-
Journal of the American Mosquito... 2007A brief overview is presented of the discovery and development of s-methoprene and some other juvenile hormone mimics. The identification of the natural juvenile... (Review)
Review
A brief overview is presented of the discovery and development of s-methoprene and some other juvenile hormone mimics. The identification of the natural juvenile hormones is described along with an outline of the part they play in the hormonal control of insect development. The properties and commercial applications of s-methoprene are presented with emphasis on its use in mosquito control and its minimal impact on the environment.
Topics: Animals; Culicidae; Methoprene; Molecular Structure; Mosquito Control; Pest Control, Biological
PubMed: 17853608
DOI: 10.2987/8756-971X(2007)23[225:M]2.0.CO;2 -
The FEBS Journal Jul 2021Organisms have constant contact with potentially harmful agents that can compromise their fitness. However, most of the times these agents fail to cause serious disease... (Review)
Review
Organisms have constant contact with potentially harmful agents that can compromise their fitness. However, most of the times these agents fail to cause serious disease by virtue of the rapid and efficient immune responses elicited in the host that can range from behavioural adaptations to immune system triggering. The immune system of insects does not comprise the adaptive arm, making it less complex than that of vertebrates, but key aspects of the activation and regulation of innate immunity are conserved across different phyla. This is the case for the hormonal regulation of immunity as a part of the broad organismal responses to external conditions under different internal states. In insects, depending on the physiological circumstances, distinct hormones either enhance or suppress the immune response integrating individual (and often collective) responses physiologically and behaviourally. In this review, we provide an overview of our current knowledge on the endocrine regulation of immunity in insects, its mechanisms and implications on metabolic adaptation and behaviour. We highlight the importance of this multilayered regulation of immunity in survival and reproduction (fitness) and its dependence on the hormonal integration with other mechanisms and life-history traits.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Endocrine Cells; Fat Body; Hemocytes; Immunity, Cellular; Immunity, Innate; Insecta; Juvenile Hormones; Pore Forming Cytotoxic Proteins
PubMed: 33021015
DOI: 10.1111/febs.15581 -
ELife Dec 2023Experiments exploring the role of juvenile hormone during the life cycle of firebrat insects provide clues about the evolution of metamorphosis.
Experiments exploring the role of juvenile hormone during the life cycle of firebrat insects provide clues about the evolution of metamorphosis.
Topics: Animals; Metamorphosis, Biological; Insecta; Life Cycle Stages; Juvenile Hormones
PubMed: 38126357
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.94410 -
Physiological Research Dec 2023Insect vitellogenins are an intriguing class of complex proteins. They primarily serve as a source of energy for the developing embryo in insect eggs. Vitellogenesis is... (Review)
Review
Insect vitellogenins are an intriguing class of complex proteins. They primarily serve as a source of energy for the developing embryo in insect eggs. Vitellogenesis is a complex hormonally and neurally controlled process that command synthesis of vitellogenin molecules and ensures their transport from the female fat bodies or ovarial cells into eggs. The representatives of all insect hormones such as juvenile hormones, ecdysteroids, and neurohormones participate in vitellogenesis, but juvenile hormones (most insect species) and ecdysteroids (mostly Diptera) play the most important roles in the process. Strikingly, not only insect females, but also males have been reported to synthesize vitellogenins indicating their further utility in the insect body. Indeed, it has recently been found that vitellogenins perform a variety of biological functions in the insect body. They participate in defense reactions against entomopathogens such as nematodes, fungi, and bacteria, as well as against venoms such as the honeybee Apis mellifera venom. Interestingly, vitellogenins are also present in the venom of the honeybee itself, albeit their exact role is unknown; they most likely increase the efficacy of the venom in the victim's body. Within the bee's body vitellogenins contribute to the lifespan regulation as anti-aging factor acting under tight social interactions and hormonal control. The current minireview covers all of these functions of vitellogenins and portrays them as biologically active substances that play a variety of significant roles in both insect females and males, and not only acting as passive energy sources for developing embryo.
Topics: Male; Female; Animals; Vitellogenins; Ecdysteroids; Juvenile Hormones; Ovary; Insecta
PubMed: 38165752
DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.935221 -
Current Opinion in Insect Science Oct 2018The juvenile hormones (JHs) are a family of insect acyclic sesquiterpenoids produced by the corpora allata (CA), a pair of endocrine glands connected to the brain. They... (Review)
Review
The juvenile hormones (JHs) are a family of insect acyclic sesquiterpenoids produced by the corpora allata (CA), a pair of endocrine glands connected to the brain. They are involved in the regulation of development, reproduction, behavior, caste determination, diapause, stress response, and numerous polyphenisms. In the post-genomics era, comprehensive analyses using functional 'omics' technologies such as transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics have increased our understanding of the activity of the minute CA. This review attempts to summarize some of the 'omics' studies that have contributed to further understand JH synthesis in insects, with an emphasis on our own research on the mosquito Aedes aegypti.
Topics: Aedes; Animals; Gene Expression Profiling; Insect Proteins; Insecta; Juvenile Hormones; Metabolome; Metabolomics; Proteome; Proteomics; Transcriptome
PubMed: 30551825
DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.05.013 -
Science (New York, N.Y.) Nov 2020
Topics: Animals; Ants; Epigenesis, Genetic; Feeding Behavior; Juvenile Hormones; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear
PubMed: 33154125
DOI: 10.1126/science.abb4367 -
Current Biology : CB Feb 2024Germ cells are essential to sexual reproduction. Across the animal kingdom, extracellular signaling isoprenoids, such as retinoic acids (RAs) in vertebrates and juvenile...
