| production in vitro of toxic macromolecules by strains of beauveria bassiana, and purification of a chitosanase-like protein secreted by a melanizing isolate. | the production of macromolecular insecticidal toxins in adamek's medium by two selected strains of beauveria bassiana was investigated. filtrates and dialysates of the melanizing strain 618 were toxic when injected into the lepidopteran insect galleria mellonella. separation by deae chromatography revealed that peaks eluted respectively with 100 and 200 mm nacl (p 100 and p 200) had an insecticidal activity and induced cuticular blackening. a hydrophilic protein, bclp, which causes the formation ... | 2004 | 15450862 |
| correlation between gliotoxin production and virulence of aspergillus fumigatus in galleria mellonella. | aspergillus fumigatus is a pathogenic fungus capable of causing both allergic lung disease and invasive aspergillosis, a serious, life-threatening condition in neutropenic patients. aspergilli express an array of mycotoxins and enzymes which may facilitate fungal colonisation of host tissue. in this study we investigated the possibility of using the insect, galleria mellonella, for in vivo pathogenicity testing of aspergillus species. four clinical isolates of aspergillus fumigatus and a single ... | 2004 | 15487324 |
| fluctuations in haemocyte density and microbial load may be used as indicators of fungal pathogenicity in larvae of galleria mellonella. | a positive correlation exists between the pathogenicity of bacteria and fungi when evaluated in the insect galleria mellonella and mice. this work sought to determine whether fluctuations in the number of haemocytes and the proliferation of yeast cells in infected larvae could be used to determine the relative pathogenicity of a range of yeast isolates. larvae were inoculated with 1 x 10(6) stationary-phase yeast cells and incubated in the dark at 30 degrees c for 48 h. the results indicated tha ... | 2003 | 14670452 |
| a novel secreted protein toxin from the insect pathogenic bacterium xenorhabdus nematophila. | the bacterium xenorhabdus nematophila is an insect pathogen that produces several proteins that enable it to kill insects. screening of a cosmid library constructed from x. nematophila strain a24 identified a gene that encoded a novel protein that was toxic to insects. the 42-kda protein encoded by the toxin gene was expressed and purified from a recombinant system, and was shown to kill the larvae of insects such as galleria mellonella and helicoverpa armigera when injected at doses of around 3 ... | 2004 | 14707137 |
| purification, cdna cloning and expression of an insect defensin from the great wax moth, galleria mellonella. | an insect defensin, named galleria defensin, was purified from the larval haemolymph of galleria mellonella immunized against e. coli. the peptide was composed of forty-three amino acid residues containing six cysteines that might be engaged in intramolecular disulphide bridges. the primary structure of galleria defensin shared about 90.7% identity to that of heliomicin, which was an insect defensin isolated from heliothis virescens. the full-length cdna encoding galleria defensin was cloned fro ... | 2004 | 14728668 |
| positions of disulfide bonds and n-glycosylation site in juvenile hormone binding protein. | the juvenile hormone binding protein (jhbp) from galleria mellonella hemolymph is a glycoprotein composed of 225 amino acid residues. it contains four cys residues forming two disulfide bridges. in this study, the topography of the disulfide bonds as well as the site of glycan attachment in the jhbp molecule from g. mellonella was determined, using electrospray mass spectrometry. the ms analysis was performed on tryptic digests of jhbp. our results show that the disulfide bridges link cys10 and ... | 2004 | 14984206 |
| a study for minisatellitic markers of conidiobolus coronatus' pathogenicity to galleria mellonella larvae. | a selected panel of 13 colonies of entomopathogenic fungus conidiobolus coronatus representing 6 variants of pathogenicity to galleria mellonella larvae (ranged from 100 to 10% of efficiency), derived from single spores, were tested for the presence of hypervariable loci in their genomes by hybridization with jeffreys' human minisatellite probe 33.6. the probe produced informative fingerprints and revealed slight differences among colonies analyzed. up to 20 variable bands per colony were recogn ... | 2004 | 15050834 |
| hyphantria cunea ferritin heavy chain homologue: cdna sequence and mrna expression. | we have sequenced a cdna clone encoding a 26-kda ferritin subunit, which was heavy chain homologue (hch), in fall webworm, hyphantria cunea. the hch cdna was obtained from the screening of a cdna library using a pcr product. h. cunea ferritin is composed of 221 amino acid residues and their calculated mass is 26,160 da. the protein contains the conserved motifs for the ferroxidase center typical for heavy chains of vertebrate ferritin. the iron-responsive element sequence with a predicted stem-l ... | 2004 | 15101063 |
| comparative analysis of the production of insecticidal and melanizing macromolecules by strains of beauveria spp.: in vivo studies. | eleven strains of beauveria bassiana, and a further five species of beauveria sp., were tested by injection of 8x10(2) conidia into the haemocoel of the larvae of the lepidopteran galleria mellonella with the aim of analysing their toxin producing activity in vivo. although the virulent strains killed 100% of the insects at slightly different rates (4-6 days) there were significant differences in the pattern and intensity of host melanization caused by isolates. the majority of the isolates of b ... | 2004 | 15109898 |
| the chemistry of insect hemolymph; organic components of the hemolymph of the silkworm, bombyx mori, and two other species. | 1. hemolymph was collected for analysis from the silkworm, bombyx mori, in a series of developmental stages ranging from the second molt to the late pupa. the mean ph of larval hemolymph after collection was found to be 6.45, that of pupal hemolymph, 6.57; in vivo values may be slightly lower. total dry solids ranged from 5.4 to 10.6 per cent. total protein ranged from 1.2 to 5.3 per cent, increasing rapidly during the fifth instar. 2. free amino acids were separated chromatographically and esti ... | 1956 | 13346040 |
| studies on filariasis. i. the behavior of microfilariae of dirofilaria immitis in the wax moth larva (galleria mellonella). | | 1958 | 13597914 |
| hormonal activation of the insect brain. | a new endocrine function has been shown to play a role in insect morphogenesis. the hormone named proctodone is secreted by specialized cells of the hindgut and appears to affect the brain, resulting in the activation of the brain hormone-producing system. proctodone has been found in two lepidopterous species-ostrinia nubilalis and galleria mellonella. in the o. nubilalis, proctodone plays a part in both photoperiodism and diapause. | 1964 | 14080315 |
| bee moth (galleria mellonella) allergic reactions are caused by several thermolabile antigens. | exposure and contact with bee moth (galleria mellonella) larvae (gm) can cause an allergic reaction both in anglers and breeders. we described the case of an amateur fisherman who experienced an allergic reaction using gm but not using heat-treated gm (h-gm) (mummies). the aim of this study was to demonstrate by immunoblotting and radioallergosorbent test (rast)-inhibition experiments the loss of allergenic epitopes in h-gm extracts. | 2004 | 15291910 |
