label,species,text,pmid
1,50557,"Descending control of nociception in [START]insects[END]?
Modulation of nociception allows animals to optimize chances of survival by adapting their behaviour in different contexts. In mammals, this is executed by neurons from the brain and is referred to as the descending control of nociception. Whether [START]insects[END] have such control, or the neural circuits allowing it, has rarely been explored. Based on behavioural, neuroscientific and molecular evidence, we argue that [START]insects[END] probably have descending controls for nociception. Behavioural work shows that [START]insects[END] can modulate nocifensive behaviour. Such modulation is at least in part controlled by the central nervous system since the information mediating such prioritization is processed by the brain. Central nervous system control of nociception is further supported by neuroanatomical and neurobiological evidence showing that the [START]insect[END] brain can facilitate or suppress nocifensive behaviour, and by molecular studies revealing pathways involved in the inhibition of nocifensive behaviour both peripherally and centrally. [START]Insects[END] lack the endogenous opioid peptides and their receptors that contribute to mammalian descending nociception controls, so we discuss likely alternative molecular mechanisms for the [START]insect[END] descending nociception controls. We discuss what the existence of descending control of nociception in [START]insects[END] may reveal about pain perception in [START]insects[END] and finally consider the ethical implications of these novel findings.
",35858073
1,85823,"Involvement of the opioid system in the hypokinetic state induced in [START]cockroaches[END] by a parasitoid wasp.
The parasitoid wasp Ampulex compressa stings and injects venom into the [START]cockroach[END] brain to induce a long-lasting hypokinetic state. This state is characterized by decreased responsiveness to aversive stimuli, suggesting the manipulation of a neuromodulatory system in the [START]cockroach[END]'s central nervous system. A likely candidate is the opioid system, which is known to affect responsiveness to stimuli in insects. To explore this possibility, we injected [START]cockroaches[END] with different opioid receptor agonists or antagonists before they were stung by a wasp and tested the escape behavior of these [START]cockroaches[END] to electric foot shocks. Antagonists significantly decreased the startle threshold in stung individuals, whereas agonists led to an increased startle threshold in controls. Yet, neither agonists nor antagonists had any effect on grooming. To further characterize the interaction between the venom and opioid receptors, we used an antenna-heart preparation. In un-stung individuals external application of crude venom completely inhibits antenna-heart contractions. In stung individuals the antenna-heart showed no contractions. Although acetylcholine restored contractions, the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone was unable to antagonize the venom inhibition. These results suggest that the venom of A. compressa might contribute to the manipulation of [START]cockroach[END] behavior by affecting the opioid system.
",21107581
1,85823,"Molecular cross-talk in a unique parasitoid manipulation strategy.
Envenomation of [START]cockroach[END] cerebral ganglia by the parasitoid Jewel wasp, Ampulex compressa, induces specific, long-lasting behavioural changes. We hypothesized that this prolonged action results from venom-induced changes in brain neurochemistry. Here, we address this issue by first identifying molecular targets of the venom, i.e., proteins to which venom components bind and interact with to mediate altered behaviour. Our results show that venom components bind to synaptic proteins and likely interfere with both pre- and postsynaptic processes. Since behavioural changes induced by the sting are long-lasting and reversible, we hypothesized further that long-term effects of the venom must be mediated by up or down regulation of cerebral ganglia proteins. We therefore characterize changes in cerebral ganglia protein abundance of stung [START]cockroaches[END] at different time points after the sting by quantitative mass spectrometry. Our findings indicate that numerous proteins are differentially expressed in cerebral ganglia of stung [START]cockroaches[END], many of which are involved in signal transduction, such as the Rho GTPase pathway, which is implicated in synaptic plasticity. Altogether, our data suggest that the Jewel wasp commandeers [START]cockroach[END] behaviour through molecular cross-talk between venom components and molecular targets in the [START]cockroach[END] central nervous system, leading to broad-based alteration of synaptic efficacy and behavioural changes that promote successful development of wasp progeny.
",30508629
1,1767269,"Morphine analgesia, tolerance and addiction in the cricket [START]Pteronemobius sp.[END] (Orthoptera, Insecta).
The escape reaction time (ERT) of the cricket Pteronemobius sp. from the heated box begins at 48 degrees and increases with temperature until 56 degrees C, beyond which there is no further increase. The ERT (2.2 +/- 1.39 s) from the hot box at 54 degrees C is used as a model for studying the analgesic effects of opiates. Results of the present paper show that the ERT did not change after injecting the insect in the abdominal haemocoel with 0.9% saline solution, but ERT increased when 0.32, 0.52 or 0.69 mg/g of morphine is injected in the same place. The maximum ERT increase is reached at 90 min after drug injection, and the drug effect disappears 3 h after the injection. At 90 min after drug injections, the dose of 0.50 mg/g of morphine produces 50% of ERT increase, and it is referred to as the median analgesic dose (D50). 1.05 mg/g of morphine produces an ERT longer than 30 s that results in an irreversible damage to the insect. Sixty-four micrograms/g of naloxone given in addition to D50 of morphine fully blocked the effect of morphine during its 3-h action. However, more than 64 micrograms/g of naloxone alone also increase the ERT in the cricket, similar to what has been described for vertebrates. Four daily morphine injections of D50 decreased ERT in such a way that, at the fourth day, the ERT is similar to the ERT produced by saline solution; i.e., tolerance is shown. The suppression of daily morphine injections of D50 during the fifth day produced a hyperresponse to vibration (big jumps) not shown in the case of the injections of saline solution; i.e., addiction is shown.
",1816576
1,7227,"Leucokinin signaling regulates hunger-driven reduction of behavioral responses to noxious heat in [START]Drosophila[END].
In the fruitfly [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], hunger has a significant impact on its sensory systems and brain functions, and consequently modifies related behaviors. However, it remains unclarified whether hunger affects nociceptive behavioral responses to heat stimuli. In this study, we show that food deprivation reduces responses to noxious heat in wild-type flies. We further identified that the neuropeptide Leucokinin (Lk) and its receptor (Lkr) are essential for the reduction of responses to noxious heat. Temporal silencing of Lk-expressing neurons and a knockout mutation of Lkr generated using the CRISPR/Cas9 system inhibited the reduction of responses to noxious heat. Thus, our results reveal that hunger induces reduction of responses to noxious heat through the Lk/Lkr signaling pathway in [START]Drosophila[END].
",29559237
1,7227,"[START]Drosophila[END] model for in vivo pharmacological analgesia research.
[START]Fruit flies[END] ([START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]) are typically used for genetic studies but they also could be employed for neuropharmacological research. Therefore, we designed an apparatus and developed methods to investigate how injecting antinociceptive drugs, i.e., a gamma-aminobutyric acid B receptor agonist, to adult flies affects their avoidance of noxious heat stimuli. We found a drug-induced dose-dependent increased threshold for heat avoidance and we propose [START]Drosophila[END] as an ethically acceptable animal model for in vivo pharmacological analgesia research.
",15140638
1,7227,"Nerve injury drives a heightened state of vigilance and neuropathic sensitization in [START]Drosophila[END].
Injury can lead to devastating and often untreatable chronic pain. While acute pain perception (nociception) evolved more than 500 million years ago, virtually nothing is known about the molecular origin of chronic pain. Here we provide the first evidence that nerve injury leads to chronic neuropathic sensitization in insects. Mechanistically, peripheral nerve injury triggers a loss of central inhibition that drives escape circuit plasticity and neuropathic allodynia. At the molecular level, excitotoxic signaling within GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acid) neurons required the acetylcholine receptor nAChRalpha1 and led to caspase-dependent death of GABAergic neurons. Conversely, disruption of GABA signaling was sufficient to trigger allodynia without injury. Last, we identified the conserved transcription factor twist as a critical downstream regulator driving GABAergic cell death and neuropathic allodynia. Together, we define how injury leads to allodynia in insects, and describe a primordial precursor to neuropathic pain may have been advantageous, protecting animals after serious injury.
",31309148
1,7227,"Leucokinin and Associated Neuropeptides Regulate Multiple Aspects of Physiology and Behavior in [START]Drosophila[END].
Leucokinins (LKs) constitute a family of neuropeptides identified in numerous insects and many other invertebrates. LKs act on G-protein-coupled receptors that display only distant relations to other known receptors. In adult [START]Drosophila[END], 26 neurons/neurosecretory cells of three main types express LK. The four brain interneurons are of two types, and these are implicated in several important functions in the fly's behavior and physiology, including feeding, sleep-metabolism interactions, state-dependent memory formation, as well as modulation of gustatory sensitivity and nociception. The 22 neurosecretory cells (abdominal LK neurons, ABLKs) of the abdominal neuromeres co-express LK and a diuretic hormone (DH44), and together, these regulate water and ion homeostasis and associated stress as well as food intake. In [START]Drosophila[END] larvae, LK neurons modulate locomotion, escape responses and aspects of ecdysis behavior. A set of lateral neurosecretory cells, ALKs (anterior LK neurons), in the brain express LK in larvae, but inconsistently so in adults. These ALKs co-express three other neuropeptides and regulate water and ion homeostasis, feeding, and drinking, but the specific role of LK is not yet known. This review summarizes [START]Drosophila[END] data on embryonic lineages of LK neurons, functional roles of individual LK neuron types, interactions with other peptidergic systems, and orchestrating functions of LK.
