| genome-wide comparison of genes involved in the biosynthesis, metabolism, and signaling of juvenile hormone between silkworm and other insects. | juvenile hormone (jh) contributes to the regulation of larval molting and metamorphosis in insects. herein, we comprehensively identified 55 genes involved in jh biosynthesis, metabolism and signaling in the silkworm (bombyx mori) as well as 35 in drosophila melanogaster, 35 in anopheles gambiae, 36 in apis mellifera, 47 in tribolium castaneum, and 44 in danaus plexippus. comparative analysis showed that each gene involved in the early steps of the mevalonate (mva) pathway, in the neuropeptide r ... | 0 | 25071411 |
| accessory gland as a site for prothoracicotropic hormone controlled ecdysone synthesis in adult male insects. | insect steroid hormones (ecdysteroids) are important for female reproduction in many insect species and are required for the initiation and coordination of vital developmental processes. ecdysteroids are also important for adult male physiology and behavior, but their exact function and site of synthesis remains unclear, although previous studies suggest that the reproductive system may be their source. we have examined expression profiles of the ecdysteroidogenic halloween genes, during develop ... | 2013 | 23383307 |
| proteome response of tribolium castaneum larvae to bacillus thuringiensis toxin producing strains. | susceptibility of tribolium castaneum (tc) larvae was determined against spore-crystal mixtures of five coleopteran specific and one lepidopteran specific bacillus thuringiensis cry toxin producing strains and those containing the structurally unrelated cry3ba and cry23aa/cry37aa proteins were found toxic (lc(50) values 13.53 and 6.30 µg spore-crystal mixture/µl flour disc, respectively). using itraq combined with lc-ms/ms allowed the discovery of seven novel differentially expressed proteins in ... | 2013 | 23372850 |
| repellant and insecticidal activities of shyobunone and isoshyobunone derived from the essential oil of acorus calamus rhizomes. | it was found that the essential oil of acorus calamus rhizomes showed insecticidal activity. | 0 | 26600710 |
| large scale rnai screen in tribolium reveals novel target genes for pest control and the proteasome as prime target. | insect pest control is challenged by insecticide resistance and negative impact on ecology and health. one promising pest specific alternative is the generation of transgenic plants, which express double stranded rnas targeting essential genes of a pest species. upon feeding, the dsrna induces gene silencing in the pest resulting in its death. however, the identification of efficient rnai target genes remains a major challenge as genomic tools and breeding capacity is limited in most pest insect ... | 2015 | 26334912 |
| phylogenetic and functional characterization of the hat transposon superfamily. | transposons are found in virtually all organisms and play fundamental roles in genome evolution. they can also acquire new functions in the host organism and some have been developed as incisive genetic tools for transformation and mutagenesis. the hat transposon superfamily contains members from the plant and animal kingdoms, some of which are active when introduced into new host organisms. we have identified two new active hat transposons, aebuster1, from the mosquito aedes aegypti and tcbuste ... | 2011 | 21368277 |
| steroid receptor co-activator is required for juvenile hormone signal transduction through a bhlh-pas transcription factor, methoprene tolerant. | metamorphosis in insects is regulated by juvenile hormone (jh) and ecdysteroids. the mechanism of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20e), but not of jh action, is well understood. a basic helix-loop-helix (bhlh)-per-arnt-sim (pas) family member, methoprene tolerant (met), plays an important role in jh action. microarray analysis and rna interference (rnai) were used to identify 69 genes that require met for their hydroprene-regulated expression in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. quantitative real t ... | 2010 | 21190938 |
| high toxicity and specificity of the saponin 3-glca-28-ararhaxyl-medicagenate, from medicago truncatula seeds, for sitophilus oryzae. | because of the increasingly concern of consumers and public policy about problems for environment and for public health due to chemical pesticides, the search for molecules more safe is currently of great importance. particularly, plants are able to fight the pathogens as insects, bacteria or fungi; so that plants could represent a valuable source of new molecules. | 2012 | 22536832 |
| discovery of defense- and neuropeptides in social ants by genome-mining. | natural peptides of great number and diversity occur in all organisms, but analyzing their peptidome is often difficult. with natural product drug discovery in mind, we devised a genome-mining approach to identify defense- and neuropeptides in the genomes of social ants from atta cephalotes (leaf-cutter ant), camponotus floridanus (carpenter ant) and harpegnathos saltator (basal genus). numerous peptide-encoding genes of defense peptides, in particular defensins, and neuropeptides or regulatory ... | 2012 | 22448224 |
| conserved repressive function of krüppel homolog 1 on insect metamorphosis in hemimetabolous and holometabolous species. | insect metamorphosis is regulated by ecdysteroids, which induce molts, and juvenile hormone (jh), which inhibits metamorphic changes. the molecular action of ecdysteroids has been thoroughly studied, but that of jh is poorly understood, with data currently only being available for holometabolous species, like drosophila melanogaster and tribolium castaneum. we studied the function of krüppel homolog 1 (kr-h1) in blattella germanica, a hemimetabolous model. kr-h1 is a zn finger transcription fact ... | 2011 | 22355678 |
| fine-scale analysis of parasite resistance genes in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | parasite infection impacts population dynamics through effects on fitness and fecundity of the individual host. in addition to the known roles of environmental factors, host susceptibility to parasites has a genetic basis that has not been well characterized. we previously mapped quantitative trait loci (qtl) for susceptibility to rat tapeworm (hymenolepis diminuta) infection in tribolium castaneum using dominant aflp markers; however, the resistance genes were not identified. here, we refined t ... | 2013 | 23770699 |
| juvenile hormone regulation of male accessory gland activity in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | male accessory gland proteins (acps) act as key modulators of reproductive success in insects by influencing the female reproductive physiology and behavior. we used custom microarrays and identified 112 genes that were highly expressed in male accessory glands (mag) in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. out of these 112 identified genes, 59 of them contained sequences coding for signal peptide and cleavage site and the remaining 53 contained transmembrane domains. the expression of 14 o ... | 2009 | 19324087 |
| evolution of the sugar receptors in insects. | perception of sugars is an invaluable ability for insects which often derive quickly accessible energy from these molecules. a distinctive subfamily of eight proteins within the gustatory receptor (gr) family has been identified as sugar receptors (srs) in drosophila melanogaster (gr5a, gr61a, and gr64a-f). we examined the evolution of these srs within the 12 available drosophila genome sequences, as well as three mosquito, two moth, and beetle, bee, and wasp genome sequences. | 2009 | 19226470 |