| [wide range of the use of natural lipases and esterases to inhibit mycobacterium tuberculosis]. | lipases and/or esterases (hereinafter referred to as esterases) isolated from the wax moth (galleria mellonella) were found to have a bacteriological action on mycobacterium tuberculosis (mbt) h37rv. different types of raw esterase preparations (rep) were incubated with mbt at 37 degrees c for 18 hours, the incubate was seeded on the finn-ii solid medium or intraperitoneally injected into guinea pigs in a single dose of 100,000,000 bacteria. there was no growth of mbt in the medium within 8 week ... | 2004 | 15315135 |
| effects of two hemolymph proteins on humoral defense reactions in the wax moth, galleria mellonella. | two hemolymph proteins were isolated from the wax moth, galleria mellonella, larvae by a two-step procedure consisting of acid extraction and reversed phase (rp)-hplc. one was an apolipophorin iii (apolp-iii) previously characterized as a lipopolysaccharide (lps) binding protein in the hemolymph of g. mellonella. the other was confirmed to be a new protein with a molecular mass of 23,768.69 da, referred to as gm protein-24. the full-length cdna of gm protein-24 was cloned from the fat body. the ... | 2005 | 15325522 |
| protein kinase a affects galleria mellonella (insecta: lepidoptera) larval haemocyte non-self responses. | we used the protein kinase a (pka) specific activator sp-8-br-camps and type i inhibitor rp-8-br-camps alone and in combination to define the role of pka in the non-self responses of larval galleria mellonella haemocytes in vitro and in vivo. active pka depressed haemocyte responses whereas pka inhibition enhanced activities, including bacterial phagocytosis, the number of haemocytes with adherent bacteria, bacterial-induced haemocytic protein release and haemocyte adhesion to slides in vitro, a ... | 2005 | 15748211 |
| immune activation of apolipophorin-iii and its distribution in hemocyte from hyphantria cunea. | apolipophorin-iii (apolp-iii) is a hemolymph protein whose function is to facilitate lipid transport in an aqueous medium. recently, apolp-iii in galleria mellonella larvae was shown to play an unexpected role in insect immune activation. we identified the cdna sequence of hyphantria cunea apolp-iii by oligonucleotide-primed amplification, and 5'- and 3'-race pcr. since h. cunea has an unusually low level of apolp-iii in the hemolymph, a recombinant apolp-iii was overexpressed using a baculoviru ... | 2004 | 15475296 |
| effect of pseudomonas aeruginosa crude proteolytic fraction on antibacterial activity of galleria mellonella haemolymph. | the antibacterial activity of immune haemolymph galleria mellonella directed against escherichia coli d31 was destroyed by pseudomonas aeruginosa crude proteolytic fraction. this was demonstrated by diffusion well assay and acid gel electrophoresis and subsequent bioautography. on the contrary, lysozyme activity appeared to be insensitive to extracellular proteases of p. aeruginosa when activity was determined using the bioautography method. in addition, no change in lysozyme protein level was o ... | 2004 | 15521655 |
| lipopolysaccharide binding of an exchangeable apolipoprotein, apolipophorin iii, from galleria mellonella. | a new role of apolipophorin iii (apolp-iii) as an immune activator has emerged recently. to gain insight into this novel function, the interaction of apolp-iii with lipopoly-saccharide (lps) was investigated. apolp-iii from galleria mellonella was incubated with lps from escherichia coli o55:b5, and analyzed by non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (page). protein staining showed that apolp-iii mobility was significantly reduced. in addition, silver and lps fluorescent staining demon ... | 2004 | 15576334 |
| structure of an insect parvovirus (junonia coenia densovirus) determined by cryo-electron microscopy. | junonia coenia densovirus (jcdnv) belongs to the densovirus genus of the parvoviridae family and infects the larvae of the common buckeye butterfly. its capsid is icosahedral and consists of viral proteins vp1 (88 kda), vp2 (58 kda), vp3 (52 kda) and vp4 (47 kda). each viral protein has the same c terminus but differs in the length of its n-terminal extension. virus-like-particles (vlps) assemble spontaneously when the individual viral proteins are expressed by a recombinant baculovirus. we pres ... | 2005 | 15769470 |
| variations in uv-b tolerance and germination speed of metarhizium anisopliae conidia produced on insects and artificial substrates. | solar ultraviolet radiation (uv-a and uv-b) is a major factor in failure of programs using the insect pathogenic fungus metarhizium anisopliae as a biological control agent. studies were conducted to determine if growth conditions, viz. artificial (agar media or rice grain) or natural (infected insects) substrates for conidial production affect two traits that directly influence performance of conidia after field application: tolerance to uv-b radiation and conidial germination speed. conidia of ... | 2004 | 15579316 |
| [antioxidants activity in intestines of larvae galleria mellonella l. (lepidoptera, pyralidae) during bacillus thuringiensis ssp galleriae infection]. | | 2005 | 15810658 |
| insect cellular and chemical limitations to pathogen development: the colorado potato beetle, the nematode heterorhabditis marelatus, and its symbiotic bacteria. | this research examines possible factors limiting pathogen development and reproduction in a novel host insect. the nematode heterorhabditis marelatus and its symbiotic bacterium, photorhabdus luminescens, kill 98% of nematode-treated colorado potato beetle (cpb) prepupae, but the nematode reproduces in only 1-6% of beetles. we examined nematode/bacterial inhibition at each step of the normal developmental pathway to determine host feature(s) limiting nematode reproduction. we found that in vivo ... | 2004 | 15579320 |
| the pbgpe operon in photorhabdus luminescens is required for pathogenicity and symbiosis. | photorhabdus is a genus of gram-negative enterobacteriaceae that is pathogenic to insect larvae while also maintaining a mutualistic relationship with nematodes from the family heterorhabditis, where the bacteria occupy the gut of the infective juvenile (ij) stage of the nematode. in this study we describe the identification and characterization of a mutation in the pbge1 gene of photorhabdus luminescens tt01, predicted to be the fifth gene in the pbgpe operon. we show that this mutant, bmm305, ... | 2005 | 15601690 |
| apolipophorin iii is a substrate for protease iv from pseudomonas aeruginosa. | our results demonstrated that pseudomonas aeruginosa serine protease iv degraded apolipophorin iii from the haemolymph of galleria mellonella larvae. apolp-iii protein was degraded in a stepwise manner. four intermediate forms of 15, 13.3, 11.9 and 9.5 kda were detected after 30 min digestion while only one of 5.6 kda was released after 1-h incubation time. n-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of 5.6 kda peptide revealed that it was released from apolp-iii after cleavage between lysine 70 and ... | 2005 | 15686832 |
| cloning and heterologous expression of a novel insecticidal gene (tccc1) from xenorhabdus nematophilus strain. | we have identified and cloned a novel toxin gene (tccc1/xptb1) from xenorhabdus nematophilus strain isolated from korea-specific entomophagous nematode steinernema glaseri mk. the dna sequence of cloned toxin gene (3048 bp) has an open reading frame encoding 1016 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 111058 da. the toxin sequence shares 50-96% identical amino acid residues with the previously reported tccc1 cloned from x. nematophilus, photorhabdus luminescens w14 p. luminescens tto1, a ... | 2004 | 15194482 |
