Woolly apple aphid (WAA), Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann), is an important global pest that feeds on Malus species. We studied the feeding preference of WAA on apple trees in the field for two ...consecutive years and in the laboratory we used electronic penetration graphs (EPG) to record the stylet penetration behavior of WAA on different parts of apple trees. We found that in the field WAA fed primarily on twigs and branches, not on leaves and fruits. Six EPG waveforms were produced during WAA probing on shoots, trunks and leaves of apple trees, including the non-penetration wave (np), the stylet pathway phase wave (C), the intracellular feeding wave (pd), the xylem feeding wave (G), waves indicative of release of saliva into the phloem (E1), and a wave indicative of ingestion from phloem (E2). In the laboratory, aphids only successfully fed on shoots, trunks and leaves, not on fruits. The EPG parameters on the phloem of shoots were significantly higher than those on trunks, indicating WAA prefer to feed on shoots. These laboratory findings explain the relative field feeding preference of WAA on different parts of apple trees, which occurs primarily on branches, barks, and young twigs in orchards, especially on young twigs.
The preference and behavioral mechanism of the feeding behavior of the woolly apple aphid, Eriosoma lanigerum (Hausmann), on Chinese apple cultivars was investigated using the electrical penetration ...graph (EPG) technique. Feeding of adult aphids was assessed for the four main cultivars of apple in China (Red Fuji, Ralls Genet, Starkrimson, and Jonagold) over an 8-h monitoring period, what that of fourth-instar nymphs was assessed for 8 h on Jonagold only. EPG waveforms representing the details of probing behaviors, parameters were measured for analysis. We found that at the nonphloem phase, the total duration of the nonpenetration (np) waveform and the total duration of the stylet pathway phase (the ‘C wave') on Ralls Genet and Starkrimson were significantly longer than on Red Fuji. In addition, the phloem-feeding phase, the total duration of ‘release of saliva into the phloem’, (the E1 waveform) was significantly longer on Ralls Genet and Jonagold than on Red Fuji. The total duration of the ‘ingestion from sieve cells’ phase (the E2 waveform) on Red Fuji, meanwhile, was significantly longer than on Ralls Genet or Starkrimson. At the same time, when combined with EPG parameters, Red Fuji was found to have no obvious resistance to woolly apple aphid and to be a susceptible cultivar. This experiment also recorded the feeding waveform of fourth-instar aphid nymphs. Based on the phloem and nonphloem parameters recorded in this study, it was inferred that adult aphids are more likely than nymphs to feed on apple trees.
Xanthoceraside (XAN) is a natural-derived compound with anti-Alzheimer activity from the husks of
Xanthoceras sorbifolia
. Although its therapeutic effect had been confirmed in previous studies, the ...mechanism was still unclear due to its poor solubility and low permeability. In this study, the pharmacological effect of XAN on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was confirmed by behavior experiments and H&E staining observation. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiment also replicated the therapeutic effects, which indicates the potential targets of XAN on gut microbiota. The sequencing of 16S rRNA genes in fecal samples demonstrated that XAN reversed gut microbiota dysbiosis in AD animals. XAN could change the relative abundances of several phyla and genus of bacterial, particularly the ratio of
Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes
. Among them,
Clostridium IV
,
Desulfovibrio
,
Corynebacterium
, and
Enterorhabdus
had been reported to be involved in the pathologic developments of AD and other central nervous system disease. In metabolomics study, a series of host endogenous metabolites were detected, including amino acids, lysophosphatidylcholine, dihydrosphingosine, phytosphingosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine, which were all closely associated with the development of AD. Combined with the Spearman’s correlation analysis, it was confirmed that the increases of five bacterial strains and decreases of six bacterial strains were closely correlated with the increases of nine host metabolites and the decreases of another five host metabolites. Therefore, XAN can modulate the structure of gut microbiota in AD rats; the changes of gut microbiota were significantly correlated with endogenous metabolites, and symptom of AD was ultimately alleviated. Our findings suggest that XAN may be a potential therapeutic drug for AD, and the gut microbiota may be potential targeting territory of XAN
via
microbiome–gut–brain pathway.
In this study, two types of woodchip-amended biosand filters (Filter A sand: woodchip = 33%: 67% versus Filter B sand: woodchip = 50%: 50%, by volume) were constructed, and their abilities to remove ...MS2 bacteriophage and nitrate were investigated. The results indicated that Filter A and Filter B could reduce nitrate up to 40 and 36%, respectively, indicating that the nitrate reduction increased with the increase in woodchip proportion. The study underscores a positive correlation between nitrate reduction and proportional increase in woodchip content, implying the potential for fine-tuning nitrate removal by varying sand-woodchip compositions. W-BSFs could remove MS2 bacteriophage to 1.91-log10 (98.8%) by Filter A and 1.88-log10 (98.7%) by Filter B over 39 weeks. The difference in sand-woodchip proportion did not significantly impact the MS2 reduction, demonstrating that a single W-BSF can maintain its virus removal performance fairly well over a long-term period. These results indicated that the nitrate reduction could be adjusted by varying sand-woodchip contents without impacting virus removal performance. Microbial community analysis indicated that the nitrate removal by the W-BSFs could be attributed to the denitrifying bacteria, such as the family Streptomycetaceae, the genera Pseudomonas, and Bacillus, and relative abundances of the phylum Nitrospirae.