",33669286
1,7227,"Allatostatin C modulates nociception and immunity in [START]Drosophila[END].
Bacterial induced inflammatory responses cause pain through direct activation of nociceptive neurons, and the ablation of these neurons leads to increased immune infiltration. In this study, we investigated nociceptive-immune interactions in [START]Drosophila[END] and the role these interactions play during pathogenic bacterial infection. After bacterial infection, we found robust upregulation of ligand-gated ion channels and allatostatin receptors involved in nociception, which potentially leads to hyperalgesia. We further found that Allatostatin-C Receptor 2 (AstC-R2) plays a crucial role in host survival during infection with the pathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens. Upon examination of immune signaling in AstC-R2 deficient mutants, we demonstrated that Allatostatin-C Receptor 2 specifically inhibits the Immune deficiency pathway, and knockdown of AstC-R2 leads to overproduction of antimicrobial peptides related to this pathway and decreased host survival. This study provides mechanistic insights into the importance of microbe-nociceptor interactions during bacterial challenge. We posit that Allatostatin C is an immunosuppressive substance released by nociceptors or [START]Drosophila[END] hemocytes that dampens IMD signaling in order to either prevent immunopathology or to reduce unnecessary metabolic cost after microbial stimulation. AstC-R2 also acts to dampen thermal nociception in the absence of infection, suggesting an intrinsic neuronal role in mediating these processes during homeostatic conditions. Further examination into the signaling mechanisms by which Allatostatin-C alters immunity and nociception in [START]Drosophila[END] may reveal conserved pathways which can be utilized towards therapeutically targeting inflammatory pain and chronic inflammation.
",29760446
1,7460,"Alarm pheromone induces stress analgesia via an opioid system in the [START]honeybee[END].
Changes of the stinging response threshold of Apis mellifera scutellata were measured on foragers fixed on a holder and stimulated with an electric shock as a noxious stimulus. The threshold of responsiveness to the noxious stimulus increased when [START]bees[END] were previously stimulated with isopentyl acetate, which is a main component of the alarm pheromone of the sting chamber. This effect is antagonised by previous injection of naloxone-hydrochloride (Endo Laboratories Inc.). Results suggest that in the [START]honeybee[END] an endogenous opioid system activated by isopentyl acetate is responsible for modulation of perception for nociceptive stimuli. The resulting stress-induced analgesia in the defender bee would reduce its probability of withdrawal thus increasing its efficiency against enemies.
",9402618
1,212527,"Alarm pheromone induces stress analgesia via an opioid system in the honeybee.
Changes of the stinging response threshold of [START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END] were measured on foragers fixed on a holder and stimulated with an electric shock as a noxious stimulus. The threshold of responsiveness to the noxious stimulus increased when bees were previously stimulated with isopentyl acetate, which is a main component of the alarm pheromone of the sting chamber. This effect is antagonised by previous injection of naloxone-hydrochloride (Endo Laboratories Inc.). Results suggest that in the honeybee an endogenous opioid system activated by isopentyl acetate is responsible for modulation of perception for nociceptive stimuli. The resulting stress-induced analgesia in the defender bee would reduce its probability of withdrawal thus increasing its efficiency against enemies.
",9402618
1,7010,"Sex-related differences in the concentration of Met-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity in the nervous system of an insect, [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END], revealed by radioimmunoassay.
A radioimmunoassay has been used to measure Met-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity in tissue from male and female locusts, [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END]. The pattern of distribution within the two sexes was similar with about equal amounts present in the suboesophageal and 3 thoracic ganglia and a lower concentration in the cerebral ganglion. Female nervous tissue contained more than twice the amount of Met-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity than did that of males. No consistent immunoreactivity could be detected in the abdominal ganglia or non-neural tissues. The results are discussed in relation to recent evidence that peptides related or identical to enkephalins are present in invertebrates as well as higher organisms.
",3768696
1,27454,"Immunocytochemical identification of alpha-endorphin-like material in neurones of the brain and corpus cardiacum of the blowfly, Calliphora vomitoria (Diptera).
A group of the 24-26 paraldehyde fuchsin-positive median neurosecretory cells (MNC) in the pars intercerebralis of the brain of the blowfly, [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END], has shown immunoreactivity towards three different antibodies to alpha-endorphin, a peptide that corresponds to the amino acid sequence present between residues 61 and 76 of the precursor molecule, beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH). The immunoreactive material could be followed in axons within the median bundle, the tract through which neurosecretory material from the MNC is passed down to the corpus cardiacum (CC). The alpha-endorphin-immunoreactive material was observed leaving the CC in the cardiac-recurrent nerve, dorsal to the proventriculus, in the direction of the abdomen. The cells that contain the alpha-endorphin-like material are different from those of the MNC that contain insulin-, pancreatic polypeptide-, and gastrin/CCK-like peptides. This finding demonstrates the considerable complexity and peptidergic nature of the MNC and constitutes further evidence that morphinomimetic-like peptides are present in the nervous system of invertebrates.
",6137286
1,7227,"Characterization of two classes of opioid binding sites in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] head membranes.
Opioid receptors have been characterized in [START]Drosophila[END] neural tissue. [3H]Etorphine (universal opioid ligand) bound stereospecifically, saturably, and with high affinity (KD = 8.8 +/- 1.7 nM; Bmax = 2.3 +/- 0.2 pmol/mg of protein) to [START]Drosophila[END] head membranes. Binding analyses with more specific ligands showed the presence of two distinct opioid sites in this tissue. One site was labeled by [3H]dihydromorphine ([3H]DHM), a mu-selective ligand: KD = 150 +/- 34 nM; Bmax = 3.0 +/- 0.6 pmol/mg of protein. Trypsin or heat treatment (100 degrees C for 15 min) of the [START]Drosophila[END] extract reduced specific [3H]DHM binding by greater than 80%. The rank order of potency of drugs at this site was levorphanol greater than DHM greater than normorphine greater than naloxone much greater than dextrorphan; the mu-specific peptide [D-Ala2,Gly-ol5]-enkephalin and delta-, kappa-, and sigma-ligands were inactive at this site. The other site was labeled by (-)-[3H]ethylketocyclazocine ((-)-[3H]EKC), a kappa-opioid, which bound stereospecifically, saturably, and with relatively high affinity to an apparent single class of receptors (KD = 212 +/- 25 nM; Bmax = 1.9 +/- 0.2 pmol/mg of protein). (-)-[3H]EKC binding could be displaced by kappa-opioids but not by mu-, delta-, or sigma-opioids or by the kappa-peptide dynorphin. Specific binding constituted approximately 70% of total binding at 1 nM and approximately 50% at 800 nM for all three radioligands ([3H]etorphine, [3H]EKC, and [3H]DHM). Specific binding of the delta-ligands [3H][D-Ala2,D-Leu5]-enkephalin and [3H][D-Pen2,D-Pen5]-enkephalin was undetectable in this preparation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
",2152792
1,7460,"Ethanol-induced effects on sting extension response and punishment learning in the [START]western honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]).
Acute ethanol administration is associated with sedation and analgesia as well as behavioral disinhibition and memory loss but the mechanisms underlying these effects remain to be elucidated. During the past decade, insects have emerged as important model systems to understand the neural and genetic bases of alcohol effects. However, novel assays to assess ethanol's effects on complex behaviors in social or isolated contexts are necessary. Here we used the [START]honey bee[END] as an especially relevant model system since [START]bees[END] are typically exposed to ethanol in nature when collecting standing nectar crop of flowers, and there is recent evidence for independent biological significance of this exposure for social behavior. Bee's inhibitory control of the sting extension response (SER) and a conditioned-place aversion assay were used to study ethanol effects on analgesia, behavioral disinhibition, and associative learning. Our findings indicate that although ethanol, in a dose-dependent manner, increases SER thresholds (analgesic effects), it disrupts the ability of [START]honey bees[END] to inhibit SER and to associate aversive stimuli with their environment. These results suggest that ethanol's effects on analgesia, behavioral disinhibition and associative learning are common across vertebrates and invertebrates. These results add to the use of [START]honey bees[END] as an ethanol model to understand ethanol's effects on complex, socially relevant behaviors. 
",24988309
1,7460,"Effects of ethanol ingestion on aversive conditioning in [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.).
Ethanol consumption has been shown to have many deleterious effects, including behavioral alterations, motor deficits, reduction in inhibition, and alteration of neurochemical expression. These effects occur in the wide variety of species that consume ethanol. Although studies have examined aversive conditioning in [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]), few have examined the role of intoxication on the acquisition of learning in such paradigms. The current study continues a line of research using [START]honey bees[END] as a model to explore the behavioral effects of ethanol toxicity. A passive avoidance task is used to explore how increasing dosages of ethanol affects the ability of [START]honey bees[END] to perform this task. The results show that [START]honey bees[END] exposed to higher concentrations of ethanol have slower passive avoidance acquisition than [START]bees[END] exposed to lower concentrations under the same conditions. [START]Bees[END] not experiencing aversive stimuli displayed no difference from baseline behavior when exposed to varying concentrations of ethanol. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
",34591582
1,7460,"The development of an ethanol model using social insects I: behavior studies of the [START]honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.).
