Insect Transcriptomics

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Molecular Biology and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 999

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Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
Interests: insect molecular biology; insect genomics; invasive species; genetic characterization of mass-reared insect colonies; forensic DNA analysis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of the transcriptome as a research tool has dramatically changed how we approach genetic studies of insect species. A transcriptome may be generated de novo from any species of interest, thereby granting much greater freedom in choosing interesting insect species to characterize. The transcriptome represents only the set of gene products that are expressed at specific times and/or in specific tissues in individuals of a species, and this brings the advantage of being a genome-level study that generates a dataset considerably smaller and more manageable than a complete genome characterization. However, it may also mean that multiple transcriptomes may need to be generated to obtain a complete picture of the genetic composition of a species. Nevertheless, the relative ease with which transcriptomes can be generated and characterized today has revealed fascinating insights into the great diversity of species found in the world of insects. This Special Issue on Insect Transcriptomics will afford researchers an opportunity to publish the most current research on a wide range of topics.

Prof. Dr. David S. Haymer
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • gene expression
  • regulation of gene expression
  • development
  • temporal patterns of expression
  • tissue-specific patterns of expression
  • genome characterization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 4119 KiB  
Article
Insights into Lead Toxicity and Detoxification Mechanisms in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori
by Dan-Dan Bian, Yan-Xia Shi, Kai-Wen Shi, Hui-Cong Du, Bo-Ping Tang and Qiu-Ning Liu
Insects 2025, 16(7), 699; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16070699 - 7 Jul 2025
Viewed by 287
Abstract
Bombyx mori, a key lepidopteran model with economic importance, is highly susceptible to environmental heavy metal pollution. This study investigated the mechanisms of Pb toxicity and the associated detoxification and metabolic defense responses in silkworms, employing transcriptome sequencing, enzyme activity assays, and [...] Read more.
Bombyx mori, a key lepidopteran model with economic importance, is highly susceptible to environmental heavy metal pollution. This study investigated the mechanisms of Pb toxicity and the associated detoxification and metabolic defense responses in silkworms, employing transcriptome sequencing, enzyme activity assays, and histopathological analysis. Pb exposure caused significant histopathological changes and apoptosis in the fat body, marked by structural disorganization, swollen adipocytes, and degraded extracellular matrix. Molecular analysis showed activation of antioxidant defenses, with superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities significantly elevated (p < 0.05), while peroxidase (POD) activity declined (p < 0.05). Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) also decreased. In detoxification responses, carboxylesterase (CarE) activity was reduced, whereas cytochrome P450 (P450) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities increased (p < 0.05). Transcriptome sequencing revealed 1,418 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with notable upregulation of key detoxification genes (p < 0.05), including six cytochrome P450s (CYPs), five uridine diphosphate-glycosyltransferases (UGTs), three glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), and six ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABCs). KEGG enrichment analysis highlighted the involvement of these DEGs in drug metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and ABC transporter pathways (p < 0.05). Functional validation showed that knocking down Cap ‘n’ Collar C (CncC) significantly suppressed key detoxification genes (CYP18A1, CYP332A1, GSTd3, GSTt1, UGT33D8; p < 0.05). qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses confirmed that the Caspase-3 pathway mediates Pb-induced apoptosis, with increased cleaved Caspase-3 and Caspase-4 levels following CncC silencing. Overall, our findings elucidate the mechanisms of Pb toxicity in silkworms and identify CncC as a critical regulator of detoxification and defense against heavy metal stress in lepidopteran insects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Transcriptomics)
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16 pages, 7509 KiB  
Article
Transcriptomic Analysis of Venom Secretion in Achelura yunnanensis: Lipid Metabolism, Redox Reactions, and Structural Adaptations
by Ping Liu, Hui-Qin Zhu, Si-Ming Wang, Yu-Qian Wang, Zhen-Yuan Ruan, Lu Qiao, Xing-Xing Wu, Qing-Hua Yan, Ya-Ping Lu, Bing Bai and Wei-Feng Ding
Insects 2025, 16(6), 588; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16060588 - 3 Jun 2025
Viewed by 476
Abstract
As a key pest damaging urban greenery in Yunnan, China, Achelura yunnanensis larvae secrete venom for defense, yet the molecular basis of this process remains poorly understood. This study aimed to uncover the molecular mechanisms of venom secretion by comparing the dorsal epidermis [...] Read more.
As a key pest damaging urban greenery in Yunnan, China, Achelura yunnanensis larvae secrete venom for defense, yet the molecular basis of this process remains poorly understood. This study aimed to uncover the molecular mechanisms of venom secretion by comparing the dorsal epidermis tissue (LDET) with the larval proleg tissue (LP). We performed transcriptomic analysis using RNA sequencing to identify differentially expressed genes between LDET and LP (10 biological replicates per tissue type), followed by functional enrichment and gene expression correlation analyses to explore tissue-specific characteristics. LDET exhibited significant upregulation of pathways related to lipid metabolism, redox reactions, and surface protective structure formation, suggesting their roles in venom stabilization, activation, and safe secretion. Conversely, genes linked to non-venom-related functions, such as extracellular matrix organization and epidermal development, were downregulated in LDET, indicating resource reallocation toward venom production. These findings reveal a multi-component mechanism in LDET that supports venom secretion through metabolic and structural adaptations, with lipid metabolism genes constituting 18.3% of total differentially expressed genes, highlighting evolutionary trade-offs in insect defense. This study provides new insights into insect venom secretion and offers potential targets for pest control strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Transcriptomics)
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