| molecular analysis of juvenile hormone analog action in controlling the metamorphosis of the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | the juvenile hormone analogs (jha) are known to disrupt insect development but the molecular mechanisms of their action have been studied only in a few model insects belonging to orders diptera and lepidoptera. here, we investigated the mechanisms of jha action in red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum, belonging to the order coleoptera. application of jha during penultimate and final instar larval stages blocked larval-pupal metamorphosis and induced supernumerary larval molts. when compared to ... | 0 | 19072925 |
| insecticide-mediated up-regulation of cytochrome p450 genes in the red flour beetle (tribolium castaneum). | some cytochrome p450 (cyp) genes are known for their rapid up-regulation in response to insecticide exposures in insects. to date, however, limited information is available with respect to the relationships among the insecticide type, insecticide concentration, exposure duration and the up-regulated cyp genes. in this study, we examined the transcriptional response of eight selected cyp genes, including cyp4g7, cyp4q4, cyp4br3, cyp12h1, cyp6bk11, cyp9d4, cyp9z5 and cyp345a1, to each of four inse ... | 2015 | 25607733 |
| the abcs of eye color in tribolium castaneum: orthologs of the drosophila white, scarlet, and brown genes. | in drosophila melanogaster, each of the three paralogous abc transporters, white, scarlet and brown, is required for normal pigmentation of the compound eye. we have cloned the three orthologous genes from the beetle tribolium castaneum. conceptual translations of tribolium white (tcw), scarlet (tcst), and brown (tcbw) are 51, 48, and 32% identical to their respective drosophila counterparts. we have identified loss-of-eye-pigment strains that bear mutations in tcw and tcst: the tcw gene in the ... | 2015 | 25555987 |
| the extraembryonic serosa protects the insect egg against desiccation. | insects have been extraordinarily successful in occupying terrestrial habitats, in contrast to their mostly aquatic sister group, the crustaceans. this success is typically attributed to adult traits such as flight, whereas little attention has been paid to adaptation of the egg. an evolutionary novelty of insect eggs is the serosa, an extraembryonic membrane that enfolds the embryo and secretes a cuticle. to experimentally test the protective function of the serosa, we exploit an exceptional po ... | 2013 | 23782888 |
| odoriferous defensive stink gland transcriptome to identify novel genes necessary for quinone synthesis in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | chemical defense is one of the most important traits, which endow insects the ability to conquer a most diverse set of ecological environments. chemical secretions are used for defense against anything from vertebrate or invertebrate predators to prokaryotic or eukaryotic parasites or food competitors. tenebrionid beetles are especially prolific in this category, producing several varieties of substituted benzoquinone compounds. in order to get a better understanding of the genetic and molecular ... | 2013 | 23874211 |
| sequence conservation, phylogenetic relationships, and expression profiles of nondigestive serine proteases and serine protease homologs in manduca sexta. | serine protease (sp) and serine protease homolog (sph) genes in insects encode a large family of proteins involved in digestion, development, immunity, and other processes. while 68 digestive sps and their close homologs are reported in a companion paper (kuwar et al., in preparation), we have identified 125 other sps/sphs in manduca sexta and studied their structure, evolution, and expression. fifty-two of them contain cystine-stabilized structures for molecular recognition, including clip, ldl ... | 2014 | 25530503 |
| tissue-specific transcriptomics, chromosomal localization, and phylogeny of chemosensory and odorant binding proteins from the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum reveal subgroup specificities for olfaction or more general functions. | chemoreception is based on the senses of smell and taste that are crucial for animals to find new food sources, shelter, and mates. the initial step in olfaction involves the translocation of odorants from the periphery through the aqueous lymph of the olfactory sensilla to the odorant receptors most likely by chemosensory proteins (csps) or odorant binding proteins (obps). | 2014 | 25523483 |
| functional characterization of five different prxamide receptors of the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum with peptidomimetics and identification of agonists and antagonists. | the neuropeptidergic system in insects is an excellent target for pest control strategies. one promising biorational approach is the use of peptidomimetics modified from endogenous ligands to enhance biostability and bioavailability. in this study, we functionally characterized five different g protein-coupled receptors in a phylogenetic cluster, containing receptors for prxamide in the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum, by evaluating a series of 70 different peptides and peptidomimetics. thr ... | 2014 | 25447413 |
| a role for taiman in insect metamorphosis. | recent studies in vitro have reported that the methoprene-tolerant (met) and taiman (tai) complex is the functional receptor of juvenile hormone (jh). experiments in vivo of met depletion have confirmed this factor's role in jh signal transduction, however, there is no equivalent data regarding tai because its depletion in larval or nymphal stages of the beetle tribolium castaneum and the bug pyrrhocoris apterus results in 100% mortality. we have discovered that the cockroach blattella germanica ... | 2014 | 25356827 |
| comparative analysis of the recently discovered hat transposon tcbuster in human cells. | transposons are useful tools for creating transgenic organisms, insertional mutagenesis, and genome engineering. tcbuster, a novel hat-family transposon system derived from the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum, was shown to be highly active in previous studies in insect embryoes. | 2012 | 23166581 |
| a resurrected mammalian hat transposable element and a closely related insect element are highly active in human cell culture. | chromosome structure and function are influenced by transposable elements, which are mobile dna segments that can move from place to place. hat elements are a superfamily of dna cut and paste elements that move by excision and integration. we have characterized two hat elements, tcbuster and space invaders (spin), that are members of a recently described subfamily of hat elements called buster elements. we show that tcbuster, from the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum, is highly active in hum ... | 2012 | 23091042 |
| doublesex target genes in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | sex determination cascade in insects terminates with the production of sex-specific protein, doublesex (dsx). we identified the dsx homolog (tcdsx) in tribolium castaneum. the pre-mrna of tcdsx is sex-specifically spliced into three female (tcdsxf1, tcdsxf2 and tcdsxf3) and one male-specific (tcdsxm) isoforms. cis-regulatory elements potentially involved in sex-specific splicing of the tcdsx pre-mrna were identified in the female-specific exon and the adjoining intronic sequences. all the three ... | 2012 | 23230513 |
| gene families of cuticular proteins analogous to peritrophins (cpaps) in tribolium castaneum have diverse functions. | the functional characterization of an entire class of 17 genes from the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum, which encode two families of cuticular proteins analogous to peritrophins (cpaps) has been carried out. cpap genes in t. castaneum are expressed exclusively in cuticle-forming tissues and have been classified into two families, cpap1 and cpap3, based on whether the proteins contain either one (cpap1), or three copies (cpap3) of the chitin-binding domain, chtbd2, with its six characteris ... | 2012 | 23185457 |