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this experiment was to test the feasibility of creating an animal model of ethanol consumption using social insects. [START]Honey bees[END] were selected as the model social insect because much is known about their natural history, physiology, genetics, and behavior. They are also inexpensive to procure and maintain. Of special interest is their use of communication and social organization. METHODS: Using both between- and within-experiment designs, studies were conducted with harnessed foragers to determine whether [START]honey bees[END] would consume ethanol mixed with sucrose (and, in some cases, water). Shuttle-box and running-wheel studies were conducted to examine the effect of ethanol on locomotion. The effect of ethanol on stinging behavior in harnessed foragers was investigated. The effect of ethanol on Pavlovian conditioning of proboscis extension was also investigated. Finally, in a self-administration study, foraging [START]honey bees[END] were trained to fly to an artificial flower containing ethanol. RESULTS: (1) Harnessed [START]honey bees[END] readily consume 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20% ethanol solutions; (2) 95% ethanol will also be consumed as long as the antennae do not make contact with the solution; (3) with the exception of 95% ethanol, consumption as measured by contact time or amount consumed does not differ in animals that consume 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20% ethanol solutions; (4) exposure to a lesser (or greater) concentration of ethanol does not influence consumption of a greater (or lesser) concentration; (5) consumption of 10% and 20% ethanol solutions decreases locomotion when tested in both a shuttle-box and running-wheel situation; (6) consumption of 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20% ethanol does not influence stinging behavior in harnessed foragers; (7) ethanol solutions greater than 5% significantly impair Pavlovian conditioning of proboscis extension; and (8) free-flying [START]honey bee[END] foragers will readily drink from an artificial flower containing 5% ethanol. CONCLUSIONS: The experiments on consumption, locomotion, and learning suggest that exposure to ethanol influences behavior of [START]honey bees[END] similar to that observed in experiments with analogous vertebrates. The [START]honey bee[END] model presents unique research opportunities regarding the influence of ethanol in the areas of language, social interaction, development, and learning. Although the behavioral results are interesting, similarity between the physiologic effects of ethanol on [START]honey bees[END] and vertebrates has not yet been determined.
",10968652
1,7460,"The stinging response of the [START]honeybee[END]: effects of morphine, naloxone and some opioid peptides.
Changes in responsiveness for the stinging reaction of [START]honeybees[END] fixed in a holder after receiving 3 electrical shocks delivered with 1 min interval, was registered and used as measurement for the effect of 2 microliter of different solutions injected. Every shock consisted of a train of pulses of 1 msec each, delivered for 2 sec at a frequency of 100 Hz. Injection of morphine-HCl (50 to 200 n-moles/bee) produced a dose dependent reduction of the [START]honeybee[END] stinging response to the electrical shocks. The morphine dose that produced a 50% inhibition of the response (D50) was 148 n-moles/bee (927 micrograms/g), i.e., a value far greater than that reported for vertebrates in behavioral test of analgesia. Naloxone 1.1 micrograms/g produces a significant reduction of morphine D50 effect and at 4-5 micrograms/g, a full disinhibition. Thus, whereas the D50 of morphine for [START]honeybees[END] is far greater than that for vertebrates, the doses of naloxone that antagonize morphine are similar for [START]bees[END] and vertebrates. Possible explanations of this difference are mentioned. Injections of met-enkephalin, leu-enkephalin, kyotorphin and (D-Ala2) methionine-enkephalinamide, given in doses of 200 n-moles/bee, an amount greater than that of the morphine D50, exhibited no effect on the stinging response.
",6657718
1,6978,"[Effects of several exorphins and endorphins on the escape reaction of the cockroach [START]Periplaneta americana[END] under elevated temperature conditions].
The ability of several alimentary opioid peptides (exorphin C, rubiscolin-5, cytochrophi-4) and endorphins (met-enkephalin, dynotphin A(1-10), beta-neoendorphin) to change the escape reaction of the cockroaches [START]Periplaneta americana[END] at their placement into a hot chamber was studied. The ED50 values increasing twice the insect stay time in the hot chamber as well as duration and dynamics of the effects were determined. It has been shown that ED5 decreases statistically significantly with increase of the length of the peptide molecule and its affinity of duration of the effects and to an increase of their affinity to delta-receptors - to prolongation of the reaction (more than150 min). In the group of alimentary peptides (exorphins) the most active was a fragment of D-ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxigenase rubiscolin-5 (ED5 = 386 nM per individual). This might indicate a specific ability of some plant proteins to regulate (decrease) the insect protective behavior.
",19764635
1,7227,"Validation of the forced swim test in [START]Drosophila[END], and its use to demonstrate psilocybin has long-lasting antidepressant-like effects in flies.
Psilocybin has been shown to be a powerful, long-lasting antidepressant in human clinical trials and in rodent models. Although rodents have commonly been used to model psychiatric disorders, [START]Drosophila[END] have neurotransmitter systems similar to mammals and many comparable brain structures involved in similar behaviors. The forced swim test (FST), which has been used extensively to evaluate compounds for antidepressant efficacy, has recently been adapted for [START]Drosophila[END]. The fly FST has potential to be a cost-effective, high-throughput assay for evaluating potential antidepressants. For this study we pharmacologically validated the fly FST using methamphetamine, DL-alpha-methyltyrosine, and the antidepressant citalopram. While methamphetamine and DL-alpha-methyltyrosine altered overall locomotor activity in the [START]Drosophila[END] Activity Monitor System (DAMS), they had no significant impact on measures of immobility in the FST. Conversely, chronic citalopram decreased measures of immobility in the FST in both sexes without increasing DAMS activity. We used the validated FST to evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of high (3.5 mM) and low (0.03 mM) doses of psilocybin. Both doses of psilocybin significantly reduced measures of immobility in male flies, but not females. 0.03 mM had an effect size comparable to chronic citalopram, and 3.5 mM had an effect size approximately twice that of chronic citalopram.
",35705666
1,7227,"gamma-Oryzanol produces an antidepressant-like effect in a chronic unpredictable mild stress model of depression in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) is a valid model for inducing depression-like symptoms in animal models, causing predictive behavioral, neurochemical, and physiological responses to this condition. This work aims to evaluate the possible antidepressant effect of gamma-oryzanol (ORY) in the CUMS-induced depressive model in male [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. We will use the CUMS protocol to continue the study previously conducted by our research group, mimicking a depressive state in these insects. Male flies were subjected to various stressors according to a 10-day randomized schedule and concomitantly treated with ORY or fluoxetine (FLX). After the experimental period, in vivo behavioral tests were performed (open field, forced swimming, aggressiveness test, mating test, male virility, sucrose preference index and light/dark test) and ex vivo analyses measuring serotonin (5HT), dopamine (DA), octopamine (OCT) levels and body weight. We report here that ORY-treated flies and concomitant exposure to CUMS did not exhibit obvious behaviors such as prolonged immobility or increased aggressive behavior, reduced male mating and virility behavior, and anxiolytic behavior, in contrast to ORY, not altering sucrose preference and body weight flies exposed to CUMS. ORY effectively prevented 5HT and OCT reduction and partially protected against DA reduction. The data presented here are consistent and provide evidence for the use of ORY as a potential antidepressant compound.Lay SummaryFlies treated with ORY and concomitant exposure to CUMS did not exhibit obvious depressive-like behaviors, such as prolonged immobility in the FST or increased aggressive behavior, or reduced mating behavior, male virility, or anxiolytic behavior. ORY did not change the preference for sucrose and body weight of flies, about the levels of monoamines in the heads of flies, ORY was effective in preventing the reduction of 5HT and OCT, and we had partial protection of ORY for reducing the levels of DA.
",32723199
1,7227,"Functional annotation of two orphan G-protein-coupled receptors, Drostar1 and -2, from [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] and their ligands by reverse pharmacology.
By combining a [START]Drosophila[END] genome data base search and reverse transcriptase-PCR-based cDNA isolation, two G-protein-coupled receptors were cloned, which are the closest known invertebrate homologs of the mammalian opioid/somatostatin receptors. However, when functionally expressed in Xenopus oocytes by injection of [START]Drosophila[END] orphan receptor RNAs together with a coexpressed potassium channel, neither receptor was activated by known mammalian agonists. By applying a reverse pharmacological approach, the physiological ligands were isolated from peptide extracts from adult flies and larvae. Edman sequencing and mass spectrometry of the purified ligands revealed two decapentapeptides, which differ only by an N-terminal pyroglutamate/glutamine. The peptides align to a hormone precursor sequence of the [START]Drosophila[END] genome data base and are almost identical to allatostatin C from Manduca sexta. Both receptors were activated by the synthetic peptides irrespective of the N-terminal modification. Site-directed mutagenesis of a residue in transmembrane region 3 and the loop between transmembrane regions 6 and 7 affect ligand binding, as previously described for somatostatin receptors. The two receptor genes each containing three exons and transcribed in opposite directions are separated by 80 kb with no other genes predicted between. Localization of receptor transcripts identifies a role of the new transmitter system in visual information processing as well as endocrine regulation.