Serine protease inhibitors (serpins) appear to be ubiquitous in almost all living organisms, with a conserved structure and varying functions. Serpins can modulate immune responses by negatively ...regulating serine protease activities strictly and precisely. The codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), a major invasive pest in China, can cause serious economic losses. However, knowledge of serpin genes in this insect remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed a systematic analysis of the serpin genes in C. pomonella, obtaining 26 serpins from the C. pomonella genome. Subsequently, their sequence features, evolutionary relationship, and expression pattern were characterized. Comparative analysis revealed the evolution of a number of serpin genes in Lepidoptera. Importantly, the evolutionary relationship and putative roles of serpin genes in C. pomonella were revealed. Additionally, selective pressure analysis found amino acid sites with strong evidence of positive selection. Interestingly, the serpin1 gene possessed at least six splicing isoforms with distinct reactive-center loops, and these isoforms were experimentally validated. Furthermore, we observed a subclade expansion of serpins, and these genes showed high expression in multiple tissues, suggesting their important roles in C. pomonella. Overall, this study will enrich our knowledge of the immunity of C. pomonella and help to elucidate the role of serpins in the immune response.
Abstract
Introduction
It is well known that post‐stroke depression (PSD) is a psychiatric complication after stroke which leads to worse functional outcome and poorer quality of life. Some risk ...factors including gender, stroke severity, lesion location, homocysteine (HCY), and so on are associated with PSD. This study aims to further explore the possible relationship between serum levels of HCY and early‐onset PSD and the predictive value of HCY combined with stroke characteristics for early‐onset PSD.
Methods
Two hundred forty‐five patients with acute ischemic stroke who met the criteria were included in this study from March 2015 to March 2017. PSD was diagnosed at 2 weeks after stroke. The severity of depressive symptoms was evaluated with the Hamilton depression scale 17 items (HAMD‐17), and patients with HAMD scores ≥7 were included in the PSD group. The demographic data, clinical characteristics, serum levels of HCY, and detailed radiological variables (e.g., lesion location and quantity of the brain infarct) were also examined.
Results
In total, 97 (39.6%) patients of the 245 patients were diagnosed with depression. The univariate analyses suggested that patients in PSD group had a higher NIHSS score, modified Rankin Scale score, and HCY levels than patients in non‐PSD group (
p <
.001). The patients with PSD had higher proportion of multiple‐site acute infarcts and frontal lobe lesion (
p <
.05). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, NIHSS score at admission, serum levels of HCY, and multiple‐site lesions were independently related to early‐onset PSD. Based on receiver operating characteristic curves analysis, the combination of HCY, NIHSS scores, multiple‐site lesions, and lesion location revealed a highest area under the curve of 0.807 (95% confidence interval CI: 0.748–0.865,
p <
.001). Furthermore, there was a significantly increased risk of early‐onset PSD associated with serum levels of HCY ≥16.98 μmol/L (odds ratio OR = 10.976, 95% CI: 5.585–21.573,
p <
.001).
Conclusions
Our study indicated that higher NIHSS score, elevated serum levels of HCY, and multiple‐site lesions may be independent risk factors of early‐onset PSD. The combination of HCY, NIHSS scores, multiple‐site lesions, and lesion location may provide greater predictive value than HCY alone for early‐onset PSD. Early intervention for elevated serum levels of HCY may be a potential target for the intervention and prevention of PSD.
Natural products are considered as potential sources of leading compounds and play an important role in drug discovery. The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique is a powerful ...tool for compound-guided isolation from natural products. In this study, a high-efficiency integrated strategy was adopted to improve the new leading compounds discovery, including offline two-dimensional (2D) LC to extend the peak capacities, target neutral loss (NL) data-dependent acquisition (DDA) for barrigenol-type triterpenoids saponins and automatic screening through predicted natural product screening (PNPS) in TraceFinder. To validate the integrated strategy, the shell of Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge (XSB) was taken as a case. An offline 2D-LC system was constructed with hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and reversed phase (RP) C18 column, and orthogonality of 0.66 and peak capacity of 3494. The 2D-LC system improved chromatographic baseline separation and peak resolution. Full MS/all ion fragmentation (AIF)/NL dd-MS2 DDA was employed for the detection of the barrigenol saponins. PNPS strategy was adopted and markedly extended the screening coverage. The combined strategy showed about 5 times improvement in the screening capability. The PNPS screening process, using TraceFinder software, discovered a total of 752 barrigenol saponins from the shell of XSB, including 707 potentially new barrigenol saponins, accounting for 94.02%. The feasibility of the strategy was also confirmed by the isolation of two novel barrigenol saponins, the structures of which were unambiguously identified using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Furthermore, this strategy could also be applied to rapidly discover new bioactive constituents from other herbal medicines or other natural sources, especially the barrigenol saponins constituents.