| bacterial formyl peptides affect the innate cellular antimicrobial responses of larval galleria mellonella (insecta: lepidoptera). | the non-self cellular (hemocytic) responses of galleria mellonella larvae, including the attachment to slides and the removal of the bacteria xenorhabdus nematophila and bacillus subtilis from the hemolymph, were affected by n-formyl peptides. both n-formyl methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fmlf) and the ester derivative decreased hemocyte adhesion in vitro, and both elevated hemocyte counts and suppressed the removal of both x. nematophila and b. subtilis from the hemolymph in vivo. the amide der ... | 2004 | 15213752 |
| in vitro assessment of the influence of nutrition and temperature on growing rates of five duddingtonia flagrans isolates, their insecticidal properties and ability to impair heligmosomoides polygyrus motility. | diverse effects of two temperature regimes (20 and 30 degrees c) on the growing rates of five duddingtonia flagrans isolates (mucl 28429, cbs 143.83, cbs 561.92, cbs 565.50, and cbs 583.91) propagated on two liquid (mm, lb) and four solid substrates (cma, sab, sab-gm, and sab-hp) were observed. all d. flagrans isolates were able to produce chlamydospores but not on all substrates. none of the isolates produced trapping nets and conidia under applied growing conditions. d. flagrans isolates showe ... | 2005 | 15687018 |
| superoxide production in galleria mellonella hemocytes: identification of proteins homologous to the nadph oxidase complex of human neutrophils. | the insect immune response has a number of structural and functional similarities to the innate immune response of mammals. the objective of the work presented here was to establish the mechanism by which insect hemocytes produce superoxide and to ascertain whether the proteins involved in superoxide production are similar to those involved in the nadph oxidase-induced superoxide production in human neutrophils. hemocytes of the greater wax moth (galleria mellonella) were shown to be capable of ... | 2005 | 15972506 |
| specialization of the entomopathogenic nematode steinernema scapterisci with its mutualistic xenorhabdus symbiont. | the level of specialization of the entomopathogenic nematode steinernema scapterisci with its native xenorhabdus symbiont was investigated by testing (1) the influence of non-native bacterial strains on nematode fitness within an insect-host (galleria mellonella) and (2) specificity of the association between the nematode infective juveniles and non-native bacteria. all non-native xenorhabdus spp. or photorhabdus spp. strains tested were mutualistically associated with other entomopathogenic nem ... | 2005 | 16163505 |
| sequencing and characterization of a cdna encoding a ferritin subunit of colorado potato beetle, leptinotarsa decemlineata. | a differentially expressed cdna fragment (p311) from colorado potato beetle (cpb), leptinotarsa decemlineata (say), was identified by restriction fragment differential display-polymerase chain reaction (rfdd-pcr) technique, and showed a strong similarity to ferritin heavy chain subunits of other organisms. based on p311, we constructed specific primers and obtained a 840-bp cdna fragment spanning the open reading frame of cpb ferritin subunit using the rapid amplification of cdna ends (race) tec ... | 2005 | 16235258 |
| effect of entomopathogenic fungus tolypocladium species metabolite efrapeptin on galleria mellonella agglutinin. | in the current study it has been found that efrapeptins, secondary metabolites of entomopathogenic fungi tolypocladium cylindrosporum, interfere with agglutinin. the effect of efrapeptins on g. mellonella agglutinin was tested using rabbit blood. the results revealed that the end point for control larvae were 12.5 whereas for treated larvae which injected with 5 microl of 5 microg efrapepins ml(-1) or 50 microg efrapepins ml(-1) the end points were 10.5 and 8.5, respectively. considering that ef ... | 2004 | 15759408 |
| [changes in superoxide dismutase activity in various larval organs of greater wax moth (galleria mellonella l., lepidoptera: pyralidae) induced by infection with bacillus thuringiensis ssp. galleriae]. | we studied the changes in superoxide dismutase activity in organs of galleria mellonella larvae infected with two strains of bacillus thuringiensis. a considerable increase in superoxide dismutase activity was observed at the initial stages of infection, later the enzyme activity decreased and this decrease was timed to cessation of feeding and development of sepsis in the infected larvae. changes in the enzyme activity in the organs of larvae infected with a highly virulent strain of b. thuring ... | 2005 | 15768635 |
| the photorhabdus pir toxins are similar to a developmentally regulated insect protein but show no juvenile hormone esterase activity. | the genome of the insect pathogen photorhabdus luminescens strain tt01 contains numerous genes predicting toxins and proteases. within the p. luminescens tt01 genome, the products of two loci, plu 4093-plu 4092 and plu 4437-plu 4436, show oral insecticidal activity against both moth and mosquito larvae. the proteins encoded by these loci, here termed 'photorhabdus insect related' (pir) proteins a and b, show similarity both to delta-endotoxins from bacillus thuringiensis (bts) and a developmenta ... | 2005 | 15796978 |
| cyclic amp affects the haemocyte responses of larval galleria mellonella to selected antigens. | signal transduction of the innate immediate responses of insect haemocytes to foreign matter is rarely considered. herein using a combination of adenylate cyclase inhibitors and activators and phosphodiesterase inhibitors we determined that cyclic adenosine monophosphate (camp) at high levels normally impairs non-self response. haemocyte contact with glass and bacteria lowered camp in vitro. inactive phosphodiesterases, including type 4, impaired haemocyte reactions in vitro. using the drugs in ... | 2005 | 15894004 |
| pathogenicity of bacterium, xenorhabdus nematophila isolated from entomopathogenic nematode (steinernema carpocapsae) and its secretion against galleria mellonella larvae. | the entomopathogenic bacterium, xenorhabdus nematophila was isolated from the hemolymph of galleria mellonella infected with steinernema carpocapsae. the bacterial cells and its metabolic secretions have been found lethal to the galleria larvae. toxic secretion in broth caused 95% mortality within 4 d of application whereas the bacterial cells caused 93% mortality after 6 d. when filter and sand substrates were compared, the later one was observed as appropriate. similarly, bacterial cells and s ... | 2005 | 15909327 |
| up-regulation of prl, a subtilisin-like protease, during conidiation in the insect pathogen metarhizium anisopliae. | metarhizium anisopliae exhibits two different developmental patterns under nutrient-deprived conditions: appressorium formation in early stages and conidiation in late stages of pathogenesis in its insect hosts. in this study we isolated genes enriched during mature conidial production under nutrient-deprived conditions in m. anisopliae by using the method of suppression subtractive hybridization. we sequence-identified seven conidiation-associated genes (cag) in m. anisopliae. one of the genes, ... | 2005 | 15912947 |
| construction of a pseudomonas sp. derivative carrying the cry9aa gene from bacillus thuringiensis and a proposal for new standard criteria to assess entomocidal properties of bacteria. | an isolate of pseudomonas sp. (16s rdna sequence 98% homologous to p. graminis and p. lutea) was isolated from the phyllosphere of black pine in northern italy and used as a host for the gene encoding the cry9aa entomocidal toxin from bacillus thuringiensis subsp. galleriae. an expression system featuring a synthetic highest-consensus promoter specifically tailored for the regulated induction of cloned genes over a broad range of gram-negative bacteria was used to drive the production of the int ... | 2005 | 15950125 |