",12167655
0,50557,"Mid-Mesozoic flea-like ectoparasites of feathered or haired vertebrates.
Parasite-host associations among [START]insects[END] and mammals or birds are well attended by neontological studies [1]. An Eocene bird louse compression fossil [2, 3] and several flea specimens from Eocene and Oligocene ambers [4-8], reported to date, are exceptionally similar to living louse and flea taxa. But the origin, morphology, and early evolution of parasites and their associations with hosts are poorly known [9, 10] due to sparse records of putative ectoparasites with uncertain classification in the Mesozoic, most lacking mouthpart information and other critical details of the head morphology [11-15]. Here we present two primitive flea-like species assigned to the Pseudopulicidae Gao, Shih et Ren familia nova (fam. nov.), Pseudopulex jurassicus Gao, Shih et Ren genus novum et species nova (gen. et sp. nov) from the Middle Jurassic [16] and P. magnus Gao, Shih et Ren sp. nov. from the Early Cretaceous in China [17]. They exhibit many features of ectoparasitic [START]insects[END]. Large body size and long serrated stylets for piercing tough and thick skin or hides of hosts suggest that these primitive ectoparasites might have lived on and sucked the blood of relatively large hosts, such as contemporaneous feathered dinosaurs and/or pterosaurs or medium-sized mammals (found in the Early Cretaceous, but not the Middle Jurassic).
",22445298
0,50557,"Pattern regulation and regeneration.
[START]Insect[END] legs develop from small regions of the embryonic thorax. In most [START]insects[END] they differentiate in the embryo, forming functional larval legs, which grow and moult through larval life. In Drosophila the presumptive legs invaginate to form imaginal discs, which grow through larval life but only differentiate in the pupal stage. Analysis of the structures formed after amputation, grafting and wounding experiments on larval legs and on mature and immature imaginal discs suggests that the same organization of positional information and cellular behaviour is involved in the response of tahe developing leg to disturbance at early stages (termed 'regulation') and at later stages (termed 'regeneration'). The results suggest that developing legs form pattern in accordance with positional information specified in two dimensions within the epidermis, along polar coordinates. A continuous sequence of positional values runs around the circumference and an independent sequence runs down the leg. Two rules govern cellular behaviour after a disturbance. The shortest intercalation rule: interaction between cells with different positional values provokes local growth, producing cells with intermediate values (by the shortest route in the case of the circumferential values). The distalization rule: if intercalated cells have positional values identical to those of adjacent pre-existing cells then the new cells adopt a more distal value. These rules will produce a complete distal regenerate from a complete circumference and may produce a symmetrical regenerate from a symmetrical wound surface. This regenerate may taper (converge) or widen (diverge) and branch into two distal tips, depending on the extent of the original wound and the way in which it heals. The polar coordinate model provides a simple and unified interpretation, in terms of only local interactions, of a wide range of experimentally produced and naturally occurring [START]insect[END] (and crustacean and amphibian) limbs showing regeneration of missing structures, duplication of structures, and the formation of complete, tapering or branching supernumeraries. It is not yet clear what molecular mechanisms could underlie a polar map of positional information, nor how such a map could be initially established at a particular site in the early embryo.
",6117914
0,50557,"Notes on the Rhyacophila angulata Species Group with descriptions of two new species ([START]Insecta[END], Trichoptera, Rhyacophilidae).
Two new species of the Rhyacophila angulata Species Group are diagnosed, described and illustrated. Rhyacophila asymmetra n. sp. from Guang-dong Province can be separated from other members of the group by asymmetrical parameres and by the apicodorsal lobe abruptly narrowed in the apical one-third. Rhyacophila dentalis n. sp. from Guang-xi resembles R. longistyla in male genitalia, but can be diagnosed by the sinuate anterior margin of segment IX, by the absence of apicolateral teeth on the apicodorsal lobe of segment IX, and by the presence of a blunt tooth on the upper margin of the basal segment of each inferior appendage. New collection data are added for R. longistyla, extending its distribution southward to Guang-dong and Guang-xi Provinces. Rhyacophila tetraphylla has been transferred from the R. naviculata Species Group to the R. angulata Group with new collection data. A checklist of the species group is provided, and its distribution is discussed. 
",27515655
0,50557,"Hydrocarbon divergence and reproductive isolation in Timema stick [START]insects[END].
BACKGROUND: Individuals commonly prefer certain trait values over others when choosing their mates. If such preferences diverge between populations, they can generate behavioral reproductive isolation and thereby contribute to speciation. Reproductive isolation in [START]insects[END] often involves chemical communication, and cuticular hydrocarbons, in particular, serve as mate recognition signals in many species. We combined data on female cuticular hydrocarbons, interspecific mating propensity, and phylogenetics to evaluate the role of cuticular hydrocarbons in diversification of Timema walking-sticks. RESULTS: Hydrocarbon profiles differed substantially among the nine analyzed species, as well as between partially reproductively-isolated T. cristinae populations adapted to different host plants. In no-choice trials, mating was more likely between species with similar than divergent hydrocarbon profiles, even after correcting for genetic divergences. The macroevolution of hydrocarbon profiles, along a Timema species phylogeny, fits best with a punctuated model of phenotypic change concentrated around speciation events, consistent with change driven by selection during the evolution of reproductive isolation. CONCLUSION: Altogether, our data indicate that cuticular hydrocarbon profiles vary among Timema species and populations, and that most evolutionary change in hydrocarbon profiles occurs in association with speciation events. Similarities in hydrocarbon profiles between species are correlated with interspecific mating propensities, suggesting a role for cuticular hydrocarbon profiles in mate choice and speciation in the genus Timema.
",23855797
0,50557,"A New Fossil of Necrotauliidae ([START]Insecta[END]: Trichoptera) from the Jiulongshan Formation of China and Its Taxonomic Significance.
BACKGROUND: Acisarcuatus variradius gen. et sp. nov., an extinct new species representing a new genus, is described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation in Daohugou Village, Inner Mongolia, China. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this paper, we revised the diagnosis of Necrotauliidae Handlirsch, 1906. One new genus and species of Necrotauliidae is described. An analysis based on the fossil morphological characters clarified the taxonomic status of the new taxa. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: New fossil evidence supports the viewpoint that the family Necrotauliidae belongs to the Integripalpia.
",25494387
0,50557,"Invertebrate neurobiology: brain control of [START]insect[END] walking.
Neurogenetic and lesion studies have identified regions of the [START]insect[END] brain that can modulate and direct locomotion. Activities of these neurons have now been recorded in cockroaches during walking.
",20504750
0,50557,"Three new caddisflies species of the fossil genus Archaeotinodes ([START]Insecta[END]: Trichoptera: Ecnomidae) from the Baltic Amber.
Three new caddisflies species of the fossil genus Archaeotinodes: Archaeotinodes petropolitana sp. nov., Archaeotinodes regiomontana sp. nov., and Archaeotinodes rossica sp. nov. from the Baltic amber (Upper Eocene, 40 million years old), are described and illustrated.
",26097947
0,50557,"Zorotypus weiweii (Zoraptera: Zorotypidae), a new species of angel [START]insects[END], from Sabah, East Malaysia.
A new species of the [START]insect[END] order Zoraptera, Zorotypus weiweii, is described and figured from Sabah, East Malaysia. The new species represents the second angel insect from Borneo. Z. caudelli Karny was also collected near the type locality of Z. weiweii. Methods of specimen collection and a brief note of angel [START]insects[END] in Malaysia were provided based on new materials and biological observations. 
",27615990
0,50557,"Diversification through multitrait evolution in a coevolving interaction.
Mutualisms between species are interactions in which reciprocal exploitation results in outcomes that are mutually beneficial. This reciprocal exploitation is evident in the more than a thousand plant species that are pollinated exclusively by [START]insects[END] specialized to lay their eggs in the flowers they pollinate. By pollinating each flower in which she lays eggs, an [START]insect[END] guarantees that her larval offspring have developing seeds on which to feed, whereas the plant gains a specialized pollinator at the cost of some seeds. These mutualisms are often reciprocally obligate, potentially driving not only ongoing coadaptation but also diversification. The lack of known intermediate stages in most of these mutualisms, however, makes it difficult to understand whether these interactions could have begun to diversify even before they became reciprocally obligate. Experimental studies of the incompletely obligate interactions between woodland star (Lithophragma; Saxifragaceae) plants and their pollinating floral parasites in the moth genus Greya (Prodoxidae) show that, as these lineages have diversified, the moths and plants have evolved in ways that maintain effective oviposition and pollination. Experimental assessment of pollination in divergent species and quantitative evaluation of time-lapse photographic sequences of pollination viewed on surgically manipulated flowers show that various combinations of traits are possible for maintaining the mutualism. The results suggest that at least some forms of mutualism can persist and even diversify when the interaction is not reciprocally obligate. 