| parallel duplication and partial subfunctionalization of β-catenin/armadillo during insect evolution. | β-catenin is a multifunctional scaffolding protein with roles in wnt signaling, cell adhesion, and centrosome separation. here, we report on independent duplications of the insect β-catenin ortholog armadillo (arm) in the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum and the pea aphid acyrthosiphon pisum. detailed sequence analysis shows that in both species, one paralog lost critical residues of the α-catenin binding domain, which is essential for cell adhesion, and accumulated a dramatically higher num ... | 2011 | 21890476 |
| molecular cloning and sequence analysis of a novel p450 gene encoding cyp345d3 from the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | a novel cdna clone encoding a cytochrome p450 gene has been isolated from the insecticide-susceptible strain of the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum (herbst) (coleoptera: tenebrionidae). the nucleotide sequence of the clone, designated cyp345d3, was determined. the cdna is 1554 bp in length and contains an open reading frame from base pairs 32 to 1513, encoding a protein of 493 amino acid residues and a predicted molecular weight of 57466 daltons. the putative protein contains the classic h ... | 0 | 20331399 |
| dusky-like is required for epidermal pigmentation and metamorphosis in tribolium castaneum. | dusky-like (dyl) is associated with the morphogenesis of embryonic denticle, adult sensory bristle and wing hair in drosophila melanogaster. and whether dyl involved in insect post-embryonic development and its signal transduction are poorly understood. here, phylogenetic analysis revealed that dyl displayed one-to-one orthologous relationship among insects. in tribolium castaneum, dyl is abundantly expressed at the late embryonic stage. tissue-specific expression analysis at the late adult stag ... | 2016 | 26829909 |
| microbiota plays a role in oral immune priming in tribolium castaneum. | animals are inhabited by a diverse community of microorganisms. the relevance of such microbiota is increasingly being recognized across a broad spectrum of species, ranging from sponges to primates, revealing various beneficial roles that microbes can play. the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum represents a well-established experimental model organism for studying questions in ecology and evolution, however, the relevance of its microbial community is still largely unknown. t. castaneum larv ... | 2016 | 26779124 |
| genes related to mitochondrial functions are differentially expressed in phosphine-resistant and -susceptible tribolium castaneum. | phosphine is a valuable fumigant to control pest populations in stored grains and grain products. however, recent studies indicate a substantial increase in phosphine resistance in stored product pests worldwide. | 2015 | 26582239 |
| strain-specific priming of resistance in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | as invertebrates lack the molecular machinery employed by the vertebrate adaptive immune system, it was thought that they consequently lack the ability to produce lasting and specific immunity. however, in recent years, it has been demonstrated that the immune defence of invertebrates is by far more complicated and specific than previously envisioned. lasting immunity following an initial exposure that proves protection on a secondary exposure has been shown in several species of invertebrates. ... | 0 | 18796392 |
| satellite dna as a driver of population divergence in the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum. | tandemly repeated satellite dnas are among most rapidly evolving sequences in eukaryotic genome, usually differing significantly among closely related species. by inducing changes in heterochromatin and/or centromere, satellite dnas are expected to drive population and species divergence. however, despite high evolutionary dynamics, divergence of satellite dna profiles at the level of natural population which precedes and possibly triggers speciation process is not readily detected. here, we cha ... | 2014 | 25527837 |
| evidence for deep regulatory similarities in early developmental programs across highly diverged insects. | many genes familiar from drosophila development, such as the so-called gap, pair-rule, and segment polarity genes, play important roles in the development of other insects and in many cases appear to be deployed in a similar fashion, despite the fact that drosophila-like "long germband" development is highly derived and confined to a subset of insect families. whether or not these similarities extend to the regulatory level is unknown. identification of regulatory regions beyond the well-studied ... | 0 | 25173756 |
| large-scale rnai screen of g protein-coupled receptors involved in larval growth, molting and metamorphosis in the red flour beetle. | the g protein-coupled receptors (gpcrs) belong to the largest superfamily of integral cell membrane proteins and play crucial roles in physiological processes including behavior, development and reproduction. because of their broad and diverse roles in cellular signaling, gpcrs are the therapeutic targets for many prescription drugs. however, there is no commercial pesticide targeting insect gpcrs. in this study, we employed functional genomics methods and used the red flour beetle, tribolium ca ... | 2011 | 21806814 |
| a context-dependent combination of wnt receptors controls axis elongation and leg development in a short germ insect. | short germ embryos elongate their primary body axis by consecutively adding segments from a posteriorly located growth zone. wnt signalling is required for axis elongation in short germ arthropods, including tribolium castaneum, but the precise functions of the different wnt receptors involved in this process are unclear. we analysed the individual and combinatorial functions of the three wnt receptors, frizzled-1 (tc-fz1), frizzled-2 (tc-fz2) and frizzled-4 (tc-fz4), and their co-receptor arrow ... | 0 | 21652652 |
| common transcriptional mechanisms for visual photoreceptor cell differentiation among pancrustaceans. | a hallmark of visual rhabdomeric photoreceptors is the expression of a rhabdomeric opsin and uniquely associated phototransduction molecules, which are incorporated into a specialized expanded apical membrane, the rhabdomere. given the extensive utilization of rhabdomeric photoreceptors in the eyes of protostomes, here we address whether a common transcriptional mechanism exists for the differentiation of rhabdomeric photoreceptors. in drosophila, the transcription factors pph13 and orthodenticl ... | 2014 | 24991928 |
| molecular cloning and characterization of neutral ceramidase homologue from the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | ceramidase plays an important role in regulating the metabolism of sphingolipids, such as ceramide, sphingosine (sph), and sphingosine-1-phosphate (s1p), by controlling the hydrolysis of ceramide. here we report the cloning and biochemical characterization of a neutral ceramidase from the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum which is an important storage pest. the tribolium castaneum neutral ceramidase (tncer) is a protein of 696 amino acids. it shares a high degree of similarity in protein sequ ... | 2011 | 21457750 |
| rna interference as a method for target-site screening in the western corn rootworm, diabrotica virgifera virgifera. | to test the efficacy of rna interference (rnai) as a method for target-site screening in diabrotica virgifera virgifera leconte (coleptera: chrysomelidae) larvae, genes were identified and tested for which clear rnai phenotypes had been identified in the coleopteran model, tribolium castaneum. here the cloning of the d. v. vergifera orthologs of laccase 2 (dvvlac2) and chitin synthase 2 (dvvchs2) is reported. injection of dvvlac2-specific double-stranded rna resulted in prevention of post-molt c ... | 0 | 21067417 |
