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PloS One 2023The use of pheromone traps can minimize the excess application of synthetic insecticides, while can also benefit the environment. The use of pheromone traps has been...
The use of pheromone traps can minimize the excess application of synthetic insecticides, while can also benefit the environment. The use of pheromone traps has been promoted and suggested to vegetable farmers of Bangladesh for widespread adoption. However, the majority of farmers have continued to spray insecticides instead of using pheromone traps. The present study investigated the factors influencing farmers' adoption, dis-adoption, and non-adoption behavior of pheromone traps for managing insect pests. Primary data were collected from 438 vegetable growers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression. About 27% of the farmers abandoned the technique shortly after it was adopted as it was time-consuming to manage insect pests. Marginal effect analysis revealed that the likelihood of continued adoption was 34.6% higher for farmers who perceived that pheromone traps were useful in controlling insect pests. In contrast, the likelihood of dis-adoption was 16.5% and 10.4% higher for farmers who maintained communication with private pesticide company agents and neighbor farmers, respectively. Extension services by government extension personnel might be encouraged and maintained as a key component in increasing farmer awareness regarding the use of pheromone trap. Strategies to promote pheromone traps in vegetable production should highlight the positive impacts to farmers and the environment, as this would most likely lead to their continued and widespread use after initial adoption.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Insecticides; Farmers; Vegetables; Pheromones; Insecta; Pest Control, Biological; Agriculture
PubMed: 37773932
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292254 -
Nature Communications Nov 2023Moth sex pheromones are a classical model for studying sexual selection. Females typically produce a species-specific pheromone blend that attracts males. Revealing the...
Moth sex pheromones are a classical model for studying sexual selection. Females typically produce a species-specific pheromone blend that attracts males. Revealing the enzymes involved in the interspecific variation in blend composition is key for understanding the evolution of these sexual communication systems. The nature of the enzymes involved in the variation of acetate esters, which are prominent compounds in moth pheromone blends, remains unclear. We identify enzymes involved in acetate degradation using two closely related moth species: Heliothis (Chloridea) subflexa and H. (C.) virescens, which have different quantities of acetate esters in their sex pheromone. Through comparative transcriptomic analyses and CRISPR/Cas9 knockouts, we show that two lipases and two esterases from H. virescens reduce the levels of pheromone acetate esters when expressed in H. subflexa females. Together, our results show that lipases and carboxylesterases are involved in tuning Lepidoptera pheromones composition.
Topics: Male; Animals; Female; Sex Attractants; Moths; Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; Pheromones; Lipase; Acetates
PubMed: 37980401
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43100-w -
Insects Jul 2023Spruce budworm, Clemens, is an ecologically significant defoliator of spruce and balsam fir in North America. Optimization of semiochemical-mediated control is needed...
Spruce budworm, Clemens, is an ecologically significant defoliator of spruce and balsam fir in North America. Optimization of semiochemical-mediated control is needed to improve the existing integrated pest management systems such as mating disruption and population estimation. This study used single sensillum recordings (SSR) to identify the responses of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) in the antennal sensilla of adult male and female to host plant volatiles, and female sex pheromones. There have been few SSR studies done on spruce budworm, and to our knowledge, the present study represents the first attempt to examine the responses of ORNs from antennal sensilla in response to a range of host and conspecific stimuli. A total of 86 sensilla were characterized and sorted into 15 possible sensillum categories based on odor responses. We observed that specialist sensilla responding to few ligands were more abundant in both male and female than sensilla exhibiting more generalized odorant responses. (/)-11-tetradecenal elicited responses from ORNs from any sensilla which were sensitive to pheromones in both males and females. Female ORNs were able to detect and physiologically respond to female-produced sex pheromones with the same degree of sensitivity as their male counterparts. Together, these data improve our knowledge of mechanisms by which adult budworms respond to pheromone and host plant volatiles and provide insights that may be complementary to existing integrated pest management (IPM) strategies based on the chemical ecology of spruce budworm.
PubMed: 37504659
DOI: 10.3390/insects14070653 -
Journal of Bacteriology Jun 2023The ability to take up and incorporate foreign DNA via natural transformation is a well-known characteristic of some species of Streptococcus, and is a mechanism that...
The ability to take up and incorporate foreign DNA via natural transformation is a well-known characteristic of some species of Streptococcus, and is a mechanism that rapidly allows for the acquisition of antibacterial resistance. Here, we describe that the understudied species Streptococcus ferus is also capable of natural transformation and uses a system analogous to that identified in Streptococcus mutans. S. mutans natural transformation is under the control of the alternative sigma factor (also known as ), whose expression is induced by two types of peptide signals: CSP (ompetence timulating eptide, encoded by ) and XIP (-nducing eptide, encoded by ). These systems induce competence via either the two-component signal-transduction system ComDE or the RRNPP transcriptional regulator ComR, respectively. Protein and nucleotide homology searches identified putative orthologs of and in , but not homologs of S. mutans (also known as ). We demonstrate that natural transformation in is induced by a small, double-tryptophan containing sigX-inducing peptide (XIP), akin to that of S. mutans, and requires the presence of the and orthologs for efficient transformation. Additionally, we find that natural transformation is induced in by both the native XIP and the XIP variant of S. mutans, implying that cross talk between the two species is possible. This process has been harnessed to construct gene deletions in and provides a method to genetically manipulate this understudied species. Natural transformation is the process by which bacteria take up DNA and allows for acquisition of new genetic traits, including those involved in antibiotic resistance. This study demonstrates that the understudied species Streptococcus ferus is capable of natural transformation using a peptide-pheromone system like that previously identified in Streptococcus mutans and provides a framework for future studies concerning this organism.