| biochemical characterization and agglutinating properties of xenorhabdus nematophilus f1 fimbriae. | xenorhabdus spp., entomopathogenic bacteria symbiotically associated with nematodes of the family steinernematidae, occur spontaneously in two phases. only the phase i variants of xenorhabdus nematophilus f1 expressed fimbriae when the bacteria were grown on a solid medium (nutrient agar; 24 and 48 h of growth). these appendages were purified and characterized. they were rigid, with a diameter of 6.4 (plusmn) 0.3 nm, and were composed of 16-kda pilin subunits. the latter were synthesized and ass ... | 1995 | 16535079 |
| galleria mellonella as a model system to study cryptococcus neoformans pathogenesis. | evaluation of cryptococcus neoformans virulence in a number of nonmammalian hosts suggests that c. neoformans is a nonspecific pathogen. we used the killing of galleria mellonella (the greater wax moth) caterpillar by c. neoformans to develop an invertebrate host model system that can be used to study cryptococcal virulence, host immune responses to infection, and the effects of antifungal compounds. all varieties of c. neoformans killed g. mellonella. after injection into the insect hemocoel, c ... | 2005 | 15972469 |
| comparative venom toxicity between pteromalus puparum and nasonia vitripennis (hymenoptera: pteromalidae) toward the hemocytes of their natural hosts, non-target insects and cultured insect cells. | crude venoms from two parasitoid species, pteromalus puparum and nasonia vitripennis (hymenoptera: pteromalidae) were assayed for biological activities toward hemocytes from two species of their natural hosts and eight species of their non-natural hosts as well as two lines of cultured lepidoptera cells, respectively. by inhibiting the spreading and viability of insect hemocytes, the venom from p. puparum displayed significantly higher activities toward plasmatocytes and granular cells from both ... | 2005 | 16026808 |
| serial passage of the opportunistic pathogen aspergillus flavus through an insect host yields decreased saprobic capacity. | to study the early stages of the effect of host restriction on pathogen evolution, we subjected the opportunistic fungus aspergillus flavus to a serial propagation scheme, whereby insect-virulent conidia were selected for repeated passage through an insect host (galleria mellonella larvae) for 5 generations. of the 35 lineages promulgated through this scheme, there were no consistent changes in virulence, which was measured by percent mortality of the larvae. there were, however, increases in th ... | 2005 | 16091778 |
| a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (pes1) confers protection against oxidative stress in aspergillus fumigatus. | aspergillus fumigatus is an important human fungal pathogen. the aspergillus fumigatus genome contains 14 nonribosomal peptide synthetase genes, potentially responsible for generating metabolites that contribute to organismal virulence. differential expression of the nonribosomal peptide synthetase gene, pes1, in four strains of aspergillus fumigatus was observed. the pattern of pes1 expression differed from that of a putative siderophore synthetase gene, sidd, and so is unlikely to be involved ... | 2006 | 16759234 |
| susceptibility of larvae of galleria mellonella to infection by aspergillus fumigatus is dependent upon stage of conidial germination. | the ability of conidia of the human pathogenic fungus aspergillus fumigatus to kill larvae of the insect galleria mellonella was investigated. conidia at different stages of the germination process displayed variations in their virulence as measured using the galleria infection model. non-germinating ('resting') conidia were avirulent except when an inoculation density of 1 x 10(7) conidia per insect was used. conidia that had been induced to commence the germination process by pre-culturing in ... | 2006 | 16761185 |
| nitric oxide production by hemocytes of larva and pharate prepupa of galleria mellonella in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide: cytoprotective or cytotoxic? | nitric oxide production by the hemocytes of the last instar larvae and sessile pharate prepupa of galleria mellonella (lepidoptera: pyralidae) was demonstrated in vitro in response to preparations of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (lps) from escherichia coli using the griess reaction. augmented, dose dependent nitric oxide production was observed in the pharate prepupal hemocytes compared with larval hemocytes. this was partially reversed in a dose dependent manner with s-methyl thiourea (smt), a ... | 2006 | 16316786 |
| the influence of conidiobolus coronatus on phagocytic activity of insect hemocytes. | an essential component of the insect cellular response is phagocytosis. analyses of the in vitro phagocytosis could be useful for the studies of the relationship between insects and their pathogens. fungal metabolites are known to inhibit phagocytosis whereas components of the fungal cell wall stimulate phagocytosis. to achieve a better understanding of fungal pathogenesis in insects, haemocyte populations of two insect species susceptible to conidiobolus coronatus infection (galleria mellonella ... | 2006 | 16325849 |
| restriction maps of five autographa californica mnpv variants, trichoplusia ni mnpv, and galleria mellonella mnpv dnas with endonucleases smai, kpni, bamhi, saci, xhoi, and ecori. | the restriction sites of autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (acmnpv) e2 dna were mapped for the endonucleases smai, kpni, bamhi, saci, xhoi, and ecori. the restriction maps of four other acmnpv variants, trichoplusia ni (tnmnpv), and galleria mellonella (gmmnpv) genomes were determined and compared to the endonuclease cleavage maps of acmnpv e2 dna. the viral structural polypeptides of acmnpv variants s3, e2, s1, m3, and r9 were the same when analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electro ... | 1979 | 16789179 |
| flha influences bacillus thuringiensis plcr-regulated gene transcription, protein production, and virulence. | bacillus thuringiensis and bacillus cereus are closely related. b. thuringiensis is well known for its entomopathogenic properties, principally due to the synthesis of plasmid-encoded crystal toxins. b. cereus appears to be an emerging opportunistic human pathogen. b. thuringiensis and b. cereus produce many putative virulence factors which are positively controlled by the pleiotropic transcriptional regulator plcr. the inactivation of plcr decreases but does not abolish virulence, indicating th ... | 2005 | 16332888 |
| characterization of cricket paralysis virus-induced polypeptides in drosophila cells. | cricket paralysis virus purified from galleria mellonella larvae was shown to be similar to virus purified from drosophila melanogaster cells. cricket paralysis virus contained three major structural polypeptides of similar molecular weight (around 30,000), had a buoyant density of 1.344 g/ml, and had a capsid diameter of 27 nm. twenty virus-induced polypeptides could be detected in crpv-infected drosophila cells. two major polypeptides found in the infected cells corresponded to two structural ... | 1980 | 16789183 |
| characterization of tn5-induced mutants of xenorhabdus nematophilus atcc 19061. | a negative-selection vector, phx1, was constructed for use in transposon mutagenesis of xenorhabdus nematophilus atcc 19061. phx1 contains the bacillus subtilis levansucrase gene which confers sucrose sensitivity. in addition, various tn5-containing plasmids with different replication origins were transferred by conjugation from escherichia coli into x. nematophilus atcc 19061, and one of these plasmids, pgs9, yields tn5 insertion mutants of x. nematophilus atcc 19061. by using these two deliver ... | 1991 | 16348462 |
