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Insects
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Insect Molecular Biology
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Insect Molecular Biology

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2020) | Viewed by 18412

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giovanni Cilia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CREA Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Via di Saliceto 80, 40128 Bologna, Italy
Interests: honey bee; small hive beetle; invasive pest; trypanosomatids; honey bee virus; deformed wing virus; kashmir bee virus; replicative virus; strand-specific rt-pcr
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Filippo Marzoli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Experimental Zooprofhylactic Institute of Venice, Legnaro, PD, Italy
Interests: molecular biology; antimicrobials; microbiology; food safety

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Molecular biology approaches applied to entomology are essential to understand a lot of insect behavioral mechanisms. Thanks to developed molecular biology’s techniques, information about the gene structure, control of gene expression, localization, and function/activity of proteins, their interactions, ligands/substrates, and the effect of mutations on gene/protein function have been studied to clarify evolution, ecology, genetic populations, physiology, reproduction, communication and interaction, and signal transmission in insect populations. Further, the studies of interaction, co-evolution, and spill-over of pathogen agents (bacteria, viruses, protozoa, microsporidia, fungi, etc.) have been made easier with molecular biology approaches.

This Special Issue welcomes research with molecular biology approaches in various topics of insect study fields. Short experimental reports, and original research articles, as well as review papers, based on insect behavior, physiology, genomics and metagenomics, proteomics or which utilize both basic and advanced molecular biology approach are welcome and will be taken into consideration for publication in this Special Issue.

Dr. Giovanni Cilia
Dr. Filippo Marzoli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • molecular biology
  • physiology
  • genetics
  • biochemistry
  • insects
  • proteomics
  • genomics