",23801764
0,50557,"Fossil record of stem groups employed in evaluating the chronogram of insects (Arthropoda: Hexapoda).
[START]Insecta[END] s. str. (=Ectognatha), comprise the largest and most diversified group of living organisms, accounting for roughly half of the biodiversity on Earth. Understanding [START]insect[END] relationships and the specific time intervals for their episodes of radiation and extinction are critical to any comprehensive perspective on evolutionary events. Although some deeper nodes have been resolved congruently, the complete evolution of insects has remained obscure due to the lack of direct fossil evidence. Besides, various evolutionary phases of insects and the corresponding driving forces of diversification remain to be recognized. In this study, a comprehensive sample of all [START]insect[END] orders was used to reconstruct their phylogenetic relationships and estimate deep divergences. The phylogenetic relationships of [START]insect[END] orders were congruently recovered by Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses. A complete timescale of divergences based on an uncorrelated log-normal relaxed clock model was established among all lineages of winged insects. The inferred timescale for various nodes are congruent with major historical events including the increase of atmospheric oxygen in the Late Silurian and earliest Devonian, the radiation of vascular plants in the Devonian, and with the available fossil record of the stem groups to various [START]insect[END] lineages in the Devonian and Carboniferous.
",27958352
0,85823,"Histochemical demonstration of oxidoreductase activities in the fat body and symbionts of Blattella germanica ([START]Blattodea[END]) following chlortetracycline-treatment.
The metabolic apport of prokaryotic symbionts in the fat body of Blattella germanica was investigated by histoenzymatic methods, using chlortetracycline-treated and normal strains. In the experimental insects, bacteriocytes showed a decreased oxidoreductase activity, whereas the staining intensity of the other cell types was generally unchanged. Electron microscopic observations showed that some bacteria were still present in the bacteriocytes of the treated insects, but exhibited degeneration patterns to a different extent; therefore, they are not likely to carry on any enzymatic activity. Hence, chlortetracycline, an antibiotic that blocks the transovaric transmission of the symbionts, is active also on the endocellular symbionts of the fat body.
",3442552
0,85823,"Evaluation of the effectiveness of three sticky traps to monitor four species of [START]cockroaches[END] (Hexapoda: Blattaria) with simulated use tests.
Background: [START]Cockroaches[END] are the pest of major concern for the disinfestation programs of the sanitary system in Italy. Hygienic-sanitary interest is linked to the role of mechanical vectors of pathogens and to their allergological potential. Sticky traps are the best tool to monitor the presence of these insects and several types of them are available on the market. In most of the cases the traps are not indicated for a given species, but, instead, generically for [START]cockroaches[END]. Domestic [START]cockroaches[END] differ in morphology, size and habits. Consequently, the effectiveness of the trap can change in relation to the target species. Materials and methods: In this study three of the most employed traps in Italy were compared: the INDIA trap with and without its attractant tablet (hereafter mentioned as INDIA-A and INDIA-E, respectively), the ZAPI Simply trap and the CATCHMASTER Spider & Insect Glue trap. We chose the four most common species of [START]cockroach[END] ([START]Blattodea[END]) in Italy, Blatta orientalis (L.), Periplaneta americana (L.) (Blattidae), Blattella germanica (L.) and Supella longipalpa (F.) (Blattellidae). Each species of cockroach was tested separately inside arenas containing one of the traps. Each test (one species with one kind of trap) was replicated five times. Results and discussion: The INDIA-A trap collected more [START]cockroaches[END] of every species, followed by the INDIA-E. The ZAPI trap caught less specimens of each species in respect to the INDIA traps, with the only exception of B. orientalis, for which the ZAPI trap caught more than the INDIA-E. The CATCHMASTER trap performed significantly less for all the species. B. orientalis was the species most abundantly caught by all traps, followed by B. germanica, S. longipalpa and P. americana. No significant difference was observed in the catch according to the developmental stage. In general, there was no particular predisposition of any trap to catch a particular species. Conclusions: It is not possible to indicate a model of trap for each species of cockroach, but it is clear that different traps have different performances in terms of attractiveness and capture. Therefore, the choice of the trap affects the results of the monitoring, and as consequence, the evaluation of the infesting population of the pest.
",33779674
0,85823,"Wasp voodoo rituals, venom-cocktails, and the zombification of [START]cockroach[END] hosts.
The parasitoid Jewel Wasp uses [START]cockroaches[END] as a live food supply for its developing larvae. The adult wasp uses mechanoreceptors on its stinger to locate the host's cerebral ganglia and injects venom directly into the [START]cockroach[END]'s ""brain,"" namely in the subesophageal ganglion and in and around the central complex in the supraesophageal ganglion. As a result, the [START]cockroach[END] first engages in continuous grooming for roughly 30 min. Dopamine identified in the wasp's venom is likely to cause this grooming, as injecting a dopamine-receptor antagonist into the [START]cockroach[END] hemolymph prior to a wasp's sting greatly reduced the venom-induced, excessive grooming. Conversely, injecting a dopamine-receptor agonist into the brain induces excessive grooming in normal [START]cockroaches[END]. A second effect of the head-sting is the induction of a long-lasting lethargic state, during which the [START]cockroach[END] demonstrates a dramatically reduced drive to self-initiate locomotion. Unlike most paralyzing venoms, Ampulex's venom seems to affect the ""motivation"" of its host to initiate locomotion, rather than affecting the motor centers directly. In fact, the venom specifically increases thresholds for the initiation of walking-related behaviors and, once such behaviors are initiated, affects their maintenance without affecting the walking-pattern generators. Thus, the venom manipulates neuronal centers within the cerebral ganglia that are specifically involved in the initiation and maintenance of walking. We have shown that in stung [START]cockroaches[END] focal injection of an octopaminergic receptor agonist around the central complex area in the brain partially restores walking. Another likely candidate target of the venom is the opioid system, which is known to affect responsiveness to stimuli in insects. Opioid receptor agonists increase startle threshold in control [START]cockroaches[END] and using a bioassay for opioid receptors, we found that the venom blocks opioid-like receptors. This effect is reversed with naloxone, an opioid antagonist. 
",24706086
0,85823,"Do Quiescence and Wasp Venom-Induced Lethargy Share Common Neuronal Mechanisms in [START]Cockroaches[END]?
The escape behavior of a [START]cockroach[END] may not occur when it is either in a quiescent state or after being stung by the jewel wasp (Ampulex compressa). In the present paper, we show that quiescence is an innate lethargic state during which the [START]cockroach[END] is less responsive to external stimuli. The neuronal mechanism of such a state is poorly understood. In contrast to quiescence, the venom-induced lethargic state is not an innate state in [START]cockroaches[END]. The Jewel Wasp disables the escape behavior of [START]cockroaches[END] by injecting its venom directly in the head ganglia, inside a neuropile called the central complex a 'higher center' known to regulate motor behaviors. In this paper we show that the coxal slow motoneuron ongoing activity, known to be involved in posture, is reduced in quiescent animals, as compared to awake animals, and it is further reduced in stung animals. Moreover, the regular tonic firing of the slow motoneuron present in both awake and quiescent [START]cockroaches[END] is lost in stung [START]cockroaches[END]. Injection of procaine to prevent neuronal activity into the central complex to mimic the wasp venom injection produces a similar effect on the activity of the slow motoneuron. In conclusion, we speculate that the neuronal modulation during the quiescence and venom-induced lethargic states may occur in the central complex and that both states could share a common neuronal mechanism.
",28045911
0,85823,"Gut Bacterial Community of the Xylophagous [START]Cockroaches[END] Cryptocercus punctulatus and Parasphaeria boleiriana.
Cryptocercus punctulatus and Parasphaeria boleiriana are two distantly related xylophagous and subsocial [START]cockroaches[END]. Cryptocercus is related to termites. Xylophagous [START]cockroaches[END] and termites are excellent model organisms for studying the symbiotic relationship between the insect and their microbiota. In this study, high-throughput 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA was used to investigate the diversity of metagenomic gut communities of C. punctulatus and P. boleiriana, and thereby to identify possible shifts in symbiont allegiances during [START]cockroaches[END] evolution. Our results revealed that the hindgut prokaryotic communities of both xylophagous [START]cockroaches[END] are dominated by members of four Bacteria phyla: Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Other identified phyla were Spirochaetes, Planctomycetes, candidatus Saccharibacteria (formerly TM7), and Acidobacteria, each of which represented 1-2% of the total population detected. Community similarity based on phylogenetic relatedness by unweighted UniFrac analyses indicated that the composition of the bacterial community in the two species was significantly different (P < 0.05). Phylogenetic analysis based on the characterized clusters of Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, and Deltaproteobacteria showed that many OTUs present in both [START]cockroach[END] species clustered with sequences previously described in termites and other [START]cockroaches[END], but not with those from other animals or environments. These results suggest that, during their evolution, those [START]cockroaches[END] conserved several bacterial communities from the microbiota of a common ancestor. The ecological stability of those microbial communities may imply the important functional role for the survival of the host of providing nutrients in appropriate quantities and balance. 