Topics: Streptococcus mutans; Bacterial Proteins; Streptococcus; Peptides; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; DNA Transformation Competence
PubMed: 37195233
DOI: 10.1128/jb.00089-23 -
Frontiers in Physiology 2023The moth species (Möschler) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which has recently been identified as a pest of summer maize ( L.) in China, has demonstrated a rapid...
The moth species (Möschler) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which has recently been identified as a pest of summer maize ( L.) in China, has demonstrated a rapid proliferation with in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain region since its initial discovery in Hebei Province in 2005. It has become a prevalent pest of corn crops, and its ability to adapt quickly to its surroundings is currently being investigated. One of the key characteristics of its siphoning mouthparts is not only the feeding apparatus itself but also the chemosensory organs that enable the detection of chemical signals from the surrounding environment. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research on the genes responsible for chemosensory and metabolic mechanisms in the proboscises of male and female adults. In this study, we utilized transcriptome analysis to identify a total of fifty chemosensory genes from six distinct families, including 19 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 22 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), one co-receptor (Orco), six odorant receptors (ORs), four ionotropic receptors (IRs), and two sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs) in the proboscis. Notably, seven OBPs, two CSPs, and one OR were discovered for the first time. Additionally, fourteen genes related to metabolism, including cytochrome P450 (CYPs) and carboxylesterases (CXEs), were also identified. Furthermore, a qualitative analysis was conducted on the relative transcript levels of eight related genes. The expression of 21 annotated chemosensory and metabolic genes was compared between adults and larvae using qRT-PCR, revealing tissue specificity. The majority of genes exhibited predominant expression in the antennae and proboscis during the adult stage, while showing slight expression in the combination of sixth-instar larval head oral appendages (maxilla, labium, and antenna) and pheromone gland-ovipositors of female adults. Our study points to a new pest control strategies that these newly discovered genes have the potential to serve as targets for enhancing future pest control, including mating disruption and the use of food attractants. And it would be advantageous to ascertain the distribution of chemosensory gene expression and gain insights into the functionalities of these genes, thereby establishing a novel theoretical framework for the advancement of eco-friendly pesticides and efficient pest management strategies in the future.
PubMed: 38187138
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1287353 -
Current Biology : CB Feb 2024Animals have endogenous clocks that regulate their behavior and physiology. These clocks rely on environmental cues (time givers) that appear approximately every 24 h...
Animals have endogenous clocks that regulate their behavior and physiology. These clocks rely on environmental cues (time givers) that appear approximately every 24 h due to the Earth's rotation; thus, most insects exhibit a circadian rhythm. One notable exception is the scarab beetle, Holotrichia parallela, a severe agricultural pest in China, Japan, South Korea, and India. Females emerge from the soil every other night, reach the canopy of host plants, evert an abdominal gland, and release a pheromone bouquet comprising l-isoleucine methyl ester (LIME) and l-linalool. To determine whether this circa'bi'dian rhythm affects the olfactory system, we aimed to identify H. parallela sex pheromone receptor(s) and study their expression patterns. We cloned 14 odorant receptors (ORs) and attempted de-orphanizing them in the Xenopus oocyte recording system. HparOR14 gave robust responses to LIME and smaller responses to l-linalool. Structural modeling, tissue expression profile, and RNAi treatment followed by physiological and behavioral studies support that HparOR14 is a sex pheromone receptor-the first of its kind discovered in Coleoptera. Examination of the HparOR14 transcript levels throughout the adult's life showed that on sexually active days, gene expression was significantly higher in the scotophase than in the photophase. Additionally, the HparOR14 expression profile showed a circabidian rhythm synchronized with the previously identified pattern of sex pheromone emission. 48 h of electroantennogram recordings showed that responses to LIME were abolished on non-calling nights. In contrast, responses to the green leaf volatile (Z)-3-henexyl acetate remained almost constant throughout the recording period.