| functional shifts in insect microrna evolution. | micrornas (mirnas) are short endogenous rna molecules that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and have been shown to play critical roles during animal development. the identification and comparison of mirnas in metazoan species are therefore paramount for our understanding of the evolution of body plans. we have characterized 203 mirnas from the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum by deep sequencing of small rna libraries. we can conclude, from a single study, that the tr ... | 2010 | 20817720 |
| formation of rigid, non-flight forewings (elytra) of a beetle requires two major cuticular proteins. | insect cuticle is composed primarily of chitin and structural proteins. to study the function of structural cuticular proteins, we focused on the proteins present in elytra (modified forewings that become highly sclerotized and pigmented covers for the hindwings) of the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. we identified two highly abundant proteins, tccpr27 (10 kda) and tccpr18 (20 kda), which are also present in pronotum and ventral abdominal cuticles. both are members of the rebers and riddi ... | 2012 | 22570623 |
| analysis of transcriptome data in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | the whole genome sequence of tribolium castaneum, a worldwide coleopteran pest of stored products, has recently been determined. in order to facilitate accurate annotation and detailed functional analysis of this genome, we have compiled and analyzed all available expressed sequence tag (est) data. the raw data consist of 61,228 ests, including 10,704 obtained from ncbi and an additional 50,524 derived from 32,544 clones generated in our laboratories. these sequences were amassed from cdna libra ... | 2007 | 18342244 |
| selenoproteinless animals: selenophosphate synthetase sps1 functions in a pathway unrelated to selenocysteine biosynthesis. | proteins containing the 21st amino acid, selenocysteine (sec), have been described in all three domains of life, but the composition of selenoproteomes in organisms varies significantly. here, we report that aquatic arthropods possess many selenoproteins also detected in other animals and unicellular eukaryotes, and that most of these proteins were either lost or replaced with cysteine-containing homologs in insects. as a result of this selective selenoproteome reduction, fruit flies and mosquit ... | 0 | 18156471 |
| canonical ttagg-repeat telomeres and telomerase in the honey bee, apis mellifera. | the draft assembly of the honey bee apis mellifera genome sequence reveals that the 17 centromeric-distal telomeres are of a simple, shared, and canonical structure, with 3-4 kb of a unique subtelomeric sequence, followed by several kilobases of ttagg or variant telomeric repeats. this simple subtelomeric structure differs from the centromeric-proximal telomeres on the short arms of the 15 acrocentric chromosomes, which are apparently composed primarily of the 176-bp alui tandem repeat. this dic ... | 2006 | 17065609 |
| the evolution of hexapod engrailed-family genes: evidence for conservation and concerted evolution. | phylogenetic analyses imply that multiple engrailed-family gene duplications occurred during hexapod evolution, a view supported by previous reports of only a single engrailed-family gene in members of the grasshopper genus schistocerca and in the beetle tribolium castaneum. here, we report the cloning of a second engrailed-family gene from schistocerca gregaria and present evidence for two engrailed-family genes from four additional hexapod species. we also report the existence of a second engr ... | 0 | 16790405 |
| a clustered set of three sp-family genes is ancestral in the metazoa: evidence from sequence analysis, protein domain structure, developmental expression patterns and chromosomal location. | the sp-family of transcription factors are evolutionarily conserved zinc finger proteins present in many animal species. the orthology of the sp genes in different animals is unclear and their evolutionary history is therefore controversially discussed. this is especially the case for the sp gene buttonhead (btd) which plays a key role in head development in drosophila melanogaster, and has been proposed to have originated by a recent gene duplication. the purpose of the presented study was to t ... | 2010 | 20353601 |
| natalisin, a tachykinin-like signaling system, regulates sexual activity and fecundity in insects. | an arthropod-specific peptidergic system, the neuropeptide designated here as natalisin and its receptor, was identified and investigated in three holometabolous insect species: drosophila melanogaster, tribolium castaneum, and bombyx mori. in all three species, natalisin expression was observed in 3-4 pairs of the brain neurons: the anterior dorso-lateral interneurons, inferior contralateral interneurons, and small pars intercerebralis neurons. in b. mori, natalisin also was expressed in two ad ... | 2013 | 23980168 |
| multicopper oxidase-1 orthologs from diverse insect species have ascorbate oxidase activity. | members of the multicopper oxidase (mco) family of enzymes can be classified by their substrate specificity; for example, ferroxidases oxidize ferrous iron, ascorbate oxidases oxidize ascorbate, and laccases oxidize aromatic substrates such as diphenols. our previous work on an insect multicopper oxidase, mco1, suggested that it may function as a ferroxidase. this hypothesis was based on three lines of evidence: rnai-mediated knock down of drosophila melanogaster mco1 (dmmco1) affects iron homeo ... | 2015 | 25701385 |
| functional analysis of the atp-binding cassette (abc) transporter gene family of tribolium castaneum. | the atp-binding cassette (abc) transporters belong to a large superfamily of proteins that have important physiological functions in all living organisms. most are integral membrane proteins that transport a broad spectrum of substrates across lipid membranes. in insects, abc transporters are of special interest because of their role in insecticide resistance. | 2013 | 23324493 |
| cuticular protein with a low complexity sequence becomes cross-linked during insect cuticle sclerotization and is required for the adult molt. | in the insect cuticle, structural proteins (cps) and the polysaccharide chitin are the major components. it has been hypothesized that cps are cross-linked to other cps and possibly to chitin by quinones or quinone methides produced by the laccase2-mediated oxidation of n-acylcatechols. in this study we investigated functions of tccp30, the third most abundant cp in protein extracts of elytra (wing covers) from tribolium castaneum adults. the mature tccp30 protein has a low complexity and highly ... | 2015 | 25994234 |
| do teashirt family genes specify trunk identity? insights from the single tiptop/teashirt homolog of tribolium castaneum. | the drosophila teashirt gene acts in concert with the homeotic selector (hox) genes to specify trunk (thorax and abdomen) identity. there has been speculation that this trunk-specifying function might be very ancient, dating back to the common ancestor of insects and vertebrates. however, other evidence suggests that the role of teashirt in trunk identity is not well conserved even within the insecta. to address this issue, we have analyzed the function of tc-tiotsh, the lone teashirt family mem ... | 2008 | 18392876 |
