Harnessing Insect Chemosensory and Mechanosensory Receptors Involved in Feeding for Precision Pest Management

Life, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(1), P. 110 - 110

Published: Jan. 16, 2025

Chemosensation and mechanosensation are vital to insects’ survival behavior, shaping critical physiological processes such as feeding, metabolism, mating, reproduction. During insects rely on diverse chemosensory mechanosensory receptors distinguish between nutritious harmful substances, enabling them select suitable food sources while avoiding toxins. These distributed across various body parts, allowing detect environmental cues about quality adjust their behaviors accordingly. A deeper understanding of insect sensory physiology, especially during not only enhances our knowledge biology but also offers significant opportunities for practical applications. This review highlights recent advancements in research feeding-related receptors, covering a wide range species, from the model organism Drosophila melanogaster agricultural human pests. Additionally, this examines potential targeting precision pest control. Disrupting feeding reproduction emerges promising strategy management. By interfering with these essential behaviors, we can effectively control populations minimizing impacts promoting ecological balance.

Language: Английский

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Insect hosts are nutritional landscapes navigated by fungal pathogens

Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 106(2)

Published: Feb. 1, 2025

Nutrition can mediate host-pathogen interactions indirectly when specific deficiencies (e.g., iron or glutamine) constrain host immune performance. also directly govern these as invading pathogens colonize finite landscapes of nutritionally variable tissues that must be optimally foraged during pathogen development. We first used a conceptual framework nutritional niches to show insect-pathogenic Metarhizium fungi navigate where different vary widely in (protein [P] and carbohydrates [C]). next tested whether host-specific species have narrower fundamental (FNNs) than host-generalists by measuring performance across an vitro landscape simulating within-host foraging environment. then how developing liquid-media approach track intake P C over time. Host-specificity did not FNN dimensions, the three species: (1) grew maximally treatments assuming was present above lower threshold, (2) similarly initiated dispersal behaviors sporulated either became depleted. However, specialist generalist navigated differently. The (M. acridum) prioritized intake, but generalists anisopliae, M. robertsii) according their availability. numbers known hosts may insufficient delimit specialists diverse do necessarily comprise landscapes. Instead, responses niche breadth are likely co-equal evolutionary drivers specificity.

Language: Английский

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Heritable viral symbionts in the family Iflaviridae are widespread among aphids

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 6, 2025

A bstract Heritable microbes shape host phenotypes and are important drivers of evolution. While interactions between insects bacterial symbionts have been extensively studied, the prevalence consequences insect-viral symbiosis an open question. We show that viral in family Iflaviridae widespread among aphids, model for research on symbiosis. discovered multiple new species iflaviruses maintained asexual lines without apparent fitness costs transmitted vertically from mothers to offspring. Using field data phylogenetic evidence, we further aphid likely move horizontally across species, but through laboratory experiments, demonstrated horizontal transfer infesting same plants does not persist throughout clonal lineages. quantitative PCR immunohistochemistry, infections localize fat bodies developing embryos. Surprisingly, also found inside bacteria-housing cells called bacteriocytes, with a positive correlation symbiont density, indicating mechanism vertical transmission. Together, our work suggests previously unrecognized piece sets stage use this answer questions about host-microbe associations. I mportance In recent years, rise metatranscriptome sequencing has led rapid discovery novel sequences insects. However, few studies carefully investigated dynamics insect-virus produce general understanding Aphids significant agricultural pest evolution molecular basis heritable part microbiome, alongside bacteria offspring, potentially via specialized bacteriocytes house symbiotic microbes. Our findings implications furthering insect-microbe potential biocontrol agriculturally relevant species.

Language: Английский

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High Quality Diet Enhances Immune Response and Affects Gene Expression During Viral Infection in an Insect Herbivore

Molecular Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 26, 2025

Herbivorous insects tolerate chemical and metabolic variation in their host plant diet by modulating physiological traits. Insect immune response is one such trait that plays a crucial role maintaining fitness but can be heavily influenced quality. An important question how the use of different plants affects ability herbivorous to resist viral pathogens. Furthermore, transcriptional changes associated with this interaction pathogens remain understudied. The Melissa blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa) has colonised exotic legume Medicago sativa as larval within past 200 years. We used system study interplay between effects infection on responses global gene expression. measured strength Junonia coenia densovirus (JcDV) two ways: (1) direct measurement phenoloxidase activity melanisation, (2) sequencing individuals exposed treatments. Our results demonstrate caused total (total PO) increase interactively affected PO for infected larvae, was significantly higher larvae consuming native plant. Additionally, L. melissa differentially expressed several hundred genes treatment, minimal expression infection. Not only genes, detoxification, transporter, oxidase were These insects, consumption novel alter both relevant infection, emphasising importance considering detoxification mechanisms into models evolution range insects.