Germ cells are essential to sexual reproduction. Across the animal kingdom, extracellular signaling isoprenoids, such as retinoic acids (RAs) in vertebrates and juvenile hormones (JHs) in invertebrates, facilitate multiple processes in reproduction. Here we investigated the role of these potent signaling molecules in embryonic germ cell development, using JHs in Drosophila melanogaster as a model system. In contrast to their established endocrine roles during larval and adult germline development, we found that JH signaling acts locally during embryonic development. Using an in vivo biosensor, we observed active JH signaling first within and near primordial germ cells (PGCs) as they migrate to the developing gonad. Through in vivo and in vitro assays, we determined that JHs are both necessary and sufficient for PGC migration. Analysis into the mechanisms of this newly uncovered paracrine JH function revealed that PGC migration was compromised when JHs were decreased or increased, suggesting that specific titers or spatiotemporal JH dynamics are required for robust PGC colonization of the gonad. Compromised PGC migration can impair fertility and cause germ cell tumors in many species, including humans. In mammals, retinoids have many roles in development and reproduction. We found that like JHs in Drosophila, RA was sufficient to impact mouse PGC migration in vitro. Together, our study reveals a previously unanticipated role of isoprenoids as local effectors of pre-gonadal PGC development and suggests a broadly shared mechanism in PGC migration.
Topics: Humans; Mice; Animals; Drosophila melanogaster; Juvenile Hormones; Germ Cells; Drosophila; Gonads; Terpenes; Cell Movement; Mammals
PubMed: 38215744
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.033 -
International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2018A common feature of the aging process is a decline in immune system performance. Extensive research has sought to elucidate how changes in adaptive immunity contribute... (Review)
Review
A common feature of the aging process is a decline in immune system performance. Extensive research has sought to elucidate how changes in adaptive immunity contribute to aging and to provide evidence showing that changes in innate immunity have an important role in the overall decline of net immune function. is an emerging model used to address questions related to immunosenescence via research that integrates its capacity for genetic dissection of aging with groundbreaking molecular biology related to innate immunity. Herein, we review information on the immunosenescence of and suggest its possible mechanisms that involve changes in insulin/IGF(insulin-like growth factor)-1 signaling, hormones such as juvenile hormone and 20-hydroxyecdysone, and feedback system degeneration. Lastly, the emerging role of microbiota on the regulation of immunity and aging in is discussed.
Topics: Aging; Animals; Drosophila Proteins; Drosophila melanogaster; Ecdysterone; Feedback, Physiological; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gene Expression Regulation; Immunity, Innate; Immunosenescence; Insulin; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; Juvenile Hormones; Models, Biological; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 30134574
DOI: 10.3390/ijms19092472 -
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Dec 2022Environmental pollution and resistance in animals are major concerns for the application of synthetic pesticides. Diallyl trisulfide (DAT), an active compound in garlic...
Environmental pollution and resistance in animals are major concerns for the application of synthetic pesticides. Diallyl trisulfide (DAT), an active compound in garlic essential oil, is a novel tool for active and safe control of agricultural insect pests. In this study, we analysed the effects of DAT (0.01 μL/L) on the protein content in male reproductive tissues (accessory glands, ejaculatory ducts, and testis), and juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysone titres in a highly detrimental pest of stored products, Sitotroga cerealella. Evaluation of the expression profile of JH and ecdysone pathway-related genes in various tissues indicated that the accessory gland protein and ecdysone titres were markedly decreased after DAT fumigation, whereas the testis protein content and JH titre were increased. However, the protein content of the ejaculatory ducts remained unchanged between the treated and control groups. Further investigation revealed that DAT disrupted the mRNA expression of key enzymes involved in JH and ecdysone pathways. While increased mRNA levels of juvenile hormone acid O-methyltransferase (JHMAT) and Kruppel homologue 1 (Kr-h1) were observed after 4 and 7 h of DAT fumigation, the levels of juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) were substantially reduced 3 h post-fumigation. mRNA levels of the ecdysone-responsive gene, FTZF1, and cytochrome P450 enzyme, CYP315A1, were notably decreased at 7 h and 4 h, respectively, post-fumigation, whereas CYP314A1 and CYP302A1 mRNA levels decreased after 3 h and 4 h, respectively. While DAT fumigation disrupted sperm number in the testis, ejaculatory ducts, and seminal vesicles, topical application of the 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) analogue also lowered sperm number in the ejaculatory ducts. Topical application of methoprene, a JH analogue, increased the protein content in the testes, but not in the accessory glands or ejaculatory ducts. However, the survival rate was not affected by the topical application of methoprene or 20E. These data suggest that DAT regulates JH and ecdysone via its molecular pathway genes and modulates endocrine secretion during the male reproductive process.
Topics: Male; Animals; Ecdysone; Methoprene; Seeds; Juvenile Hormones; Garlic
PubMed: 36403303
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114304 -
Cells Jan 2023NUMB, a plasma membrane-associated protein originally described in , is involved in determining cell function and fate during early stages of development. It is secreted... (Review)
Review
NUMB, a plasma membrane-associated protein originally described in , is involved in determining cell function and fate during early stages of development. It is secreted asymmetrically in dividing cells, with one daughter cell inheriting NUMB and the other inheriting its antagonist, NOTCH. NUMB has been proposed as a polarizing agent and has multiple functions, including endocytosis and serving as an adaptor in various cellular pathways such as NOTCH, Hedgehog, and the P53-MDM2 axis. Due to its role in maintaining cellular homeostasis, it has been suggested that NUMB may be involved in various human pathologies such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Further research on NUMB could aid in understanding disease mechanisms and advancing the field of personalized medicine and the development of new therapies.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Drosophila Proteins; Receptors, Notch; Drosophila; Membrane Proteins; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Juvenile Hormones
PubMed: 36672267
DOI: 10.3390/cells12020333