| analysis of the tribolium homeotic complex: insights into mechanisms constraining insect hox clusters. | the remarkable conservation of hox clusters is an accepted but little understood principle of biology. some organizational constraints have been identified for vertebrate hox clusters, but most of these are thought to be recent innovations that may not apply to other organisms. ironically, many model organisms have disrupted hox clusters and may not be well-suited for studies of structural constraints. in contrast, the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum, which has a long history in hox gene r ... | 2008 | 18392875 |
| laccase 2 is the phenoloxidase gene required for beetle cuticle tanning. | cuticle tanning (or sclerotization and pigmentation) in invertebrates involves the oxidative conjugation of proteins, which renders them insoluble and hardens and darkens the color of the exoskeleton. two kinds of phenoloxidases, laccase and tyrosinase, have been proposed to participate in tanning, but proof of the true identity of the enzyme(s) responsible for this process has been elusive. we report the cloning of cdnas for laccases and tyrosinases from the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneu ... | 2005 | 16076951 |
| gene disruption technologies have the potential to transform stored product insect pest control. | stored product insects feed on grains and processed commodities manufactured from grain post-harvest, reducing the nutritional value and contaminating food. currently, the main defense against stored product insect pests is the pesticide fumigant phosphine. phosphine is highly toxic to all animals, but is the most effective and economical control method, and thus is used extensively worldwide. however, many insect populations have become resistant to phosphine, in some cases to very high levels. ... | 2016 | 27657138 |
| first evidence of dna methylation in insect tribolium castaneum: environmental regulation of dna methylation within heterochromatin. | dna methylation has been studied in many eukaryotic organisms, in particular vertebrates, and was implicated in developmental and phenotypic variations. little is known about the role of dna methylation in invertebrates, although insects are considered as excellent models for studying the evolution of dna methylation. in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum (tenebrionidae, coleoptera), no evidence of dna methylation has been found till now. in this paper, a cytosine methylation in tribolium ... | 2013 | 23644818 |
| identification of g protein-coupled receptors required for vitellogenin uptake into the oocytes of the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | previous studies suggested that a membrane receptor might be involved in mediating vitellogenin (vg) uptake and juvenile hormone (jh)-regulated remodeling of follicular epithelium (also called 'patency'). g protein-coupled receptor (gpcr) family is one of the largest membrane receptor protein families and controls many key physiological processes. to investigate the role of gpcrs in insect reproduction and juvenile hormone-regulated vg uptake, we performed a comprehensive rna interference (rnai) ... | 2016 | 27277501 |
| the maternal-effect, selfish genetic element medea is associated with a composite tc1 transposon. | maternal-effect dominant embryonic arrest ("medea") factors are selfish nuclear elements that combine maternal-lethal and zygotic-rescue activities to gain a postzygotic survival advantage. we show that medea(1) activity in tribolium castaneum is associated with a composite tc1 transposon inserted just downstream of the neurotransmitter reuptake symporter bloated tubules (blot), whose drosophila ortholog has both maternal and zygotic functions. the 21.5-kb insertion contains defective copies of ... | 2008 | 18621706 |
| identification and biochemical characterization of protein phosphatase 5 from the cantharidin-producing blister beetle, epicauta chinensis. | protein phosphatase 5 (pp5) is a unique member of serine/threonine phosphatases which has been recognized in regulation of diverse cellular processes. a cdna fragment encoding pp5 (ecpp5) was cloned and characterized from the cantharidin-producing blister beetle, e. chinensis. ecpp5 contains an open reading frame of 1500 bp that encodes a protein of 56.89 kda. the deduced amino acid sequence shares 88% and 68% identities to the pp5 of tribolium castaneum and humans, respectively. analysis of the ... | 2013 | 24351830 |
| chemical profiling, antimicrobial and insecticidal evaluations of polygonum hydropiper l. | the emergence of multidrug resistant (mdr) pathogens is of great concern to the global health community. our ability to effectively treat diseases is based on the discovery of potent drugs for the treatment of these challenging diseases. traditional medicines are one of the major sources for the discovery of safe, effective and economical drug candidates. in order to validate its antibacterial, antifungal and insecticidal potentials with respect to traditional uses, we have screened for the firs ... | 2016 | 27919287 |
| antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal potentials of oxalis corniculata and its isolated compounds. | oxalis corniculata is a common medicinal plant widely used against numerous infectious diseases. the agrochemical potential of methanolic extract, n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol fractions were assessed to measure the antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal activities of the plant. the crude, chloroform, and n-butanol soluble fractions showed excellent activities against escherichia coli, shigella dysenteriae, salmonella typhi, and bacillus subtilis but have no activity ag ... | 2015 | 25873973 |
| heavy metals content, phytochemical composition, antimicrobial and insecticidal evaluation of elaeagnus angustifolia. | elaeagnus angustifolia was analyzed for determination of metals, phytoconstituents, bactericidal, fungicidal and insecticidal effects and to explore its chemical and biological potential. the root, branches, leaves, stem bark and root bark parts of e. angustifolia were found to contain iron, lead, copper, cadmium, zinc, chromium, nickel and cobalt in different concentrations. crude extract of elaeagnus angustifolia (ea.cr) was tested positive for the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins a ... | 2016 | 24081630 |
| a glycoprotein α-amylase inhibitor from withania somnifera differentially inhibits various α-amylases and affects the growth and development of tribolium castaneum. | identification and characterisation of plant defensive molecules enrich our resources to design crop protection strategies. in particular, plant-derived proteinaceous inhibitor(s) of insect digestive enzymes appear to be a safe, sustainable and attractive option. | 2016 | 27770482 |
| identification and characterization of the sudanese bacillus thuringiensis and related bacterial strains for their efficacy against helicoverpa armigera and tribolium castaneum. | forty-four isolates of bacillus thuringiensis like bacteria from various sources in different locations from sudan were tested for their insecticidal activity. the toxicity of these isolates ranged from 6.6 to 70% to the neonates of cotton bollworm, helicoverpa armigera at 10 ppm concentration. the most effective ones are kb-29, st-6 and wh-1 comparable with hd-1. toxicity of isolates to larvae of the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum ranged from 20 to 100%. isolates st-2 and st-23 gave 100% ... | 2014 | 24956895 |
| prophenoloxidase genes and antimicrobial host defense of the model beetle, tribolium castaneum. | in this study, we characterized prophenoloxidase (propo, (ppo)) genes of tribolium castaneum and examined their involvement in antimicrobial host defense. amino acid sequence comparison with well-characterized ppo proteins from other insect species suggested that t. castaneum ppo genes encoded functional proenzymes, with crucial sequence motifs being conserved. developmental kinetics of the mrna of two ppo genes, ppo1 and ppo2 in the pupal stage were different to each other. the ppo1 mrna levels ... | 2015 | 26519623 |
