Entomopathogenic fungus as well as their toxins is a natural threat surrounding social insect colonies. To defend against them, social insects have evolved a series of unique disease defenses at the ...colony level, which consists of behavioral and physiological adaptations. These colony-level defenses can reduce the infection and poisoning risk and improve the survival of societal members, and is known as social immunity. In this review, we discuss how social immunity enables the insect colony to avoid, resist and tolerate fungal pathogens. To understand the molecular basis of social immunity, we highlight several genetic elements and biochemical factors that drive the colony-level defense, which needs further verification. We discuss the chemosensory genes in regulating social behaviors, the antifungal secretions such as some insect venoms in external defense and the immune priming in internal defense. To conclude, we show the possible driving force of the fungal toxins for the evolution of social immunity. Throughout the review, we propose several questions involved in social immunity extended from some phenomena that have been reported. We hope our review about social 'host-fungal pathogen' interactions will help us further understand the mechanism of social immunity in eusocial insects.
Abiotic stress factors, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation, significantly affect insect life. UV-A radiation (320–400 nm) has been widely used for insect control since it increases the production ...of ROS and causes oxidative cell damage. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of UV-A irradiation on an important pest in China, the ear-cutting caterpillar,
Mythimna separata
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). We exposed 3-day-old
M. separata
adults to UV-A radiation for different periods of time (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min) and evaluated the resulting total antioxidant capacity and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and glutathione-S-transferase. The total antioxidant capacity significantly increased after exposure to UV-A radiation for 60 min but decreased after 90 and 120 min of exposure, compared with the control. The antioxidant activity of glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase increased after 60-min exposure, and it was decreased at the longest exposure period 120 min. The longest exposure time period relatively activates the xenobiotic detoxifying enzymes like glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase enzymes. The longest duration of UV-A radiation may cooperate with pesticide detoxification mechanism in insects, making them more susceptible to insecticides. Our results demonstrated that UV irradiation causes oxidative stress, affects the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and disturbs the physiology of
M. separata
adults.
The cabbage beetle Colaphellus bowringi Baly is a serious insect pest of crucifers and undergoes reproductive diapause in soil. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms of diapause regulation, ...insecticide resistance, and other physiological processes is helpful for developing new management strategies for this beetle. However, the lack of genomic information and valid reference genes limits knowledge on the molecular bases of these physiological processes in this species.
Using Illumina sequencing, we obtained more than 57 million sequence reads derived from C. bowringi, which were assembled into 39,390 unique sequences. A Clusters of Orthologous Groups classification was obtained for 9,048 of these sequences, covering 25 categories, and 16,951 were assigned to 255 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. Eleven candidate reference gene sequences from the transcriptome were then identified through reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Among these candidate genes, EF1α, ACT1, and RPL19 proved to be the most stable reference genes for different reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction experiments in C. bowringi. Conversely, aTUB and GAPDH were the least stable reference genes.
The abundant putative C. bowringi transcript sequences reported enrich the genomic resources of this beetle. Importantly, the larger number of gene sequences and valid reference genes provide a valuable platform for future gene expression studies, especially with regard to exploring the molecular mechanisms of different physiological processes in this species.
Objective
Parkinson's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases in the world, which seriously damages motor and balance ability. Dual-task training is discussed as an appropriate ...intervention. The aim of this review was to synthesize the existing research findings on the efficacy of dual-task training for people with Parkinson's disease.
Data resources
A systematic search on PubMed, CENTRAL, Embase, Web of Science, and PEDro, randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) of dual-task training for individuals with Parkinson's disease.
Methods
Articles published until 1 November 2022 were included. Our search identified 7 RCTs with a total of 406 subjects. Review Manager 5.4 software was used for bias evaluation and to process the results of the outcome measures collected from the investigations.
Results
Dual-task training was associated with significant improvement in most motor and balance outcomes including gait velocity (standard mean difference (SMD) = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.37–0.87; I2 = 31%; P = 0.21), cadence (SMD = 0.29; 95% CI, 0.05–0.53; I2 = 0%; P = 0.71), timed-up-and-go test (mean difference (MD) = -2.38; 95% CI, −3.93 to −0.84; I2 = 32%; P = 0.22) and mini-balance evaluation systems test (MD = 2.04; 95% CI, 1.05–3.03; I2 = 0%; P = 0.92).
Conclusion
Evidence from meta-analyses suggests that dual-task training may improve motor and balance abilities in Parkinson's disease patients. Future research should focus on finding the most appropriate dual-task treatment model for patients with different degrees, in order to further improve the rehabilitation treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Blue light with a wavelength of 400–470 nm is the composition of the visible light. However, in recent years, blue light contributed the most significance to light pollution due to the artificial ...light at night. Previously, we have demonstrated that the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, an important pest in citrus production, has significant positive phototaxis with a light-emitting diode light of 400 nm. In this study, ACP with positive phototactic behavior to 400 nm light (PH) and non-phototactic behavior to 400 nm light (NP) were collected, individually. Transcriptome dynamics of head tissues of PH and NP groups were captured by using RNA-sequencing technology, respectively. Forty-three to 46 million clean reads with high-quality values were obtained, and 1773 differential expressed genes (DEGs) were detected. Compared with the NP group, there were 841 up-regulated DEGs and 932 down-regulated DEGs in the PH group. Eight pathways were significantly enriched in the PH group in the KEGG database, while 43 up-regulated pathways and 25 down-regulated pathways were significantly enriched in the PH group in the GO database. The DGE approach was reliable validated by real time quantitative PCR. Results indicated that the blue light acted as an abiotic stress causing physiological and biochemical responses such as oxidative stress, protein denaturation, inflammation and tumor development in ACPs. Additionally, the light was absorbed by photoreceptors of ACPs, and converted into electrical signal to regulate neuromodulation. This study provides basic information for understanding the molecular mechanisms of ACP in response to blue light and provides a reference for further studies to elucidate phototactic behavior.