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4716 KiB  
Article
Knockdown of the Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase Gene Using RNA Interference Inhibits Synthesis of Trehalose and Increases Lethality Rate in Asian Citrus Psyllid, Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Psyllidae)
by Xinyu Liu, Zhiwen Zou, Cong Zhang, Xian Liu, Jing Wang, Tianrong Xin and Bin Xia
Insects 2020, 11(9), 605; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11090605 - 6 Sep 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3460
Abstract
Diaphorina citri Kuwayama is the vector of citrus “huanglongbing”, a citrus disease which poses a significant threat to the global citrus industry. Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) plays an important role in the regulation of trehalose levels of insects, while its functions in D. citri [...] Read more.
Diaphorina citri Kuwayama is the vector of citrus “huanglongbing”, a citrus disease which poses a significant threat to the global citrus industry. Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) plays an important role in the regulation of trehalose levels of insects, while its functions in D. citri are unclear. In this study, full-length cDNA sequences of the TPS gene from D. citri (DcTPS) were cloned and its expression patterns at various developmental stages were investigated. The results indicated that DcTPS mRNA was expressed at each developmental stage and the highest DcTPS expression was found in the fifth-instar nymphs of D. citri. Additionally, mortality and deformity of D. citri were observed after 24 and 48 h by feeding with three different dsRNA concentrations (20, 100 and 500 ng/μL). The results indicated that DcTPS expression was declined, and mortality and malformation in nymphs were increased via feeding with dsDcTPS. Moreover, the enzyme and trehalose content were decreased, while the content of glucose was significantly higher than that of untreated (control) individuals. This suggests that DcTPS might be vital for the growth and development of D. citri and further studies of the genes should be related to molting and metabolism for controlling D. citri. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Molecular Biology)
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16 pages, 5512 KiB  
Article
Expressional Localization and Functionally Identifying an RNA Editing Enzyme BmADARa of the Silkworm Bombyx mori
by Chongjun Ye, Song Jiang, Meixia Gong, Qin Min, Manli Fan, Junshan Gao and Yan Meng
Insects 2020, 11(8), 523; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11080523 - 12 Aug 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2918
Abstract
The most common type of RNA editing in metazoans is the deamination of adenosine into inosine (A-to-I) catalyzed by the adenosine deaminase acting on the RNA (ADAR) family of proteins. The deletion or dysfunction of ADAR enzymes in higher eukaryotes can affect the [...] Read more.
The most common type of RNA editing in metazoans is the deamination of adenosine into inosine (A-to-I) catalyzed by the adenosine deaminase acting on the RNA (ADAR) family of proteins. The deletion or dysfunction of ADAR enzymes in higher eukaryotes can affect the efficiency of substrate editing and cause neurological disorders. However, the information concerning A-to-I RNA editing and ADAR members in the silkworm, Bombyx mori (BmADAR), is limited. In this study, a first molecular comprehensive cloning and sequence analysis of BmADAR transcripts was presented. A complete open reading frame (ORF) (BmADARa) was obtained using RT-PCR and RACE and its expression pattern, subcellular localization and A-to-I RNA-editing function on the silkworm synaptotagmin I (BmSyt I) were investigated. Subcellular localization analysis observed that BmADARa was mainly localized in the nucleus. To further study the A-to-I RNA-editing function of BmADARa, BmSyt I-pIZ-EGFP was constructed and co-transfected with BmADARa-pIZ-EGFP into BmN cells. The result demonstrates that BmADARa can functionally edit the specific site of BmSyt I. Taken together, this study not only provides insight into the function of the first ADAR enzyme in B. mori, but also lays foundations for further exploration of the functional domain of BmADARa and its editing substrates and target sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Molecular Biology)
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17 pages, 1706 KiB  
Article
Identification and Expression of Inward-Rectifying Potassium Channel Subunits in Plutella xylostella
by Xiaoyi Lai, Jie Xu, Haihao Ma, Zheming Liu, Wei Zheng, Jia Liu, Hang Zhu, Yong Zhou and Xiaomao Zhou
Insects 2020, 11(8), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11080461 - 22 Jul 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2949
Abstract
In insects, inward-rectifying potassium (Kir) channels regulate vital physiological functions, such as feeding behavior, silk secretion, renal excretion, and immune function. Therefore, they offer promising potential as targets for insecticides. Three types of Kir subunits have been identified in Diptera and Hemiptera, but [...] Read more.
In insects, inward-rectifying potassium (Kir) channels regulate vital physiological functions, such as feeding behavior, silk secretion, renal excretion, and immune function. Therefore, they offer promising potential as targets for insecticides. Three types of Kir subunits have been identified in Diptera and Hemiptera, but the Kir subunits of Lepidoptera still remain unclear. This study identified five Kir subunit genes (pxkir1, pxkir2, pxkir3A, pxkir3B, and pxkir4) in the transcriptome of Plutella xylostella. Phylogenetic analysis identified pxkir1, pxkir2, pxkir3A, and pxkir3B as orthologous genes of kir1–3 in other insects. Interestingly, pxkir4 may be encoding a new class of Kir subunit in Lepidoptera that has not been reported to date. To identify further Kir channel subunits of P. xylostella, the gene expression profiles of five pxkir genes were studied by quantitative real-time PCR. These pxkir genes are expressed throughout the development of P. xylostella. pxkir1 and pxkir2 were highly expressed in thoraxes and legs, while pxkir3 (3A and 3B) and pxkir4 had high expression levels in the midgut and Malpighian tubules. This study identified the composition and distribution of Kir subunits in P. xylostella for the first time, and provides useful information for the further study of Kir channel subunits in Lepidoptera. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Molecular Biology)
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11 pages, 2880 KiB  
Article
Reference Gene Selection for Expression Analyses by qRT-PCR in Dendroctonus valens
by Chunchun Zheng, Dongfang Zhao, Yabei Xu, Fengming Shi, Shixiang Zong and Jing Tao
Insects 2020, 11(6), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11060328 - 27 May 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3629
Abstract
Dendroctonus valens is the main pest of the genus Pinus. To facilitate gene expression analyses, suitable reference genes for adults and mature larvae of D. valens under different temperature conditions were determined. In particular, we obtained the sequences of candidate reference genes, [...] Read more.
Dendroctonus valens is the main pest of the genus Pinus. To facilitate gene expression analyses, suitable reference genes for adults and mature larvae of D. valens under different temperature conditions were determined. In particular, we obtained the sequences of candidate reference genes, ACT, TUB, SHDA, PRS18, 18S rRNA, and CYP4G55, from transcriptome data. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to analyze gene expression, and geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper were used to evaluate expression stability. Under different temperature conditions, the expression levels of 18S rRNA, PRS18, and TUB were stable in adults, in which 18S rRNA > PRS18 > TUB. In mature larvae, the expression levels of TUB, 18S rRNA, and SDHA were stable, in which TUB > 18S rRNA > SDHA. The combination of 18S rRNA and PRS18 is recommended for studies of gene expression in adults and the combination of 18S rRNA and TUB is effective for studies of gene expression in mature larvae of D. valens under different temperature conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Molecular Biology)
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12 pages, 2781 KiB  
Article
Identification and Functional Analysis of Two Chitin Synthase Genes in the Common Cutworm, Spodoptera litura
by Hai-Zhong Yu, Ning-Yan Li, Yan-Xin Xie, Qin Zhang, Ying Wang and Zhan-Jun Lu
Insects 2020, 11(4), 253; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11040253 - 17 Apr 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3820
Abstract
Chitin is one the main components of the insect cuticle, and chitin synthase (CHS) is an important enzyme required for chitin formation. CHS has been characterized in various insect species, but the structure and biochemical properties in Spodoptera litura have not been determined. [...] Read more.
Chitin is one the main components of the insect cuticle, and chitin synthase (CHS) is an important enzyme required for chitin formation. CHS has been characterized in various insect species, but the structure and biochemical properties in Spodoptera litura have not been determined. In this study, we identified two CHS genes, SlCHS1 and SlCHS2, which encode proteins with 1565 and 1520 amino acid residues, respectively. Transcriptional analysis suggested that SlCHS1 has a high expression level in the integument whereas SlCHS2 showed the highest expression level in the midgut. During S. litura growth and development, SlCHS1 and SlCHS2 were both predominantly expressed in the fourth-instar larval stage. In addition, the expression of SlCHS1 and SlCHS2 could be induced by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). Silencing of SlCHS1 by RNA interference significantly inhibited the pupation and molting of S. litura larvae (RNAi), while knockdown of SlCHS2 had no significant effects on the S. litura phenotype. These results may provide a new molecular target for control of S. litura. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Molecular Biology)
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