mammals appear to have only one pic with two alternative splicing variants whose functional differences remain unclear. the present study is the first to characterize the multiple genes that encode pic in insects. bombyx mori was found t ...	2017	28224717