•This review focuses on biological control of insect pests in Chinese apple orchards.•Major natural enemy species in Chinese apple orchards are described.•Augmentative release of biological control ...agents is effective in pest suppression.•Ground cover plants conserve the habitat for biological control agents.•We review the status and prospects for bio-control strategies in the IPM context.
Apple is one of the most important fruits in China, and both yield and quality are greatly affected by insect pests. According to surveys, there are more than 200 species of natural enemies in apple orchards. Few, however, have been closely studied. Major natural enemies including parasitoids, predators and pathogens are briefly described in this review, especially focusing on two parasitoids of Trichogramma dendrolimi Matsumura and Aphelinus mali Haldeman, predatory mites and a pathogenic fungus of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin as case studies. Augmentation, one important strategy of biological control, supplements the natural control provided by the existing natural enemy community in apple orchards, and greatly increases their efficiency in controlling pests. Conservation biological control is also widely applied in four major apple-producing areas. Based on habitat manipulation, the ground cover planting system helps regulate the microclimate and enhance the biodiversity of apple orchards, effectively conserving the richness and diversity of beneficial insect species. Certain achievements have been made in the main biological control strategies including successful introduction of some exotic natural enemies such as A. mali and Typhlodromus occidentalis Nesbitt, augmentative production and application of biological control agents such as T. dendrolimi, B. bassiana and Bacillus thuringiensis, and further research in conservation of establishing adaptive ground cover planting patterns to local environment. Challenges, however, still exist. Biological control of insect pests in apple orchards is an important part of integrated pest management programs, requiring more research and application in China.
The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), poses a significant threat to the global fruit industry, causing damage to diverse fruits like citrus, mango, and guava. Chemical pesticides have ...limited effectiveness, and pesticide residues and pesticide resistance are pressing issues. Therefore, it is essential to develop environmentally friendly pest control methods to address this problem. Behavior-modifying chemicals, including male attractants and intersex protein baits, play a critical role in the control of B. dorsalis. The mature host fruit serves as both an oviposition site and food source under natural conditions, making it a potential attraction source for oriental fruit flies. Orange, Citrus sinensis, is a main host of B. dorsalis, and commercial orange juice is a common attractant for the egg laying of B. dorsalis. Although it can both attract and elicit oviposition behaviors in B. dorsalis adults, its active components are still unclear. This study utilized analytical chemistry, behavioral tests, and electrophysiology to identify the active components of commercial orange juice that attract B. dorsalis, with the aim of providing a reference for the development of behavior-modifying chemical-based techniques to control B. dorsalis. Five compounds with a high abundance were identified via a GC-MS, including D-Limonene, butanoic acid ethyl ester, β-myrcene, linalool, and α-terpineol. Behavioral and electrophysiological experiments uncovered that D-Limonene was the active substance that was the main attractant in the mixture of these five substances, evoking a strong electrophysiological response in adult B. dorsalis. D-Limonene strongly attracts adult B. dorsalis only when they are sexually mature, and the attraction is not rhythmic. Olfaction plays a leading role in the attraction of D-Limonene to adult B. dorsalis, and Orco−/− mediates the perception of D-Limonene by B. dorsalis. Overall, D-Limonene is one of the key attractant compounds for B. dorsalis in the volatile compounds of commercial orange juice, offering possible support for the development of behavior-modifying chemical-based technology to control B. dorsalis in the future.
Despite the importance of circadian rhythms in insect behavior, our understanding of circadian activity and the molecular oscillatory mechanism in parasitoid wasp circadian clocks is limited. In this ...study, behavioral activities expected to be under the control of the endogenous circadian system were characterized in an ectoparasitoid wasp,
. Most adults exhibited emergence between late night and early morning, while mating only occurred during the daytime, with a peak at midday. Oviposition had three peaks in the early morning, late day, or early night and late night. Additionally, we identified eight putative clock genes from
. The quantitative PCR (qPCR) results indicate that most clock genes showed significant rhythmic expressions. Our comparative analysis of clock genes in
and 43 other parasitoid wasps revealed that none of the wasps possessed the
and
genes commonly found in some other insect species, suggesting that the circadian clock system in parasitoid wasps is distinct from that in other non-Hymenoptera insects such as
. Thus, this study attempted to build the first hypothetical circadian clock model for a parasitoid wasp, thus generating hypotheses and providing a platform for the future functional characterization of
clock genes as well as those of other parasitoid wasps. Finally, these findings on
circadian activity will aid the development of effective field release programs for biological control, which can be tested under field conditions.
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