Language: Английский

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Links between nutrition, immunity and infection

Elsevier eBooks, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Timing of starvation determines its effects on susceptibility to bacterial infection in female fruit flies independent of host evolutionary history

Journal of Insect Physiology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 104794 - 104794

Published: March 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Insect hosts are nutritional landscapes navigated by fungal pathogens

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 4, 2024

ABSTRACT Nutrition can mediate host-pathogen interactions indirectly when specific deficiencies (e.g. iron or glutamine) constrain host immune performance. also directly govern these since invading pathogens colonize finite landscapes of nutritionally variable tissues that must be optimally foraged during pathogen development. We first used a conceptual framework nutritional niches to show insect-pathogenic Metarhizium fungi navigate where different vary widely in (protein (P) and carbohydrates (C)). next tested whether host-specific species have narrower fundamental (FNN) than host-generalists by measuring performance across an vitro landscape simulating within-host foraging environment. then how developing liquid-media approach track intake P C over time. Host-specificity did not FNN dimensions as three species: 1) grew maximally treatments assuming was present above lower threshold, 2) similarly initiated dispersal behaviors sporulated either became depleted. However, specialist generalist navigated differently. The ( M. acridum ) prioritized intake, but generalists anisopliae , robertsii according their availability. Numbers known hosts may insufficient delimit specialists diverse do necessarily comprise landscapes. Instead, responses niche breadth are likely co-equal evolutionary drivers specificity.

Language: Английский

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Combiningin vivoandin vitroapproaches to better understand host-pathogen interactions

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 22, 2024

ABSTRACT Nutrition often shapes the outcome of host-parasite interactions, however understanding mechanisms by which this occurs is confounded intimate nature association and fact that host parasite may compete for same limiting nutrients. One way disentangling interaction to combine in vivo vitro approaches. Here, we explore role nutrition determining infections using a model insect-bacterium system: cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis blood-borne bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila . larvae were reared on one series 20 chemically-defined diets ranging their protein: carbohydrate (P:C) ratio caloric density. They then challenged with either fixed dose X. cells (live or dead) sham-injected. Survivorship live bacterial was strongly dependent protein levels diet, mortality being highest low-protein diets. This trend reflected growth rate , peaked fed To determine whether rates driven blood nutrients, rather than an enhanced immune response, generated synthetic haemolymphs (‘nutribloods’) mimicked nutritional content blood. Bacterial nutribloods also negatively impacted suggesting nutrient availability not immunity driving interaction. By comparing standardized conclude largely ‘bottom-up’ effects nutrients growth, ‘top-down’ host-mediated responses. The interactions typically assumed be determined response. direct have been underexplored broad consequences across taxa.

Language: Английский

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Ecological immunology: do sexual attraction and immunity trade‐off through a desaturase?

Insect Science, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: May 20, 2024

Given the limited availability of resources in nature, sexual attractiveness may trade off with immunocompetence, as immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH) posits. In invertebrates, a direct link between trade-offs through hormonal/molecular effectors signals and immunity has not been found so far. Here, we assessed how variation affected parasite infection two sex pheromone selected lines moth Chloridea virescens: an attractive line low ratio 16:Ald/Z11-16:Ald unattractive high ratio. When infecting these apicomplexan parasite, that Low was significantly more susceptible to than High line. Since difference is determined by delta-11-desturase, hypothesized this desaturase have dual role, i.e., quality signal well involvement immune response, comparable testosterone vertebrates. However, when used CRISPR/cas9 knockout delta-11-desturase line, pheromonal phenotype did change but susceptibility not. Notably, checking genomic location delta-11-desaturase C. virescens, mucin adjacent delta-11-desaturase. comparing sequences both lines, four nonsynonymous SNPs coding sequence, intronic lines. These differences suggest genetic hitchhiking explain parasitic infection.

Language: Английский

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High quality diet enhances immune response during viral infection in an insect herbivore.

Authorea (Authorea), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 11, 2024

Insect immune response plays a crucial role in how external threats influence overall fitness through life history traits. An understudied question is the use of different host plants might affect ability herbivorous insects to resist viral pathogens. The Melissa blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa) has colonized exotic legume Medicago sativa as larval within past 200 years. Here we investigate novel plant affects L. melissa when infected with lepidopteran virus, Junonia coenia densovirus (JcDV). We measured strength JcDV two ways: 1) direct measurement phenoloxidase activity and melanization, 2) transcriptional sequencing individuals exposed treatments. Viral infection caused total (total PO) increase. detected an interaction between for PO: control larvae, had no effect on PO, whereas PO was significantly higher larvae consuming native host. Within treatment, few genes were differentially regulated due infection. Approximately times more eating or host, differential expression putative genes. These results demonstrate that consumption can alter both physiological responses infection, emphasizing importance understanding diet studying molecular basis function.

Language: Английский

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