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•Head transcriptome responses to blue light of Diaphorina citri were examined.•The high-energy visible blue-violet light was considered as abiotic stress.•Blue light impacts visual and nervous transduction.•There is connection between stress and phototactic behavior induced by blue light.
Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is an important environmental factor. It is generally known that UVB exhibits high genotoxicity due to causing DNA damage, potentially leading to skin carcinogenesis and ...aging in mammals. However, little is known about the effects of UVB on the development and metamorphosis of insects, which are the most abundant terrestrial animals. In the present study, we performed dose-response analyses of the effects UVB irradiation on Tribolium castaneum metamorphosis, assessed the function of the T. castaneum prothoracicotropic hormone gene (Trcptth), and analyzed ecdysteroid pathway gene expression profile and ecdysterone titers post-UVB irradiation. The results showed that UVB not only caused death of T. castaneum larvae, but also delayed larval-pupal metamorphosis and reduced the size and emergence rate of pupae. In addition, we verified the function of Trcptth, which is responsible for regulating metamorphosis. It was also found that the expression profiles of Trcptth as well as ecdysteroidogenesis and response genes were influenced by UVB radiation. Therefore, a disturbance pulse of ecdysteroid may be involved in delaying development under exposure to irradiation. To our knowledge, this is the first report indicating that UVB can influence the metamorphosis of insects. This study will contribute to a better understanding of the impact of UVB on signaling mechanisms in insect metamorphosis.
Thiamethoxam (TMX) is one of the most effective neonicotinoid insecticides for the control of green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and various side effects can be ...expected in its natural enemies. The multicolored Asian lady beetle or harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), is an important predator against M. persicae in greenhouses and fields. In this study, we evaluated the toxicity of TMX to H. axyridis and the effect on the functional response of this predator to M. persicae through three routes of exposure. Acute toxicity bioassays indicated that LC50 values of TMX on H. axyridis through direct residual contact (‘contact’), systemic application (‘systemic’), and leaf‐dip treatment (‘leaf‐dip’) were 18.99, 21.26, and 15.39 mg a.i. l−1, respectively. The hazard quotient indicated a potential hazard of this agrochemical regardless of the exposure routes. The mortality caused by the lowest rate, 2 mg a.i. l−1, was not significantly different compared with the control group. For the three routes of sublethal TMX exposure, the type‐II functional response was a good fit to the prey consumption of H. axyridis. Predation was most affected by leaf‐dip treatment, followed by contact and systemic treatments, which had similar effect. For all exposure routes, the predation capacity of the predator recovered quickly after transfer to untreated cabbage leaves. Thiamethoxam applied systemically was the least toxic to H. axyridis and did not affect the functional response of the predator. However, the sublethal effects of TMX through both contact and leaf‐dip application may reduce the population growth of H. axyridis and consequently impair the biological control of M. persicae by this predator. These results illustrate that the assessment of potential effects of TMX on H. axyridis is crucial to develop effective integrated pest management programs for M. persicae in China.
Thiamethoxam is an effective neonicotinoid insecticide for the control of green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Hemiptera: Aphididae). We study its potential side effects on Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), an important predator of M. persicae in greenhouses and fields. The hazard quotient through ‘systemic’, ‘contact’, or ‘leaf‐dip’ exposure indicated a potential hazard to H. axyridis regardless of exposure route. Applied systemically, thiamethoxam was the least toxic to H. axyridis and did not affect their type‐II functional response to aphid densities.
The ultraviolet light (UV-A) range of 320–400 nm is widely used as light trap for insect pests. Present investigation was aimed to determine the effect of UV light-A radiation on development, adult ...longevity, reproduction, and development of F
1
generation of
Mythimna separata
. Our results revealed that the mortality of the second instar larvae was higher than the third and fourth instar larvae after UV-A radiation. As the time of UV-A irradiation for pupae prolonged, the rate of adult emergence reduced. Along with the extension of radiation time decreased the longevity of adult females and males. However, the radiation exposure of 1 and 4 h/day increased fecundity of female adults, and a significant difference was observed in a 1 h/day group. The oviposition rates of female adults in all the treatments were significantly higher than the control. In addition, UV-A radiation treatments resulted in declined cumulative survival of F
1
immature stages (eggs, larvae, and pupae). After exposure time of 4 and 7 h/day, the developmental periods of F
1
larvae increased significantly, but no significant effects on F
1
pupal period were recorded.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is currently one of the main diseases afflicting the elderly in the world. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that brain energy metabolism disorders are the ...key pathogenic factors and main early pathological features of AD. Many risk factors such as insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, Aβ-amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau, aging, and neuroinflammation are involved in brain energy metabolism disorders. In this study, 1,379 Web of Science publications on the mechanisms of brain energy metabolism disorders in AD, all published from 2000 to 2020, were analyzed. Some network maps were drawn using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software which can be used to clarify research focus, forecast research frontiers and development trends, and provide different perspectives and characteristics in AD brain energy metabolism disorder mechanisms.
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