Yang, Y Zhao, X Niu, N Zhao, Y Liu, W Moussian, B Zhang, J
Published in
Insect molecular biology
Lipids of the insect cuticle have important roles in resistance against the arid environment and invasion of foreign substances. Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is an important enzyme of the insect lipid synthesis pathway. In the present study, we identified three FAS genes from transcriptome data of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, based on bio...
Zheng, X L
Published in
Insect molecular biology
Mosquitoes are major vectors of many infectious pathogens or parasites. Understanding cryptic species and the speciation of disease vectors has important implications for vector management, evolution and host-pathogen and/or host-parasite interactions. Currently, mosquito cryptic species have been reported in many studies, most of which focus on th...
Xu, P Ze, L-J Kang, W-N Wu, J-J Jin, L Anjum, A A Li, G-Q
Published in
Insect molecular biology
Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata is a serious pest of Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae in many Asian countries. RNA interference (RNAi) can effectively reduce transcript abundance in this beetle, offering opportunities to explore the biological function of specific genes. The white gene encodes a half-type ATP-binding cassette transporter that plays ...
Hasegawa, D K Zhang, P Turnbull, M W
Published in
Insect molecular biology
Polydnaviruses associated with ichneumonid parasitoid wasps (Ichnoviruses) encode large numbers of genes, often in multigene families. The Ichnovirus Vinnexin gene family, which is expressed in parasitized lepidopteran larvae, encodes homologues of Innexins, the structural components of insect gap junctions. Here, we have examined intracellular beh...
Tang, X Liu, H Shi, Z Chen, Q Kang, X Wang, Y Zhao, P
Published in
Insect molecular biology
The silkworm is an economically important insect producing plentiful silk fibre in the silk gland. In this study, we reported a cross-talk between the fat body, silk gland and midgut through a glycine-serine biosynthetic pathway in the silkworm. Amino acid sequence and functional domains of glycine transporter gene BmGT1-L were mapped. Our results ...
Yamamoto, K Yamaguchi, M Endo, S
Published in
Insect molecular biology
We describe a new member of the aldo-keto reductase (AKR) superfamily in the silkworm Bombyx mori. On the basis of its amino acid sequence and phylogenetic tree, this AKR belongs to the AKR1B family and has been designated as bmALD1. In the current study, recombinant bmALD1 was overexpressed, purified to homogeneity and kinetically characterized. W...
Lizana, P Machuca, J Larama, G Quiroz, A Mutis, A Venthur, H
Published in
Insect molecular biology
In moths, sex pheromones play a key role in mate finding. These chemicals are transported in the antennae by odorant-binding proteins (OBPs). Commonly, males encounter conspecific females; therefore, several OBPs are male-biased. Less is known, however, about how the olfactory system of moths has evolved toward inverse sexual communication, ie wher...
Tang, Y He, H Qu, X Cai, Y Ding, W Qiu, L Li, Y
Published in
Insect molecular biology
Vitellogenesis in holometabolous insects involves the production and secretion of vitellogenin (Vg) and other yolk protein precursors in developing oocyte by the fat body, all of which is predominantly orchestrated by juvenile hormone (JH). Krüppel homologue 1 (Kr-h1) is a zinc finger transcription factor that has been demonstrated to be a JH-early...
Bing, X-L Lu, Y-J Xia, C-B Xia, X Hong, X-Y
Published in
Insect molecular biology
The endosymbiont Wolbachia is known for manipulating host reproduction in selfish ways. However, the molecular mechanisms have not yet been investigated in embryos. Here, we found that Wolbachia had no effect on the number of deposited eggs in Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) but caused two types of reproductive manipulation: killing...
Long, W Wu, J Shen, G Zhang, H Liu, H Xu, Y Gu, J Jia, L Lin, Y Xia, Q
...
Published in
Insect molecular biology
Estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) play indispensable roles in development, energy metabolism, and cancers and are metabolic switches in Drosophila. However, the mechanism underlying their metabolic role is unknown in insects. This study analysed the expression profiles of Bombyx mori ERR (BmERR), hexokinase (BmHK), pyruvate kinase (BmPK) and phosph...