| the within-host dynamics of infection in trans-generationally primed flour beetles. | many taxa exhibit plastic immune responses initiated after primary microbial exposure that provide increased protection against disease-induced mortality and the fitness costs of infection. in several arthropod species, this protection can even be passed from parents to offspring through a phenomenon called trans-generational immune priming. here, we first demonstrate that trans-generational priming is a repeatable phenomenon in flour beetles (tribolium castaneum) primed and infected with bacill ... | 2017 | 28277618 |
| localization and in silico study of the vegetative insecticidal proteins vip2s-vip1s of bacillus thuringiensis. | the bacillus thuringiensis s1/4 strain was previously found to harbour vip1s, vip2s, and vip3 genes. its plasmid curing led to the obtaining of four partially cured strains s1/4-2, s1/4-3, s1/4-7, and s1/4-9 (vip2s-vip1s (-), vip3 (+)), one strain s1/4-4 (vip2s-vip1s (+), vip3 (-)), and s1/4-0 strain lacking the three genes. using these derivative strains as templates, pcr amplification and southern blot assay revealed that vip2s-vip1s operon and vip3 gene were localized on two different large p ... | 2016 | 27264647 |
| tribolium castaneum defensins are primarily active against gram-positive bacteria. | the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum is a destructive insect pest of stored food and feed products, and a model organism for development, evolutionary biology and immunity. the insect innate immune system includes antimicrobial peptides (amps) with a wide spectrum of targets including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. defensins are an evolutionarily-conserved class of amps and a potential new source of antimicrobial agents. in this context, we report the antimicrobial activity, phyloge ... | 2015 | 26522790 |
| infection of tribolium castaneum with bacillus thuringiensis: quantification of bacterial replication within cadavers, transmission via cannibalism, and inhibition of spore germination. | reproduction within a host and transmission to the next host are crucial for the virulence and fitness of pathogens. nevertheless, basic knowledge about such parameters is often missing from the literature, even for well-studied bacteria, such as bacillus thuringiensis, an endospore-forming insect pathogen, which infects its hosts via the oral route. to characterize bacterial replication success, we made use of an experimental oral infection system for the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum an ... | 2015 | 26386058 |
| immunosenescence and the ability to survive bacterial infection in the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum. | in most animals, ageing is associated with a decline in immune function (immune senescence). however, different components of the immune system seem to age differentially, and many studies do not measure the ultimate fitness consequences of immune function after infection. previous work shows that immune function may be traded off with other fitness components such as reproduction. it is possible that age alters the nature of these trade-offs, particularly in conjunction with factors such as gen ... | 2016 | 26257080 |
| a temperature shock can lead to trans-generational immune priming in the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | trans-generational immune priming (tgip) describes the transfer of immune stimulation to the next generation. as stress and immunity are closely connected, we here address the question whether trans-generational effects on immunity and resistance can also be elicited by a nonpathogen stress treatment of parents. general stressors have been shown to induce immunity to pathogens within individuals. however, to our knowledge, it is as of yet unknown whether stress can also induce trans-generational ... | 2015 | 25859336 |
| tribolium castaneum immune defense genes are differentially expressed in response to bacillus thuringiensis toxins sharing common receptor molecules and exhibiting disparate toxicity. | in tribolium castaneum larvae we have demonstrated by rna interference knockdown that the bacillus thuringiensis cry3ba toxin receptors cadherin-like and sodium solute symporter proteins are also functional receptors of the less active cry3aa toxin. differences in susceptibility to b. thuringiensis infection might not only rely on toxin-receptor interaction but also on host defense mechanisms. we compared the expression of the immune related genes encoding apolipophorin-iii and two antimicrobial ... | 2015 | 25684675 |
| different effects of paternal trans-generational immune priming on survival and immunity in step and genetic offspring. | paternal trans-generational immune priming, whereby fathers provide immune protection to offspring, has been demonstrated in the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum exposed to the insect pathogen bacillus thuringiensis. it is currently unclear how such protection is transferred, as in contrast to mothers, fathers do not directly provide offspring with a large amount of substances. in addition to sperm, male flour beetles transfer seminal fluids in a spermatophore to females during copulation. d ... | 2014 | 25355479 |
| increased survival in the red flour beetle after oral priming with bacteria-conditioned media. | immune priming is defined as enhanced protection upon secondary exposure to a pathogen. such enhanced resistance after prior exposure has been demonstrated for a number of insect species including the red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. in testing this phenomenon, the majority of studies have focused on introducing the pathogen into the insect's hemocoel via septic wounding through the cuticle. although such septic injury can occur in nature, many pathogens enter their hosts via the oral rout ... | 2014 | 24216503 |
| the red flour beetle as a model for bacterial oral infections. | experimental infection systems are important for studying antagonistic interactions and coevolution between hosts and their pathogens. the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum and the spore-forming bacterial insect pathogen bacillus thuringiensis (bt) are widely used and tractable model organisms. however, they have not been employed yet as an efficient experimental system to study host-pathogen interactions. we used a high throughput oral infection protocol to infect t. castaneum insects with c ... | 2013 | 23737991 |
| sodium solute symporter and cadherin proteins act as bacillus thuringiensis cry3ba toxin functional receptors in tribolium castaneum. | understanding how bacillus thuringiensis (bt) toxins interact with proteins in the midgut of susceptible coleopteran insects is crucial to fully explain the molecular bases of bt specificity and insecticidal action. in this work, aminopeptidase n (tcapn-i), e-cadherin (tccad1), and sodium solute symporter (tcsss) have been identified by ligand blot as putative cry3ba toxin-binding proteins in tribolium castaneum (tc) larvae. rna interference knockdown of tccad1 or tcsss proteins resulted in decr ... | 2013 | 23645668 |
| tribolium castaneum apolipophorin-iii acts as an immune response protein against bacillus thuringiensis cry3ba toxic activity. | in this study, a 2.1-fold apolipophorin-iii mrna up-regulation was found in tribolium castaneum larvae challenged with bacillus thuringiensis cry3ba spore-crystal mixture. knockdown of apolipophorin-iii by rnai resulted in increased t. castaneum larvae susceptibility following cry3ba spore-crystal treatment, demonstrating apolipophorin-iii involvement in insect defense against b. thuringiensis. we showed that apolipophorin-iii participates in t. castaneum immune response to b. thuringiensis acti ... | 2013 | 23602900 |