| stability and activities of antibiotics produced during infection of the insect galleria mellonella by two isolates of xenorhabdus nematophilus. | xenorhabdus nematophilus subsp. dutki, an entomopathogenic bacterium, is vectored by steinernematid nematodes into insects, where it produces broad-spectrum antibiotics. the use of the nematode-bacterium complex against soil-dwelling pest insects could introduce antibiotics into the soil via the dead insect fragments during the emergence phase of the nematodes. studies on the stability and activities of these antibiotics produced in the insect galleria mellonella may contribute to assessing the ... | 1994 | 16349198 |
| temporal association of entomopathogenic nematodes (rhabditida: steinernematidae and heterorhabditidae) and bacteria. | galleria mellonella l. larvae were infected with three species (seven strains) of steinernema spp. or three species (three strains) of heterorhabditis spp. infected larvae were incubated at 22, 27, and 32 degrees c. larvae were dorsally dissected every 6h over a 48-h period. hemolymph was collected and streaked on tryptic soy agar plates. several non-symbiotic bacterial species were identified from infected insect cadavers: enterobacter gergoviae, vibrio spp., pseudomonas fluorescens type c, ser ... | 2006 | 16448667 |
| the enhancin-like metalloprotease from the bacillus cereus group is regulated by the pleiotropic transcriptional activator plcr but is not essential for larvicidal activity. | bacillus cereus group bacteria produce virulence factors. many of these are regulated by the pleiotropic transcriptional activator plcr, which is implicated in insect virulence. in silico analysis of the b. cereus strain atcc14579 genome showed an enhancin-like gene preceded by a typical plcr binding sequence. the gene is predicted to encode a polypeptide showing 23-25% identity with enhancins from several baculoviruses and 31% with that of yersinia pestis. viral enhancin acts after oral infecti ... | 2006 | 16790012 |
| using non-mammalian hosts to study fungal virulence and host defense. | non-mammalian hosts have been used to study host-fungal interactions. hosts such as drosophila melanogaster, caenorhabditis elegans, acathamoeba castellanii, dictyostelium discoideum, and galleria mellonella have provided means to examine the physical barriers, cellular mechanisms and molecular elements of the host response. the drosophila host-response to fungi is mediated through the toll pathway, whereas in c. elegans the host-response is tir-1-dependent. virulence traits that are involved in ... | 2006 | 16814595 |
| txp40, a ubiquitous insecticidal toxin protein from xenorhabdus and photorhabdus bacteria. | xenorhabdus and photorhabdus are gram-negative bacteria that produce a range of proteins that are toxic to insects. we recently identified a novel 42-kda protein from xenorhabdus nematophila that was lethal to the larvae of insects such as galleria mellonella and helicoverpa armigera when it was injected at doses of 30 to 40 ng/g larvae. in the present work, the toxin gene txp40 was identified in another 59 strains of xenorhabdus and photorhabdus, indicating that it is both highly conserved and ... | 2006 | 16461722 |
| the host acts as a genetic bottleneck during serial infections: an insect-fungal model system. | the genetic variation of a pathogen population is a pivotal component of pathogen evolution, having important implications for emerging diseases, nosocomial infections, and laboratory subculturing practices. furthermore, it is undoubtedly altered during infection of a host. we address this issue using an insect-fungal model system to examine the influence of serial host passage on the genetic variation of a pathogen population. using amplified fragment length polymorphism, a strain of the opport ... | 2006 | 16897086 |
| [changes in the activity and pattern of hemolymph esterases in the larvae of wax moth galleria mellonella l. (lepidoptera, pyralidae) during mycosis]. | the extended pattern of multiple esterase forms has been revealed in the hemolymph of wax moth galleria mellonella larvae infected by the fungi metarhizium anisopliae, beauveria bassiana or paecilomyces fumoso-roseus. the total esterase activity of the hemolymph also increases during mycosis. mechanical damage of the cuticle, treatment with deltamethrin, and chilling of the caterpillars induced similar changes in the hemolymph pattern of esterase activity. presumably, the changed spectrum and ac ... | 2001 | 15926322 |
| ecological characterization of steinernema anatoliense (rhabditida: steinernematidae). | our study describes the basic ecological characteristics of the entomopathogenic nematode steinernema anatoliense including its response to temperature, moisture, and host range. the effect of temperature and soil moisture on the infection of galleria mellonella larvae by s. anatoliense was determined. the temperature range for infectivity was greater than that for development. the optimal temperature for infection and development was 25 degrees c. although s. anatoliense infected the hosts at 1 ... | 2006 | 16564537 |
| the pursuit of cryptococcal pathogenesis: heterologous hosts and the study of cryptococcal host-pathogen interactions. | analysis of the molecular mechanisms by which a pathogen interacts with the human host is most commonly performed using a mammalian model of infection. however, several virulence-related genes previously shown to be involved in mammalian infection with cryptococcus neoformans have also been shown to play a role in the interaction of these pathogens with invertebrates, such as acanthamoeba castellanii, caenorhabditis elegans, dictyostelium discoideum, drosophila melanogaster and galleria mellonel ... | 2006 | 16696652 |
| transgenic expression of gallerimycin, a novel antifungal insect defensin from the greater wax moth galleria mellonella, confers resistance to pathogenic fungi in tobacco. | a cdna encoding gallerimycin, a novel antifungal peptide from the greater wax moth galleria mellonella, was isolated from a cdna library of genes expressed during innate immune response in the caterpillars. upon ectopic expression of gallerimycin in tobacco, using agrobacterium tumefaciens as a vector, gallerimycin conferred resistance to the fungal pathogens erysiphe cichoracearum and sclerotinia minor. quantification of gallerimycin mrna in transgenic tobacco by real-time pcr confirmed transge ... | 2006 | 16740126 |
| microbial metalloproteinases mediate sensing of invading pathogens and activate innate immune responses in the lepidopteran model host galleria mellonella. | thermolysin-like metalloproteinases such as aureolysin, pseudolysin, and bacillolysin represent virulence factors of diverse bacterial pathogens. recently, we discovered that injection of thermolysin into larvae of the greater wax moth, galleria mellonella, mediated strong immune responses. thermolysin-mediated proteolysis of hemolymph proteins yielded a variety of small-sized (<3 kda) protein fragments (protfrags) that are potent elicitors of innate immune responses. in this study, we report th ... | 2007 | 17074843 |
| pre-exposure to yeast protects larvae of galleria mellonella from a subsequent lethal infection by candida albicans and is mediated by the increased expression of antimicrobial peptides. | pre-exposure of the larvae of galleria mellonella to candida albicans or saccharomyces cerevisiae protects against a subsequent infection with 10(6) c. albicans cells. this protection can also be induced by exposing larvae to glucan or laminarin prior to the administration of the potentially lethal inoculum. analysis of the genes coding for galiomicin, a defensin in g. mellonella, a cysteine-rich antifungal peptide gallerimycin, an iron-binding protein transferrin and an inducible metalloprotein ... | 2006 | 16782387 |