Topics: Animals; Female; Sex Attractants; Coleoptera; Receptors, Pheromone; Acyclic Monoterpenes; Oxides; Calcium Compounds
PubMed: 38242123
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.057 -
Journal of Fungi (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2023is a valuable edible fungus with high nutritional and medicinal values. The mating systems of fungi not only offer practical strategies for breeding, but also have...
is a valuable edible fungus with high nutritional and medicinal values. The mating systems of fungi not only offer practical strategies for breeding, but also have far-reaching effects on genetic variability. has been considered as a sexual species with a tetrapolar mating system based on little experimental data. In the present study, one group of test crosses and six groups of three-round mating experiments from two parental strains were conducted to determine the mating system in . A chi-squared test of the results of the test-cross mating experiments indicated that they satisfied Mendelian segregation, while a series of three-round mating experiments showed that Mendelian segregation was not satisfied, implying a segregation distortion phenomenon in . A genomic map of the strain, y59, grown from an LMCZ basidiospore, with 40.54 Mb and 12 chromosomes, was generated using genome, transcriptome and Hi-C sequencing technology. Based on the genomic annotation of , the mating-type loci A and B were located on chromosomes 1 and 11, respectively. The mating-type locus A coded for the β-fg protein, HD1, HD2 and MIP, in that order. The mating-type locus B consisted of six pheromone receptors (PRs) and five pheromone precursors (PPs) in a crossed order. Moreover, both HD and PR loci may have only one sublocus that determines the mating type in . The nonsynonymous SNP and indel mutations between the AB and AB mating-type strains and the reference genome of y59 only occurred on genes and /, preliminarily confirming that the mating type of the y59 strain was AB and not AB. Based on the genetic evidence and the more reliable molecular evidence, the results reveal that the mating system of is tetrapolar. This study has important implications for the genetics and hybrid breeding of .
PubMed: 37888215
DOI: 10.3390/jof9100959 -
Communications Biology Oct 2023Female-female competition in animals has rarely been studied. Responses of females that compete context-dependently for mates and prey, and seek safety from predators,...
Female-female competition in animals has rarely been studied. Responses of females that compete context-dependently for mates and prey, and seek safety from predators, are ideally studied with web-building spiders. Cobwebs possess unique sections for prey capture and safety, which can be quantified. We worked with Steaoda grossa females because their pheromone is known, and adjustments in response to mate competition could be measured. Females exposed to synthetic sex pheromone adjusted their webs, indicating a perception of intra-sexual competition via their sex pheromone. When females sequentially built their webs in settings of low and high intra-sexual competition, they adjusted their webs to increase prey capture and lower predation risk. In settings with strong mate competition, females deposited more contact pheromone components on their webs and accelerated their breakdown to mate-attractant pheromone components, essentially increasing their webs' attractiveness. We show that females respond to sexual, social and natural selection pressures originating from intra-sexual competition.
Topics: Animals; Female; Predatory Behavior; Sex Attractants; Widowhood; Spiders; Reproduction
PubMed: 37821674
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05392-y -
Insect Biochemistry and Molecular... Oct 2023Leishmaniasis is a debilitating and often fatal neglected tropical disease. Males from sub-populations of the Leishmania-harbouring sandfly, Lutzomyia longipalpis,...
Leishmaniasis is a debilitating and often fatal neglected tropical disease. Males from sub-populations of the Leishmania-harbouring sandfly, Lutzomyia longipalpis, produce the diterpene sex and aggregation pheromone, sobralene, for which geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) is the likely isoprenoid precursor. We have identified a GGPP synthase (lzGGPPS) from L. longipalpis, which was recombinantly expressed in bacteria and purified for functional and kinetic analysis. In vitro enzymatic assays using LC-MS showed that lzGGPPS is an active enzyme, capable of converting substrates dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), (E)-geranyl diphosphate (GPP), (E,E)-farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) with co-substrate isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) into (E,E,E)-GGPP, while (Z,E)-FPP was also accepted with low efficacy. Comparison of metal cofactors for lzGGPPS highlighted Mg as most efficient, giving increased GGPP output when compared against other divalent metal ions tested. In line with previously characterised GGPPS enzymes, GGPP acted as an inhibitor of lzGGPPS activity. The molecular weight in solution of lzGGPPS was determined to be ∼221 kDa by analytical SEC, suggesting a hexameric assembly, as seen in the human enzyme, and representing the first assessment of GGPPS quaternary structure in insects.
PubMed: 37619821
DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2023.104001 -
IScience Oct 2023For mammals that originate in the cold north, adapting to warmer environments is crucial for southwards invasion. The brown rat () originated in Northeast China and has...
For mammals that originate in the cold north, adapting to warmer environments is crucial for southwards invasion. The brown rat () originated in Northeast China and has become a global pest. (RNH) spread from the northeast, where (RNC) lives, to North China and diverged to form a subspecies. Genomic analyses revealed that subspecies differentiation was promoted by temperature but impeded by gene flow and that genes related to fatty acid metabolism were under the strongest selection. Transcriptome analyses revealed downregulated hepatic genes related to fatty acid metabolism and upregulated those related to pheromones in RNH vs. RNC. Similar patterns were observed in relation to cold/warm acclimation. RNH preferred mates with stronger pheromone signals intra-populationally and more genetic divergence inter-populationally. We concluded that RNH experienced reduced fat utilization and increased pheromone-mediated sexual selection during its invasion from the cold north to warm south.
PubMed: 37731619
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107742