| screening and identification of a bacillus thuringiensis strain s1/4 with large and efficient insecticidal activities. | the bacterium bacillus thuringiensis was recognized for its entomopathogenic activities related to cry and cyt proteins forming the δ-endotoxins and some extracellular activities like the vegetative insecticidal proteins (vip) and cry1i. these activities may act specifically against diverse organisms and some of them typically characterize each strain. here, we screened a set of 212 b. thuringiensis strains to search the higher insecticidal activities. these strains had bipyramidal and cubic cry ... | 2013 | 22915162 |
| highly potent host external immunity acts as a strong selective force enhancing rapid parasite virulence evolution. | virulence is often under selection during host-parasite coevolution. in order to increase fitness, parasites are predicted to circumvent and overcome host immunity. a particular challenge for pathogens are external immune systems, chemical defence systems comprised of potent antimicrobial compounds released by prospective hosts into the environment. we carried out an evolution experiment, allowing for coevolution to occur, with the entomopathogenic fungus, beauveria bassiana, and the red flour b ... | 2017 | 28345225 |
| chitin synthase 1 gene is crucial to antifungal host defense of the model beetle, tribolium castaneum. | the importance of the insect cuticle as a primary protective barrier against entomopathogens has long been noted. in the present study, we addressed this issue by utilizing an experimental infection system composed of the model beetle t. castaneum and two entomopathogenic fungal species, beauveria bassiana and metarhizium anisopliae. the pupae were relatively susceptible to these fungi by the natural route of infection, with some refractoriness developed with age, while the adults exhibited much ... | 2017 | 27867018 |
| coevolution of parasitic fungi and insect hosts. | parasitic fungi and their insect hosts provide an intriguing model system for dissecting the complex co-evolutionary processes, which result in red queen dynamics. to explore the genetic basis behind host-parasite coevolution we chose two parasitic fungi (beauveria bassiana and metarhizium anisopliae, representing the most important entomopathogenic fungi used in the biological control of pest or vector insects) and two established insect model hosts (the greater wax moth galleria mellonella and ... | 2016 | 27448694 |
| tenebrionid secretions and a fungal benzoquinone oxidoreductase form competing components of an arms race between a host and pathogen. | entomopathogenic fungi and their insect hosts represent a model system for examining invertebrate-pathogen coevolutionary selection processes. here we report the characterization of competing components of an arms race consisting of insect protective antimicrobial compounds and evolving fungal mechanisms of detoxification. the insect pathogenic fungus beauveria bassiana has a remarkably wide host range; however, some insects are resistant to fungal infection. among resistant insects is the teneb ... | 2015 | 26056261 |
| naturally occurring entomopathogenic fungi infecting stored grain insect species in punjab, pakistan. | the occurrence of entomopathogenic fungi isolated from stored grain insect pests sampled from various geographical regions of punjab, pakistan, was investigated. in total, 25,720 insects from six different species were evaluated, and 195 isolates from 24 different fungal species were recovered. these included the ascomycetes beauveria bassiana sensu lato (balsamo) vuillemin (hypocreales: clavicipitaceae), metarhizium anisopliae sensu lato (metschnikoff) sorokin (hypocreales: clavicipitaceae), pu ... | 2014 | 25480970 |
| functional analysis of insect molting fluid proteins on the protection and regulation of ecdysis. | molting fluid accumulates between the old and new cuticles during periodical ecdysis in ecdysozoa. natural defects in insect ecdysis are frequently associated with melanization (an immunity response) occurring primarily in molting fluids, suggesting that molting fluid may impact immunity as well as affect ecdysis. to address this hypothesis, proteomic analysis of molting fluids from bombyx mori during three different types of ecdysis was performed. many proteins were newly identified, including ... | 2014 | 25368323 |
| comparative analysis of the monochamus alternatus immune system. | the pine sawyer beetle, monochamus alternatus, is regarded as a notorious forest pest in asia, vectoring an invasive pathogenic nematode, bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which is known to cause pine wilt disease. however, little sequence information is available for this vector beetle. this hampered the research on its immune system. based on transcriptome of m. alternatus, we have identified and characterized 194 immunity-related genes in m. alternatus, and compared them with homologues molecules f ... | 2017 | 28247970 |
| antimicrobial, insecticidal and phytotoxic activities of cotinus coggyria scop. essential oil (anacardiaceae). | the essential oil of cotinus coggyria scop.' leaves was found to be rich in α-pinene (43.1%), limonene (21.3%) and β-myrcene (8.5%). in the antimicrobial screening, essential oil was notably active on staphylococcus aureus atcc 29213, s. aureus atcc baa-977, candida albicans atcc 14053 and c. parapsilosis atcc 22019 using the disc diffusion and volatilisation assays. the fumigant assay of the essential oil caused 70% and 100% mortality on the two pest adults of acanthoscelides obtectus and tribo ... | 2014 | 24980636 |
| translocation of bacteria from the gut to the eggs triggers maternal transgenerational immune priming in tribolium castaneum. | invertebrates can be primed to enhance their protection against pathogens they have encountered before. this enhanced immunity can be passed maternally or paternally to the offspring and is known as transgenerational immune priming. we challenged larvae of the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum by feeding them on diets supplemented with escherichia coli, micrococcus luteus or pseudomonas entomophila, thus mimicking natural exposure to pathogens. the oral uptake of bacteria induced immunity-rel ... | 2015 | 26701756 |
| parasitization by scleroderma guani influences expression of superoxide dismutase genes in tenebrio molitor. | superoxide dismutase (sod) is an antioxidant enzyme involved in detoxifying reactive oxygen species. in this study, we identified genes encoding the extracellular and intracellular copper-zinc sods (eccuznsod and iccuznsod) and a manganese sod (mnsod) in the yellow mealworm beetle, tenebrio molitor. the cdnas for eccuznsod, iccuznsod, and mnsod, respectively, encode 24.55, 15.81, and 23.14 kda polypeptides, which possess structural features typical of other insect sods. they showed 20-94% identi ... | 2014 | 25042129 |
| genomic organization, sequence characterization and expression analysis of tenebrio molitor apolipophorin-iii in response to an intracellular pathogen, listeria monocytogenes. | apolipophorin iii (apolp-iii) is a well-known hemolymph protein having a functional role in lipid transport and immune response of insects. we cloned full-length cdna encoding putative apolp-iii from larvae of the coleopteran beetle, tenebrio molitor (tmapolp-iii), by identification of clones corresponding to the partial sequence of tmapolp-iii, subsequently followed with full length sequencing by a clone-by-clone primer walking method. the complete cdna consists of 890 nucleotides, including an ... | 2014 | 24200961 |