| relationship between the successful infection by entomopathogenic nematodes and the host immune response. | reproduction of entomopathogenic nematodes requires that they escape recognition by a host's immune system or that they have mechanisms to escape encapsulation and melanization. we investigated the immune responses of larvae for the greater wax moth (galleria mellonella), tobacco hornworm (manduca sexta), japanese beetle (popillia japonica), northern masked chafer (cyclocephala borealis), oriental beetle (exomala orientalis) and adult house crickets (acheta domesticus), challenged with infective ... | 2007 | 17275827 |
| diversity in pathogenicity of steinernema carpocapsae and its symbiotic bacterium for spodoptera spp. | pathogenicity of five isolates of steinernema carpocapsae (ger: germany, buw: becker underwood, kop: koppert, cz: czech republic, bel: belgium) were tested against the fourth instar larvae of the cotton leaf worm, spodoptera littoralis and the beet armyworm, spodoptera exigua (lepidoptera: noctuidae) at different concentrations (0, 5, 10, 25, and 50 infective juveniles/cm2) in petri dishes (9 cm dia.) lined with filter paper. results obtained after 48 h exposure indicated that the pathogenicity ... | 2006 | 17390810 |
| expressed protein ligation using an n-terminal cysteine containing fragment generated in vivo from a pelb fusion protein. | advances in expressed protein ligation (epl) methods that permit specific introduction of unique modifications into proteins have facilitated protein engineering, structure-function and protein interaction studies. an epl-generated hybrid exchangeable apolipoprotein has been constructed from recombinant fragments of apolipoprotein e (apoe) and apolipophorin iii (apolp-iii). a recombinant fusion protein comprised of human apoe n-terminal residues 1-111, a modified saccharomyces cerevisiae intein ... | 2007 | 17493830 |
| eca1, a sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum ca2+-atpase, is involved in stress tolerance and virulence in cryptococcus neoformans. | the basidiomycetous fungal pathogen cryptococcus neoformans is adapted to survive challenges in the soil and environment and within the unique setting of the mammalian host. a c. neoformans mutant was isolated with enhanced virulence in a soil amoeba model that nevertheless exhibits dramatically reduced growth at mammalian body temperature (37 degrees c). this mutant phenotype results from an insertion in the eca1 gene, which encodes a sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum (er) ca2+-atpase (serca)- ... | 2007 | 17502401 |
| protein kinase a activity and protein phosphorylation in the haemocytes of immune-challenged galleria mellonella larvae. | protein kinase a (pka) activity was detected in the haemocytes of greater wax moth, galleria mellonella larvae using a specific peptide substrate--kemptide. the enzyme was activated in vitro by 1 microm concentration of camp, 8-br-camp, 8-chl-camp and bzcmp, whereas in the case of cgmp 10 microm concentration was necessary. immune challenge of g. mellonella larvae with bacteria led to changes in haemocyte pka activity. gram-positive m. luteus was a better inducer of pka activity than gram-negati ... | 2007 | 17526420 |
| translocation of proteins homologous to human neutrophil p47phox and p67phox to the cell membrane in activated hemocytes of galleria mellonella. | activation of the superoxide forming respiratory burst oxidase of human neutrophils, crucial in host defence, requires the cytosolic proteins p47phox and p67phox which translocate to the plasma membrane upon cell stimulation and activate flavocytochrome b558, the redox centre of this enzyme system. we have previously demonstrated the presence of proteins (67 and 47kda) in hemocytes of the insect galleria mellonella homologous to proteins of the superoxide-forming nadph oxidase complex of neutrop ... | 2007 | 16920193 |
| interspecific competition between entomopathogenic nematodes (steinernema) is modified by their bacterial symbionts (xenorhabdus). | symbioses between invertebrates and prokaryotes are biological systems of particular interest in order to study the evolution of mutualism. the symbioses between the entomopathogenic nematodes steinernema and their bacterial symbiont xenorhabdus are very tractable model systems. previous studies demonstrated (i) a highly specialized relationship between each strain of nematodes and its naturally associated bacterial strain and (ii) that mutualism plays a role in several important life history tr ... | 2006 | 16953880 |
| a novel antimicrobial epoxide isolated from larval galleria mellonella infected by the nematode symbiont, photorhabdus luminescens (enterobacteriaceae). | a novel antimicrobial epoxide, 2-isopropyl-5-(3-phenyl-oxiranyl)-benzene-1,3-diol (1), was identified from larval galleria mellonella infected by a symbiotically associated bacterium-nematode complex (photorhabdus luminescens c9-heterorhabditis megidis 90). its structure was determined with spectroscopic analysis and confirmed by chemical synthesis starting from a known antibiotic, 2-isopropyl-5-(2-phenylethenyl)-benzene-1,3-diol (2). epoxide 1 was active against bacillus subtilis, escherichia c ... | 2006 | 16644226 |
| engineered resistance against proteinases. | exogenous proteinase inhibitors are valuable and economically interesting protective biotechnological tools. we examined whether small proteinase inhibitors when fused to a selected target protein can protect the target from proteolytic degradation without simultaneously affecting the function and activity of the target domain. two proteinase inhibitors were studied: a kazal-type silk proteinase inhibitor (spi2) from galleria mellonella, and the cucurbita maxima trypsin inhibitor i (cmti i). bot ... | 2007 | 17823663 |
| eicosanoids mediate galleria mellonella cellular immune response to viral infection. | nodulation is the predominant insect cellular immune response to bacterial and fungal infections and it can also be induced by some viral infections. treating seventh instar larvae of greater wax moth galleria mellonella with bovine herpes simplex virus-1 (bhsv-1) induced nodulation reactions in a dose-dependent manner. because eicosanoids mediate nodulation reactions to bacterial and fungal infection, we hypothesized that eicosanoids also mediate nodulation reactions to viral challenge. to test ... | 2007 | 17161422 |
| purification and characterization of eight peptides from galleria mellonella immune hemolymph. | defense peptides play a crucial role in insect innate immunity against invading pathogens. from the hemolymph of immune-challenged greater wax moth, galleria mellonella (gm) larvae, eight peptides were isolated and characterized. purified gm peptides differ considerably in amino acid sequences, isoelectric point values and antimicrobial activity spectrum. five of them, gm proline-rich peptide 2, gm defensin-like peptide, gm anionic peptides 1 and 2 and gm apolipophoricin, were not described earl ... | 2007 | 17194500 |
| responses of the entomopathogenic nematode, steinernema riobrave to its insect hosts, galleria mellonella and tenebrio molitor. | potential hosts for infective juveniles of entomopathogenic nematodes can vary considerably in quality based on the characteristics of the host species/stage, physiological status (e.g. stress, feeding on toxins), and infection status (heterospecific or conspecific infection). in this study, we investigated responses of the entomopathogenic nematode steinernema riobrave to hosts (galleria mellonella or tenebrio molitor) that were previously parasitized with conspecifics or injected with the nema ... | 2007 | 17201992 |