",27054320
0,85823,"Comparative insecticide susceptibility and detoxification enzyme activities among pestiferous [START]blattodea[END].
Topical bioassays using propoxur, chlorpyrifos, and lambda-cyhalothrin were conducted on eight [START]cockroach[END] species. Based on lethal dose values, the relative toxicities of the insecticide classes were generally pyrethroid > carbamate > organophosphorous. Lambda-Cyhalothrin and propoxur were more toxic toward the Blattidae as compared with the Blattellidae. The order of lambda-cyhalothrin toxicity was Periplaneta americana > Periplaneta brunnea = Periplaneta australasiae = Periplaneta fuliginosa = Blatta orientalis > Blattella asahinai = Blattella germanica > Blattella vaga. The order of propoxur toxicity was B. orientalis > P. americana > P. brunnea = P. australasiae > B. asahinai > P. fuliginosa = B. germanica > B. vaga. The order of chlorpyrifos toxicity was P. americana > B. asahinai = B. vaga > B. orientalis = P. australasiae = P. brunnea > B. germanica = P. fuliginosa. Detoxification enzyme activities for each species also were measured and compared with insecticide toxicity. Propoxur LD50 was significantly (P = 0.01; r = 0.81) correlated with glutathione S-transferase activity. Lambda-Cyhalothrin LD50 correlated with methoxyresorufin O-demethylase activity (P = 0.01; r = 0.81), carboxylesterase activity (P = 0.03; r = - 0.75), general esterase activity (P = 0.02; r = - 0.79), and [START]cockroach[END] weight (P = 0.01; r = -0.95).
",10661713
0,85823,"Three-dimensional analysis of the heart function and effect cholinergic agonists in the [START]cockroach[END] Gromphadorhina portentosa.
Many relevant aspects of mammal's cardiac physiology have been mainly investigated in insect models such as Drosophila melanogaster and Periplaneta americana. Cardiac function has been poorly studied in the [START]cockroach[END] Gromphadorhina portentosa, which has some advantages for experimental purposes such as an easier culture, bigger organs and a robust physiology. On the other hand, the study of cardiac physiology in insects has been largely improved since the arrival of digital imaging technologies for recording purposes. In the present work, we introduce a methodology of video recording coupled to an isotonic transducer for a three-dimensional analysis of the heart and intracardiac valves of G. portentosa. We used this methodology for assessing the physiological responses of the [START]cockroach[END] heart upon the application of different cholinergic neurotransmitters (acetylcholine, nicotine and muscarine). We recorded in detail the relationship between intracardiac valves movement, hemolymph flow, diastole and systole. Acetylcholine and nicotine induced a biphasic effect on the cardiac frequency. Acetylcholine increased the diastolic opening. Nicotine at high concentration caused paralysis. Muscarine induced no major effects. These findings suggest a combined action of cholinergic agonists for a finely tuned the cardiac frequency, intracardiac valves function and cardiac cycle.
",32955634
0,85823,"The digestive system in Zygentoma as an insect model for high cellulase activity.
The digestive system of selected phytophagous insects has been examined as a potential prospecting resource for identification of novel cellulolytic enzymes with potential industrial applications. In contrast to other model species, however, limited detailed information is available that characterizes cellulolytic activity and systems in basal hexapod groups. As part of a screening effort to identify insects with highly active cellulolytic systems, we have for the first time, identified species of Zygentoma that displayed the highest relative cellulase activity levels when compared to all other tested insect groups under the experimental conditions, including model species for cellulolytic systems such as termite and [START]cockroach[END] species in Rhinotermitidae (formerly Isoptera) and Cryptocercidae (formerly [START]Blattodea[END]). The goal of the present study was to provide a morphohistological characterization of cellulose digestion and to identify highly active cellulase enzymes present in digestive fluids of Zygentoma species. Morphohistological characterization supported no relevant differences in the digestive system of firebrat (Thermobia domestica) and the gray silverfish (Ctenolepisma longicaudata). Quantitative and qualitative cellulase assays identified the foregut as the region with the highest levels of cellulase activity in both T. domestica and C. longicaudata. However, T. domestica was found to have higher endoglucanase, xylanase and pectinase activities compared to C. longicaudata. Using nano liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC/MS/MS) and a custom gut transcriptome we identified cellulolytic enzymes from digestive fluids of T. domestica. Among the identified enzymes we report putative endoglucanases matching to insect or arthropod enzymes and glucan endo-1,6-beta-glucosidases matching bacterial enzymes. These findings support combined activities of endogenous and symbiont-derived plant cell wall degrading enzymes in lignocellulose digestion in Zygentoma and advance our understanding of cellulose digestion in a primitive insect group.
",30817757
0,85823,"Allometry of resting metabolic rate in [START]cockroaches[END].
1. Resting VO2 at 22.7 degrees C was 0.217 +/- 0.007 ml O2/g/hr in Nauphoeta cinerea of 0.51 +/- 0.008 g body mass. 2. Whole animal resting metabolic rate for 11 [START]cockroach[END] species scaled allometrically: VO2 = 0.261 M0.776. 3. Allometry of resting VO2 among [START]cockroach[END] species is similar to that in vertebrates, and is consistent with models based on both ""elastic similarity"" and ""biological similitude.""
",2575943
0,85823,"Insecticidal Activity of Lamiaceae Plant Essential Oils and Their Constituents Against Blattella germanica L. Adult.
The insecticidal activities of 13 Lamiaceae plant oils and their components against adult German [START]cockroaches[END], Blattella germanica L. ([START]Blattodea[END]: Blattellidae), were evaluated using fumigant and contact bioassay. Among the tested oils, basil, pennyroyal, and spearmint showed the strongest insecticidal activities against adult B. germanica. Insecticidal activity of pennyroyal was 100% against male B. germanica at 1.25 mg concentration in fumigant bioassay. Basil and spearmint revealed 100% and 100% insecticidal activity against male B. germanica at 5 mg concentration, but their activities reduced to 80% and 25% at 2.5 mg concentration, respectively. In contact, toxicity bioassay, basil, pennyroyal, and spearmint oils exhibited 100%, 100%, and 98% mortality against female B. germanica at 1 mg/ , respectively. Among the constituents identified in basil, pennyroyal, and spearmint oils, insecticidal activity of pulegone was the strongest against male and female B. germanica.
",29474548
0,85823,"Wing reduction influences male mating success but not female fitness in [START]cockroaches[END].
Although [START]cockroaches[END] ([START]Blattodea[END] s. str.) exhibit high proportion of species with reduced wings, the underlying evolutionary forces remain unclear. Wing reduction in insects is generally considered advantageous for females and a trade-off between investment into the flying apparatus and reproduction is predicted to explain its evolution. However, what if the wing maintenance is an important issue for males' fitness? Males raise wings during the ritualized courtship which is viewed as an unavoidable movement unveiling the tergal glands for female access. We, however, propose a novel male mating success hypothesis suggesting that male wings are essential for their successful mating. We tested these two competing, but not mutually exclusive hypotheses in the [START]cockroach[END] Eublaberus distanti. We found no effect of female wing loss on any of the measured fecundity characteristics despite that alatectomized females histolyzed flight muscles. On the contrary, alatectomized males did not histolyze wing muscles, but experienced a markedly decreased mating success. Our findings, therefore, provide the first evidence on the crucial mechanical role of wings on male mating success. Consequently, selection for the retention of wings in males rather than for their reduction in females can explain the evolution of sexual wing dimorphism in [START]cockroaches[END] and other insects.
",28539621
0,85823,"Origin of origami [START]cockroach[END] reveals long-lasting (11 Ma) phenotype instability following viviparity.
Viviparity evolved in bacteria, plants,  141 vertebrate lineages (ichthyosaurs, lizards, fishes, mammals, and others), and in 11 of 44 insect orders. Live-birth [START]cockroaches[END] preserved with brood sac (3D recovered two times optically) included Diploptera vladimir, Diploptera savba, Diploptera gemini spp.n., D. sp.1-2, and Stegoblatta irmgardgroehni from Green River, Colorado; Quilchena, Republic; McAbee, Canada; and Baltic amber, Russia (49, 54, and 45 Ma). They evolved from rare and newly evolved Blaberidae; they radiated circumtropically, later expanded into SE Asia, and have now spread to Hawaii and the SE USA. Association of autapomorphic characters that allow for passive and active protections from parasitic insects (unique wing origami pleating identical with its egg case-attacking wasp) suggest a response to high parasitic loads. Synchronized with global reorganization of the biota, morphotype destabilization in roaches lasted approximately 11-22 Ma, including both the adaptation of novel characters and the reduction of others. Thus, while viviparity can be disadvantageous, in association with new Bauplans and/or behaviors, it can contribute to the evolution of taxa with viviparous representatives that are slightly selectively preferred. 
",27614456
0,85823,"The cys-loop ligand-gated ion channel gene superfamilies of the [START]cockroaches[END] Blattella germanica and Periplaneta americana.