| the life cycle of gregarina cuneata in the midgut of tribolium castaneum and the effects of parasitism on the development of insects. | tribolium castaneum herbst 1797 (coleoptera: tenebrionidae), an important pest of stored grains and byproducts, is naturally infected by gregarina cuneata stein 1848 (apicomplexa: gregarinidae). changes in the life cycle of insects caused by the parasite development in the midgut were studied. trophozoites, gamonts (solitary and associated), and gametocysts were present in the midgut of the insects. in young trophozoites, the apical region differentiated into an epimerite that firmly attached th ... | 2016 | 26781173 |
| morpho-functional characterization and esterase patterns of the midgut of tribolium castaneum herbst, 1797 (coleoptera: tenebrionidae) parasitized by gregarina cuneata (apicomplexa: eugregarinidae). | tribolium castaneum (coleoptera: tenebrionidae) is a common pest of stored grains and byproducts and is normally infected by gregarina cuneata (apicomplexa: eugregarinidae). the life cycle of this parasite includes the sporozoite, trophozoite, gamont, gametocyte, and oocyst stages, which occur between the epithelium and lumen of the host's midgut. this study aims to describe the morphofunctional alterations in the midgut and determine the esterase patterns in t. castaneum when parasitized by gre ... | 2015 | 26072335 |
| transcription profiling of immune genes during parasite infection in susceptible and resistant strains of the flour beetles (tribolium castaneum). | the flour beetle, tribolium castaneum, is an intermediate host for the tapeworm hymenolepis diminuta and has become an important genetic model to explore immune responses to parasite infection in insect hosts. the present study examined the immune responses to tapeworm infection in resistant (tiw1) and susceptible (csm) strains of the red flour beetle, t. castaneum, using real-time quantitative reverse transcription pcr on 29 immunity-related genes that exhibit antimicrobial properties. thirteen ... | 2013 | 23380036 |
| molecular cloning and characterization of autophagy-related gene tmatg8 in listeria-invaded hemocytes of tenebrio molitor. | macroautophagy (hereinafter called autophagy) is a highly regulated process used by eukaryotic cells to digest portions of the cytoplasm that remodels and recycles nutrients and disposes of unwanted cytoplasmic constituents. currently 36 autophagy-related genes (atg) and their homologs have been characterized in yeast and higher eukaryotes, including insects. in the present study, we identified and functionally characterized the immune function of an atg8 homolog in a coleopteran insect, tenebri ... | 2015 | 25727880 |
| identification and expression analysis of a novel r-type lectin from the coleopteran beetle, tenebrio molitor. | we have identified novel ricin-type (r-type) lectin by sequencing of random clones from cdna library of the coleopteran beetle, tenebrio molitor. the cdna sequence is comprised of 495 bp encoding a protein of 164 amino acid residues and shows 49% identity with galectin of tribolium castaneum. bioinformatics analysis shows that the amino acid residues from 35 to 162 belong to ricin-type beta-trefoil structure. the transcript was significantly upregulated after early hours of injection with peptid ... | 2013 | 23962621 |
| gender- and stressor-specific microrna expression in tribolium castaneum. | micrornas (mirnas) are small non-coding rnas mediating post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. addressing their role in regulation of physiological adaptations to environmental stress in insects, we selected the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum as a model. beetles were fed with the bacterial entomopathogen pseudomonas entomophila (to mimic natural infection), injected with peptidoglycan (experimental setting of strong immune responses) or subjected to either mild he ... | 2012 | 22628099 |
| the effects of temperature and diet during development, adulthood, and mating on reproduction in the red flour beetle. | the effects of different temperatures and diets experienced during distinct life stages are not necessarily similar. the silver-spoon hypothesis predicts that developing under favorable conditions will always lead to better performing adults under all adult conditions. the environment-matching hypothesis suggests that a match between developmental and adult conditions will lead to the best performing adults. similar to the latter hypothesis, the beneficial-acclimation hypothesis suggests that ei ... | 2015 | 26348929 |
| unexpected functional diversity in the fatty acid desaturases of the flour beetle tribolium castaneum and identification of key residues determining activity. | desaturases catalyse modifications to fatty acids which are essential to homeostasis and for pheromone and defensive chemical production. all desaturases of the flour beetle tribolium castaneum were investigated via query of the sequenced genome which yielded 15 putative acyl-coenzyme a genes. eleven desaturase mrna were obtained in full length and functionally expressed in yeast. phylogenetic analysis separated the desaturases into 4 distinct clades; one clade contained conserved beetle δ9 desa ... | 2014 | 24880119 |
| expression of an endoglucanase from tribolium castaneum (tceg1) in saccharomyces cerevisiae. | insects are a largely unexploited resource in prospecting for novel cellulolytic enzymes to improve the production of ethanol fuel from lignocellulosic biomass. the cost of lignocellulosic ethanol production is expected to decrease by the combination of cellulose degradation (saccharification) and fermentation of the resulting glucose to ethanol in a single process, catalyzed by the yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed to express efficient cellulases. while s. cerevisiae is an established ... | 2014 | 24318365 |
| a new bioassay for testing plant extracts and pure compounds using red flour beetletribolium castaneum herbst. | we designed a new bioassay to test plant extract activity against stored product pests. plant compounds were added to feed disks composed of wheat flour and yeast and fed to the red flour bettle (tribolium castaneum). by measuring insect mass, disk mass, and insect mortality over time it was possible to calculate a phagodepression index, an antifeedant index, the amount of treatment chemical ingested by the beetles, the mortality rate, and the efficiency of conversion of ingested food. the assay ... | 1994 | 24242312 |
| genotype-environment interaction effects on reproductive performance in tribolium castaneum. | three lines of tribolium castaneum were raised totally on a yeast-free or yeast-supplemented diet, or raised to pupation on a yeast-free diet and then on a yeast-supplemented diet, and vice versa, to study the effects of genotype x environment interaction and diet changes after pupation on reproduction.feeding the yeast-supplemented diet generally resulted in earlier sexual maturation, heavier adult weights and higher egg production. the diets had no effects on larval viability. changes in diet ... | 1981 | 24276391 |
| enterobacillus tribolii gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel member of the family enterobacteriaceae, isolated from the gut of a red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum. | two novel gram-stain negative facultative anaerobic, motile, rod-shaped bacterial strains ig-v01(t) and ig-v01b were isolated from the gut of red flour beetles, tribolium castaneum. the 16s rrna gene sequences of strains ig-v01(t) and ig-v01b were found to have their highest sequence similarity (96.5% and 96.4%) with serratia nematodiphila dz0503sbs1(t) (enterobacteriaceae family) respectively. strains ig-v01(t) and ig-v01b share 100% 16s rrna gene sequence similarity and exhibit very similar ph ... | 2015 | 25716888 |