| identification of a lepidopteran matrix metalloproteinase with dual roles in metamorphosis and innate immunity. | matrix metalloproteinases (mmps) are key enzymes in mammalian tissue remodeling and inflammation. recently, we postulated that an endogenous mmp expressed in the lepidopteran model galleria mellonella during metamorphosis causes degradation of collagen-iv, which in turn results in activation of innate immunity. here, we report that degradation of collagen-iv by hemocytes is enhanced upon injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (lps), and that this activity is sensitive to the mmp-inhibitor gm6 ... | 2008 | 17850869 |
| the insect metalloproteinase inhibitor gene of the lepidopteran galleria mellonella encodes two distinct inhibitors. | the insect metalloproteinase inhibitor (impi) from the greater wax moth, galleria mellonella, represents the first and to date only specific inhibitor of microbial metalloproteinases reported from animals. here, we report on the characterization including carbohydrate analysis of two recombinant constructs encoded by impi cdna either upstream or downstream of the furin cleavage site identified. rimpi-1, corresponding to native impi purified from hemolymph, is encoded by the n-terminal part of th ... | 2007 | 17214556 |
| extracellular gelatinase of enterococcus faecalis destroys a defense system in insect hemolymph and human serum. | we isolated enterococcus faecalis from the body fluids of dead larvae of the greater wax moth, galleria mellonella. extracellular gelatinase (gele) and serine protease (spre), both of which are considered putative virulence factors of e. faecalis, were purified from the culture supernatant of e. faecalis. in an attempt to elucidate their virulence mechanisms, purified gele and spre were injected into hemolymph of g. mellonella and evaluated with regard to their effects on the immune system of in ... | 2007 | 17261598 |
| isolation, activity and immunological characterisation of a secreted aspartic protease, ctsd, from aspergillus fumigatus. | aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that infects immunocompromised patients. a putative aspartic protease gene (ctsd; 1425 bp; intron-free) was identified and cloned. ctsd is evolutionarily distinct from all previously identified a. fumigatus aspartic proteases. recombinant ctsd was expressed in inclusion bodies in escherichia coli (0.2mg/g cells) and subjected to extensive proteolysis in the baculovirus expression system. activation studies performed on purified, refolded, ... | 2007 | 17275325 |
| the involvement of protein kinase a in the immune response of galleria mellonella larvae to bacteria. | the role of protein kinase a (pka) in the humoral immune response of the greater wax moth galleria mellonella larvae to live gram-positive bacteria micrococcus lysodeikticus and gram-negative bacteria escherichia coli was investigated. the immune challenge of larvae with both kinds of bacteria caused an increase in fat body pka activity depending on the injected bacteria. gram-positive m. lysodeikticus was a much better inducer of the enzyme activity than gram-negative e. coli. the pka activity ... | 2007 | 17311109 |
| influence of nematode age and culture conditions on morphological and physiological parameters in the bacterial vesicle of steinernema carpocapsae (nematoda: steinernematidae). | steinernema spp. third-stage infective juveniles (ijs) play a key role in the symbiotic partnership between these entomopathogenic nematodes and xenorhabdus bacteria. recent studies suggest that steinernema carpocapsae ijs contribute to the nutrition and growth of their symbionts in the colonization site (vesicle) [martens, e.c. and goodrich-blair, h., 2005. the s. carpocapsae intestinal vesicle contains a sub-cellular structure with which xenorhabdus nematophila associates during colonization i ... | 2007 | 17376477 |
| a metalloprotease secreted by the insect pathogen photorhabdus luminescens induces melanization. | photorhabdus luminescens is a gram-negative insect pathogen that enters the hemocoel of infected hosts and produces a number of secreted proteins that promote colonization and subsequent death of the insect. in initial studies to determine the exact role of individual secreted proteins in insect pathogenesis, concentrated culture supernatants from various p. luminescens strains were injected into the tobacco hornworm manduca sexta. culture supernatants from p. luminescens tt01, the genome-sequen ... | 2007 | 17933944 |
| galleria mellonella as a model host to study infection by the francisella tularensis live vaccine strain. | we used the killing of galleria mellonella (lepidoptera: pyralidae; the greater wax moth) caterpillar by the live vaccine strain (lvs) of francisella tularensis to develop an invertebrate host system that can be used to study f. tularensis infection and the in vivo effects of antibacterial compounds on f. tularensis lvs. after injection into the insect hemocoel, f. tularensis lvs, killed caterpillars despite the association of lvs with hemocytes. the rate of killing depended on the number of bac ... | 2007 | 17400503 |
| penicillin-induced oxidative stress: effects on antioxidative response of midgut tissues in instars of galleria mellonella. | penicillin and other antibiotics are routinely incorporated in insect culture media. although culturing insects in the presence of antibiotics is a decades-old practice, antibiotics can exert deleterious influences on insects. in this article, we test the hypothesis that one of the effects of dietary penicillin is to increase oxidative stress on insects. the effects of penicillin on midgut concentrations of the oxidative stress indicator malondialdehyde (mda) and on midgut antioxidant enzyme (su ... | 2007 | 17972630 |
| different defense strategies of dendrolimus pini, galleria mellonella, and calliphora vicina against fungal infection. | the resistance of galleria mellonella, dendrolimus pini, and calliphora vicina larvae against infection by the enthomopathogen conidiobolus coronatus was shown to vary among the studied species. exposure of both g. mellonella and d. pini larvae to the fungus resulted in rapid insect death, while all the c. vicina larvae remained unharmed. microscopic studies revealed diverse responses of the three species to the fungal pathogen: (1) the body cavities of d. pini larvae were completely overgrown b ... | 2007 | 17512001 |
| humoral immune response upon mild heat-shock conditions in galleria mellonella larvae. | larvae of galleria mellonella exposed to mild heat-shock (38 degrees c) showed an enhanced humoral immune response after microbial infection in comparison to infected animals grown at 28 degrees c. this enhanced response was manifested by increased expression of antimicrobial peptide (amp) genes leading to enhanced antimicrobial activity in the hemolymph. we found an increased level of hsp90 and changes in the level of a 55kda protein recognized by anti-hsp90 antibodies in fat bodies of infected ... | 2007 | 17631308 |
| changes in galleria mellonella apolipophorin iii level during pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. | the level of apolp-iii in fat body, hemocytes and plasma from galleria mellonella larvae infected with pseudomonas aeruginosa was studied. it was found that the amount of 18kda protein present in fat body and hemocytes decreased progressively with time after infection. in the case of plasma, an increase in apolp-iii content was observed during the first 19h after infection and then decreased significantly after prolonged infection time. the decreased level of apolp-iii in plasma 24h after infect ... | 2008 | 17681528 |