BACKGROUND: [START]Cockroaches[END] are serious urban pests that can transfer disease-causing microorganisms as well as trigger allergic reactions and asthma. They are commonly managed by pesticides that act on cys-loop ligand-gated ion channels (cysLGIC). To provide further information that will enhance our understanding of how insecticides act on their molecular targets in [START]cockroaches[END], we used genome and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) data to characterize the cysLGIC gene superfamilies from Blattella germanica and Periplaneta americana. RESULTS: The B. germanica and P. americana cysLGIC superfamilies consist of 30 and 32 subunit-encoding genes, respectively, which are the largest insect cysLGIC superfamilies characterized to date. As with other insects, the [START]cockroaches[END] possess ion channels predicted to be gated by acetylcholine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamate and histamine, as well as orthologues of the drosophila pH-sensitive chloride channel (pHCl), CG8916 and CG12344. The large cysLGIC superfamilies of [START]cockroaches[END] are a result of an expanded number of divergent nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits, with B. germanica and P. americana, respectively, possessing eight and ten subunit genes. Diversity of the [START]cockroach[END] cysLGICs is also broadened by alternative splicing and RNA A-to-I editing. Unusually, both [START]cockroach[END] species possess a second glutamate-gated chloride channel as well as another CG8916 subunit. CONCLUSION: These findings on B. germanica and P. americana enhance our understanding of the evolution of the insect cysLGIC superfamily and provide a useful basis for the study of their function, the detection and management of insecticide resistance, and for the development of improved pesticides with greater specificity towards these major pests.   2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
",33347700
0,85823,"Motor innervation within supernumerary legs of [START]cockroaches[END].
1. Clusters of legs having prothoracic and metathoracic origins were grown from the metathoracic coxa of the [START]cockroach[END]. 2. Or occasionally two, of the three major nerves innervating the [START]cockroach[END] leg. 3. Stimulation of a particular leg nerve (no. 3, 5 or 6) evoked movement at the same joints and in the same directions in a leg having only one nerve as in a normal leg. 4. Stimulation of a particular metathoracic nerve generally produced the same movements in a prothoracic leg transplanted to the metathoracic site as it did in a regenerated or intact metathoracic leg.
",1202136
0,85823,"[START]Cockroach[END] fauna in the Ogasawara Chain Islands of Japan and analysis of their habitats.
A survey of [START]cockroach[END] fauna was carried out on the 3 inhabited islands of the Ogasawara chain island of Japan, namely, Chichijima island, Hahajima island and Iwo island. Seven species, namely, Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758), Periplaneta australasiae (Fabricius, 1775), Blattella lituricollis (Walker, 1868), Onychostylus vilis (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865), Supella longipalpa (Fabricius, 1798), Pycnoscelus surinamensis (Linnaeus, 1758) and Opisthoplatia orientalis (Burmeister, 1838), were collected on Chichijima island. Four species, namely, P. americana, P. australasiae, O. vilis and P. surinamensis were collected on Hahajima island and 6 species, namely, P. americana, P. australasiae, B. lituricollis, O. vilis, P. surinamensis and Neostylopyga rhombifolia were collected on Iwo island. This is the first record of N. rhombifolia and Onychostylus orientalis on the Ogasawara chain islands. Our study increases the recorded taxon of [START]cockroaches[END] on the Ogasawara from 3 families, 5 genera 10 species to 4 families, 7 genera, 12 species. A list of the [START]cockroach[END] species on Ogasawara islands reported to date as well as a key for their identification is also presented. Periplaneta americana and P. australasiae, being the dominant species, together with S. longipalpa, were collected mostly in the indoor environment, indicating their preference for this habitat. Pycnoscelus surinamensis, which is considered as an outdoor insect has been found in semi-household environments such as greenhouse and shed, indicating their new adaptation to the changing environment.
",23665720
0,85823,"Characterization of the juvenile hormone pathway in the viviparous [START]cockroach[END], Diploptera punctata.
Juvenile hormones (JHs) are key regulators of insect development and reproduction. The JH biosynthetic pathway is known to involve 13 discrete enzymatic steps. In the present study, we have characterized the JH biosynthetic pathway in the [START]cockroach[END] Diploptera punctata. The effect of exogenous JH precursors on JH biosynthesis was also determined. Based on sequence similarity, orthologs for the genes directly involved in the pathway were cloned, and their spatial and temporal transcript profiles were determined. The effect of shutting down the JH pathway in adult female [START]cockroaches[END] was studied by knocking down genes encoding HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) and Juvenile hormone acid methyltransferase (JHAMT). As a result, oocyte development slowed as a consequence of reduction in JH biosynthesis. Oocyte length, fat body transcription of Vg and ovarian vitellin content significantly decreased. In addition, silencing HMGR and JHAMT resulted in a decrease in the transcript levels of other genes in the pathway. 
",25706877
0,85823,"Neurobehavioral and biochemical changes in Nauphoeta cinerea following dietary exposure to chlorpyrifos.
The present study aimed to increase our understanding about the mode of toxic action of organophosphate pesticides in insects by evaluating the biochemical and neurobehavioral characteristics in Nauphoeta cinerea exposed to chlorpyrifos (CPF)-contaminated diet. The insects were exposed for 35 consecutive days to CPF at 0.078, 0.15625, 0.3125 and 0.625mug/g feed. Locomotor behavior was assessed for a 10-min trial in a novel arena and subsequently, biochemical analyses were carried out using the [START]cockroaches[END]' heads. In comparison to control, CPF-exposed [START]cockroaches[END] showed significant decreases in the total distance traveled, body rotation, turn angle and meandering, along with significant increase in the number of falls, time and episodes of immobility. The marked decrease in the exploratory profiles of CPF-exposed [START]cockroaches[END] was confirmed by track plots, whereas occupancy plot analyses showed a progressive dispersion at 0.15625mug/g feed group. Moreover, the heads of CPF-exposed [START]cockroaches[END] showed marked decrease in acetylcholinesterase activity and antioxidant status with concomitant significant elevation in dichlorofluorescein oxidation and lipid peroxidation levels in CPF-treated [START]cockroaches[END]. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analyses revealed bioaccumulation of CPF in [START]cockroaches[END] exposed to concentrations above 0.078mug/g feed. The findings from this investigation showed N. cinerea as a value model organism for the risk assessment of environmental organophosphate contamination in insects. 
",27155480
0,85823,"Spatial Distribution of German [START]Cockroaches[END] in a High-Rise Apartment Building During Building-Wide Integrated Pest Management.
The German cockroach Blattella germanica (L.) ([START]Blattodea[END], Ectobiidae) is one of the most common indoor pests in multifamily housing communities. Our objectives were to investigate the spatial distribution patterns of German cockroach infestations in a multiunit dwelling before and after building-wide integrated pest management (IPM) implementation. The study was conducted in a high-rise apartment building with 188 residential units in Paterson, New Jersey. All the identified infestations were treated by researchers using IPM implementation, and monitoring was repeated at 6 and 12 mo after the initial survey. We examined [START]cockroach[END] spatial distribution patterns within and between apartments. Traps placed by the stove and refrigerator caught significantly more [START]cockroaches[END] than traps placed in the kitchen cabinet under the sink or in the bathroom. At month 0, [START]cockroach[END] infestations within the building were spatially correlated. At 12 mo after implementation of IPM, only infestations cross the floors remained to be correlated. Therefore, IPM not only eliminates [START]cockroach[END] infestations in individual units, but also reduces [START]cockroach[END] dispersal between units.
",31120112
0,85823,"Eusociality and the success of the termites: insights from a supertree of dictyopteran families.
Sociality in insects may negatively impact on species richness. We tested whether termites have experienced shifts in diversification rates through time. Supertree methods were used to synthesize family-level relationships within termites, [START]cockroaches[END] and mantids. A deep positive shift in diversification rate is found within termites, but not in the [START]cockroaches[END] from which they evolved. The shift is responsible for most of their extant species richness suggesting that eusociality is not necessarily detrimental to species richness, and may sometimes have a positive effect. Mechanistic studies of speciation and extinction in eusocial insects are advocated.
",19549138
0,85823,"Identification of the intermediate host of Gongylonema sp., the etiological agent of the necrotic oropharyngeal disease of the Scops owl (Otus scops).
Since 1997, fledgling Scops owls (Chordata: Strigidae) have been brought to the Brinzal Owl Rescue Centre (Madrid, Spain) with severe lesions in their oral cavities. Lesions consist of the presence of proliferative necrotic material in the oral cavity resulting in white plaques, which can lead to death by starvation. This disease has been detected in owls only within the limits of the city of Madrid. The etiologic agent has been identified as Gongylonema sp. (Nematoda: Spirurida), a nematode genus that includes a coprophagous arthropod as intermediate host in its cycle. The aim of this study was to identify the intermediate host of the parasite. Our work was structured in four component phases: i) Diet study of newborn chicks; ii) trapping arthropods that could be intermediate hosts; iii) molecular detection of the parasite in the selected arthropods: and iv) molecular characterization of the detected parasites by amplifying the cox1 gene. Four male owls were radio-tagged in order to locate their nests and a camera trap was placed to identify the prey brought to the owlets. Secondly, the arthropods present in the hunting areas of the owls were sampled, identified and analyzed by real time PCR (rtPCR). Only oriental [START]cockroaches[END], B. orientalis (Arthropoda: [START]Blattodea[END]), were positive by rtPCR detection of Gongylonema sp. (66.7%). The nematodes obtained from [START]cockroaches[END] had a 99.8% identity of the cox1 gene with the Gongylonema sp. isolated for the first time in a Scops owl. Furthermore, these sequences only showed an <89% identity with all the other Gongylonema sequences available in the GenBank database. We conclude that the oriental [START]cockroach[END] should be considered as an intermediate host of the etiologic agent of NOD.
