• Issue

    Insect Molecular Biology: Volume 32, Issue 4

    E1-E3, 329-459
    August 2023

Issue Information

Free Access

Issue Information

  • Pages: E1-E3
  • First Published: 04 July 2023

Original Articles

Open Access

Function and evolution of the aquaporin IsAQP1 in the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis

  • Pages: 329-339
  • First Published: 21 January 2023
Function and evolution of the aquaporin IsAQP1 in the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis Issue 4, 2023

  • IsAQP1 , an aquaporin found in the black legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), is a functional water channel with low permeability to glycerol.

  • In a phylogenetic analysis of 176 sequences from 48 arachnid species, most tick and other arachnid AQP-like genes formed a monophyletic clade nested within aquaglyceroporins (GLPs).

  • IsAQP1 shows salivary-gland specific expression in adult females—with highest expression in unfed females—suggesting a role in water balance before or during blood feeding

Open Access

Silencing of the immune gene BmPGRP-L4 in the midgut affects the growth of silkworm (Bombyx mori) larvae

  • Pages: 340-351
  • First Published: 27 January 2023
Silencing of the immune gene BmPGRP-L4 in the midgut affects the growth of silkworm (Bombyx mori) larvae Issue 4, 2023

  • Predominant expression of BmPGRP-L4 in the midgut of the 5th instar silkworm larvae.
  • Up-regulation of BmPGRP-L4 to bacterial infection in vivo or PGN ex vivo and in vitro.
  • RNAi-mediated knock-down of BmPGRP-L4 reduced the weight and growth of the silkworm larvae.

Circadian clock regulates developmental time through ecdysone and juvenile hormones in Bombyx mori

  • Pages: 352-362
  • First Published: 23 February 2023
Circadian clock regulates developmental time through ecdysone and juvenile hormones in Bombyx mori Issue 4, 2023

  • Cry1 knockout mutant exhibited an arrhythmic hatching behaviour.
  • Deletion of the clock gene Cry1 delays the developmental time of silkworm.
  • The dysfunctional molecular clock of silkworms disrupts the ecdysone and JH biosynthesis.

Open Access

Development of transgenic corn planthopper Peregrinus maidis that express the tetracycline transactivator

  • Pages: 363-375
  • First Published: 24 February 2023
Development of transgenic corn planthopper Peregrinus maidis that express the tetracycline transactivator Issue 4, 2023

  • The promoters from the Peregrinus maidis ubiquitin-like and profilin genes were isolated, shown to be active using transient expression assays and used to drive expression of fluorescent protein genes.
  • Transgenic lines that express the tetracycline transactivator or tTA were made using piggyBac vectors. This is the first report of a transgenic Hemiptera.
  • The lines were fully viable when reared on diet without doxycycline and did not show the expected overexpression of tTA.

Nilaparvata lugens ERR2 regulates moulting and ovary development is related to hormone signalling

  • Pages: 376-386
  • First Published: 02 March 2023
Nilaparvata lugens ERR2 regulates moulting and ovary development is related to hormone signalling Issue 4, 2023

  • 20E and JHIII affect the expression of NlERR2
  • NlERR2 regulates the expression of hormone related genes
  • NlERR2 affects moulting and ovarian development

Open Access

Evolution of mitogenomic gene order in Orthoptera

  • Pages: 387-399
  • First Published: 08 March 2023
Evolution of mitogenomic gene order in Orthoptera Issue 4, 2023

  • Collection and alignment of mitochondrial genome data from NCBI database
  • Reconstruction of the phylogeny and mapping of mitochondrial gene order rearrangements on the tree
  • Little phylogenetic signal, most rearrangements at the level of species

Open Access

Analyses of ecdysteroid transporters in the fat body of Tribolium castaneum

  • Pages: 400-411
  • First Published: 09 March 2023
Analyses of ecdysteroid transporters in the fat body of Tribolium castaneum Issue 4, 2023

  • We analysed two ABCG-transporters and one organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) in Tribolium castaneum.
  • Mutual RNAi effects observed for the tested ABCG and OATP genes indicate interdependent gene regulation.
  • We provide RNAi and mass-spectrometric data suggesting that these proteins are involved in ecdysteroid transport in the fat body.

Open Access

Structural and functional insights into the ATP-binding cassette transporter family in the corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis

  • Pages: 412-423
  • First Published: 13 March 2023
Structural and functional insights into the ATP-binding cassette transporter family in the corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis Issue 4, 2023

  • Combined P. maidis de novo transcriptome yielded 23,707 unique transcripts.
  • Forty-six members of the ABC transporter family were identified within the combined transcriptome.
  • RNAi revealed that PmABCB_160306_3, PmABCE_118332_5 and PmABCF_24241_1 could be good targets for RNAi-based control.

Gene expression profiles of chemosensory genes of termite soldier and worker antennae

  • Pages: 424-435
  • First Published: 05 April 2023
Gene expression profiles of chemosensory genes of termite soldier and worker antennae Issue 4, 2023

  • Genome-wide comparative transcriptome analysis of Reticulitermes speratus worker and soldier antennal tissues clarified that there were three non-receptor genes with significantly high expression levels in soldier antennae.
  • Independent quantitative PCR analysis showed that the expression patterns of three non-receptor genes in the soldier and worker antennae were changed in the different social contexts (different soldier ratios).
  • These chemoreception genes may be involved in soldier-specific defensive roles, but may also have other roles in social organization such as nestmate recognition and division of labour.

Open Access

Association of endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation (ERAD) with the transmission of Liberibacter solanacearum by its psyllid vector

  • Pages: 436-449
  • First Published: 15 April 2023
Association of endoplasmic reticulum associated degradation (ERAD) with the transmission of Liberibacter solanacearum by its psyllid vector Issue 4, 2023

  • Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) associated degradation (ERAD) on the ER-cytosol interface and the involvement of derlin-1 in ERAD and its interaction with CLso.
  • Derlin-1 and CLso co-localize in a stripe-like pattern in the psyllid midgut.
  • Inhibiting ERAD with Eer I or silencing derlin-1 with double stranded RNA (dsRNA) significantly interferes with CLso transmission and its col-localization with derlin-1.

Acetylcholine titre regulation by non-neuronal acetylcholinesterase 1 and its putative roles in honey bee physiology

  • Pages: 450-459
  • First Published: 02 May 2023
Acetylcholine titre regulation by non-neuronal acetylcholinesterase 1 and its putative roles in honey bee physiology Issue 4, 2023

  • Honey bee acetylcholinesterase 1 (AmAChE1) modulates the acetylcholine (ACh) titre of honey bees.
  • Unlike AmAChE2, which is solely distributed in neuronal tissues, AmAChE1 is present in both neuronal and non-neuronal tissues.
  • The regulation of ACh levels via the expression of AmAChE1 is associated with protein biosynthesis and energy metabolism in the head of honey bees.