| the effects of boric acid-induced oxidative stress on antioxidant enzymes and survivorship in galleria mellonella. | larvae of the wax moth, galleria mellonella (l.), were reared from first instar on a diet supplemented with 156, 620, 1,250, or 2,500 ppm boric acid (ba). the content of malondialdehyde (mda, an oxidative stress indicator), and activities of the antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (sod), catalase (cat), glutathione s-transferase (gst), and glutathione peroxidase (gpx)] were determined in the fat body and hemolymph in the 7th instar larvae and newly emerged pupae. relative to control larvae ... | 2007 | 17694562 |
| identification of bacillus cereus internalin and other candidate virulence genes specifically induced during oral infection in insects. | bacillus cereus is an opportunistic bacterium frequently associated with food-borne infections causing gastroenteritis. we developed an in vivo expression technology (ivet), with an insect host, for identification of the b. cereus genes specifically expressed during infection. this ivet-based approach uses site-specific recombinase tnpi to identify transient promoter activation. we constructed a genomic library of b. cereus atcc14579 by cloning dna fragments upstream from tnpi. the library was s ... | 2006 | 16978259 |
| growth inhibition of insects and a fungus by indole-3-acetonitrile. | indole-3-acetonitrile obtained from cabbage has been found to inhibit growth of pyrausta nubilalis (hbn.), galleria mellonella (l.), and penicillium chrysogenum. | 1961 | 17754432 |
| insect juvenile hormone binding protein shows ancestral fold present in human lipid-binding proteins. | low molecular weight juvenile hormone binding proteins (jhbps) are specific carriers of juvenile hormone (jh) in the hemolymph of butterflies and moths. as hormonal signal transmitters, these proteins exert a profound effect on insect development. the crystal structure of jhbp from galleria mellonella shows an unusual fold consisting of a long alpha-helix wrapped in a highly curved antiparallel beta-sheet. jhbp structurally resembles the folding pattern found in tandem repeats in some mammalian ... | 2008 | 18291417 |
| phagocytic activity and encapsulation rate of galleria mellonella larval haemocytes during bacterial infection by bacillus thuringiensis. | the bacterium bacillus thuringiensis (bt) is a pathogen of many insect species and is actively used in biocontrol. after the peroral inoculation of galleria mellonella by the bt in 5% sublethal concentration (lc(5)), a 1.5-fold increase in the phagocytic activity of infected larvae has been registered on the second and third days after the inoculation. with the increase of bt-inoculum amount to 15% of sublethal concentration (lc(15)), a further increase of the phagocytic activity and enhanced en ... | 2008 | 18440019 |
| molecular analysis of a novel gene cluster encoding an insect toxin in plant-associated strains of pseudomonas fluorescens. | pseudomonas fluorescens cha0 and the related strain pf-5 are well-characterized representatives of rhizosphere bacteria that have the capacity to protect crop plants from fungal root diseases, mainly by releasing a variety of exoproducts that are toxic to plant pathogenic fungi. here, we report that the two plant-beneficial pseudomonads also exhibit potent insecticidal activity. anti-insect activity is linked to a novel genomic locus encoding a large protein toxin termed fit (for p. fluorescensi ... | 2008 | 18484997 |
| effect of pre-incubation temperature on susceptibility of galleria mellonella larvae to infection by candida albicans. | the use of insects for evaluating the virulence of microbial pathogens and for determining the efficacy of antimicrobial drugs is increasing. when larvae of the greater wax moth galleria mellonella were incubated at 4 or 37 degrees c for 24 h. prior to infection, they manifested increased resistance to infection by the yeast candida albicans compared to larvae that had been pre-incubated for 24 h at 30 degrees c. incubation at 4 or 37 degrees c led to an increase in haemocyte density and the exp ... | 2008 | 17922218 |
| photorhabdus luminescens genes induced upon insect infection. | photorhabdus luminescens is a gram-negative luminescent enterobacterium and a symbiote to soil nematodes belonging to the species heterorhabditis bacteriophora. p.luminescens is simultaneously highly pathogenic to insects. this bacterium exhibits a complex life cycle, including one symbiotic stage characterized by colonization of the upper nematode gut, and a pathogenic stage, characterized by release from the nematode into the hemocoel of insect larvae, resulting in rapid insect death caused by ... | 2008 | 18489737 |
| changes in galleria mellonella lysozyme level and activity during pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. | the level of lysozyme in fat body, hemocytes and cell-free hemolymph from galleria mellonella larvae infected with pseudomonas aeruginosa was determined and evaluated. in the samples of fat body and hemocytes, an increase in lysozyme content was detected 1 d after infection and then a significant decrease was observed after a prolonged infection time. in the case of cell-free hemolymph, an increase in the lysozyme level was noticeable during the first 30 h post injection and stayed at a similar ... | 2008 | 18500634 |
| role of symbiotic and non-symbiotic bacteria in carbon dioxide production from hosts infected with steinernema riobrave. | entomopathogenic nematodes of the family steinernematidae and their mutualistic bacteria (xenorhabdus spp.) are lethal endoparasites of insects. we hypothesized that growth of the nematode's mutualistic bacteria in the insect host may contribute to the production of cues used by the infective juveniles (ijs) in responding to potential hosts for infection. specifically, we tested if patterns of bacterial growth could explain differences in co2 production over the course of host infection. growth ... | 2008 | 18621386 |
| the antioxidants dimethylsulfoxide and dimethylthiourea affect the immediate adhesion responses of larval haemocytes from 3 lepidopteran insect species. | antioxidants, dimethylsulfoxide (dmso) and dimethylthiourea (dmtu), at concentrations not affecting the viability of blood cells (haemocytes) from the larval stage of 3 lepidopteran insects - galleria mellonella, lymantria dispar, and malacosoma disstria - differed in their influence on the innate binding of haemocytes to glass, bacteria to haemocytes, and on humoral responses to alien materials. in vitro dmso had little effect, whereas dmtu substantially impaired the adhesion of the haemocyte t ... | 2007 | 18059566 |
| [purification and characterization of the haemocoel insecticide tp40 from xenorhabdus nematophila]. | xenorhabdus nematophila is an insect pathogen bacterium symbiotically associated with entomopathogenic nematode. the bacteria produce a number of toxins to overcome immune response of insect hosts and kill their hosts. we purified a novel haemocoel insecticidal protein from x. nematophila hb310, cloned and analysed gene sequence of this novel protein. | 2008 | 18652303 |
| galleria mellonella and the study of fungal pathogenesis: making the case for another genetically tractable model host. | | 2008 | 18060516 |
| host-derived extracellular nucleic acids enhance innate immune responses, induce coagulation, and prolong survival upon infection in insects. | extracellular nucleic acids play important roles in human immunity and hemostasis by inducing ifn production, entrapping pathogens in neutrophil extracellular traps, and providing procoagulant cofactor templates for induced contact activation during mammalian blood clotting. in this study, we investigated the functions of extracellular rna and dna in innate immunity and hemolymph coagulation in insects using the greater wax moth galleria mellonella a reliable model host for many insect and human ... | 2008 | 18684961 |