",34461282
0,1767269,"[START]Crickets[END] of subfamily Nemobiinae Saussure, 1877 (Orthoptera: Grylloidea; Trigonidiidae) from China with descriptions of new genera and new species.
The article reviewed species of genera of [START]Pteronemobius[END] Jacobson, 1904, Speonemobius Chopard, 1924, Parapteronemobius Furukawa, 1970, Dianemobius Vickery, 1973, Polionemobius Gorochov, 1983, Giganemobius Shen He, 2020, Qionemobius Shen He, 2020 and proposed four new genera, Claranemobius He Ma, gen. n., Erexitonemobius He Ma, gen. n., Fibunemobius He Ma, gen. n. and Impetunemobius He Ma, gen. n., and nine new species, Claranemobius yaoquensis He Ma, sp. n., Erexitonemobius bellus He Ma, sp. n., Fibunemobius tamquam He Ma, sp. n., Homonemobius amare He Ma, sp. n., Impetunemobius brunneis He Ma, sp. n., Polionemobius Chayuensis He Ma, sp. n., [START]Pteronemobius[END] ([START]Pteronemobius[END]) litore He Ma, sp. n., [START]Pteronemobius[END] ([START]Pteronemobius[END]) choui He Ma, sp. n. and Speonemobius minor He Ma, sp. n..
",34810470
0,1767269,"A contribution to taxonomy of the superfamily Grylloidea Laicharting <br />from Yunnan, China (Orthoptera: Grylloidea).
This paper describes four new species of the superfamily Grylloidea from Yunnan, China, including a new species of Gryllidae: Tarbinskiellus sororius Wang, Zhang Liu sp. nov.; a new species of Mogoplistidae: Ornebius yunnanensis Wang, Zhang Liu sp. nov.; two new species of Trigonidiidae: Homonemobius curifolis Zhang, Wang Liu sp. nov. and [START]Pteronemobius[END] ([START]Pteronemobius[END]) truncates Zhang, Wang Liu sp. nov. In addition, photographs of habitus and genitalia and a distribution map are provided.
",32229843
0,1767269,"Two new species of ground [START]crickets[END] (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae; Nemobiinae) from China.
Here we describe two new species of ground [START]crickets[END] from Yunnan Province, China (Homonemobius brevipennis sp. nov. and [START]Pteronemobius[END] osuviridis sp. nov.). Descriptions, illustrations, and distributions of these new species are provided.
",35391191
0,1767269,"New species of the genera Trigonidium Rambur, 1838 and [START]Pteronemobius[END] Jacobson, 1904 from China (Orthoptera: Grylloidea; Trigonidiidae; Trigonidiinae and Nemobiinae).
We discovery two new species (Trigonidium nigripes sp. nov. and [START]Pteronemobius[END] luojishanensis sp. nov.) of Trigonidiidae (Orthoptera: Grylloidea) from Sichuan Province, China. T. nigripes sp. nov. is distinct by its tegmen slightly bulging smooth and black, bearing false veins, degraded hindwings and similar wing venation of male and female, and P. luojishanensis sp. nov., is distinguished by its male ectoparamere of genitalia bifurcated and epiphallus relatively short. These species are described and illustrated in this article.
",36095486
0,1767269,"The effect of diet quality and wing morph on male and female reproductive investment in a nuptial feeding ground cricket.
A common approach in the study of life-history trade-off evolution is to manipulate the nutrient content of diets during the life of an individual in order observe how the acquisition of resources influences the relationship between reproduction, lifespan and other life-history parameters such as dispersal. Here, we manipulate the quality of diet that replicate laboratory populations received as a thorough test of how diet quality influences the life-history trade-offs associated with reproductive investment in a nuptial feeding Australian ground cricket ([START]Pteronemobius sp[END].). In this species, both males and females make significant contributions to the production of offspring, as males provide a nuptial gift by allowing females to chew on a modified tibial spur during copulation and feed directing on their haemolymph. Individuals also have two distinct wing morphs, a short-winged flightless morph and a long-winged morph that has the ability to disperse. By manipulating the quality of diet over seven generations, we found that the reproductive investment of males and females were affected differently by the diet quality treatment and wing morph of the individual. We discuss the broader implications of these findings including the differences in how males and females balance current and future reproductive effort in nuptial feeding insects, the changing nature of sexual selection when diets vary, and how the life-history trade-offs associated with the ability to disperse are expected to differ among populations.
",18927614
0,1767269,"Involvement of amino acids, opioids, nitric oxide, and NMDA receptors in learning and memory consolidation in [START]crickets[END].
The effect of injections of selected amino acids and of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA); morphine; and NMDA, nitric oxide (NO), and opioid inhibitors given before a maze-learning was investigated. Thirsty [START]crickets[END] ([START]Pteronemobius sp[END]) were trained to turn only to one side of a symmetrical Y-shaped maze using reinforcements with water. The insects retained the learned task 24 h later. N2 anoxia applied immediately after training produced retrograde amnesia. Injections of alanine (Ala), arginine (Arg), glutamine (Gln), morphine, or NMDA prior to training blocked the amnesic action of anoxia. Naloxone, an opioid antagonist, blocked long-term memory formation, but not learning, whereas hemoglobin or 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV), NO and NMDA antagonists respectively, blocked both. The antiamnesic effect of Morphine and Arg, but not that of Ala or NMDA was blocked by naloxone. The results suggest involvement of NMDA receptors and NO and thus of long-term potentiation phenomena in learning and in memory consolidation, whereas other neuromodulatory systems related to Arg, and opiate receptors, are only involved in memory consolidation.
",7911576
0,1767269,"Amino acids and memory consolidation in the [START]cricket[END]. II: Effect of injected amino acids and opioids on memory.
The effect of injections of selected amino acids on memory, given before a maze-learning, was investigated. Thirsty crickets ([START]Pteronemobius sp[END].) were trained to turn only to one side of a symmetrical Y-shaped maze using reinforcements with water. The insects retained the learned task 24 hr later. N2 anoxia applied immediately after training produced retrograde amnesia. Injections of Ala, Arg, Gln or morphine prior to training blocked the amnesic action of anoxia, whereas those of Cys, Met, Pro, Orn, octopamine or naloxone did not. Naloxone blocked long-term memory formation, but not learning, whereas Pro and Orn blocked both. The antiamnesic effect of morphine and Arg, but not that of Ala, was blocked by naloxone. A hypothesis assigning a neuromodulatory role to some amino acids is put forward.
",2107553
0,1767269,"Amino acids and memory consolidation in the [START]cricket[END]. I: Changes in the titer of free amino acids in nervous tissue after learning.
The involvement of certain amino acids in the memory consolidation process was investigated in the [START]cricket[END] [START]Pteronemobius sp[END]. Thirsty crickets were trained to constantly turn to one side of a symmetrical Y-shaped maze using reinforcement with water. Controls were trained to turn to both sides of the maze according to a random program. Animals were sacrificed immediately after training and free amino acid fractions were isolated from whole brain, subesophagic, prothoracic, mesothoracic and metathoracic ganglia homogenates and analyzed by high pressure liquid chromatography. A complex pattern of variation in the titer of amino acids emerged after learning, where the changes differed among the various ganglia. The most conspicuous change was an increase in the levels of urea and an amino acid-like compound related to the urea cycle, in all ganglia except the subesophagic one, if compared to controls. Arginine increased in the subesophagic ganglion, but decreased significantly in the metathoracic ganglion. The variation of ganglionic amino acid levels and its possible relation to mnemonic processes is discussed.
",2315350
0,1767269,"The first annotated checklist of Croatian [START]crickets[END] and grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Ensifera, Caelifera).
The first annotated checklist of [START]crickets[END] and grasshoppers (Orthoptera) of Croatia is presented. With 184 orthopteran species, 103 Ensifera and 81 Caelifera, known to inhabit the country, Croatia is among the richest European countries in terms of Orthoptera diversity. Altogether 25 species erroneously reported from the country are omitted from the checklist, 16 Ensifera (Isophya speciosa, Poecilimon brunneri, P. jonicus, P. thoracicus, Modestana ebneri, Pachytrachis bosniacus, Rhacocleis neglecta, Tessellana carinata, T. nigrosignata, Zeuneriana marmorata, Pteronemobius lineolatus, Myrmecophilus acervorum, M. ochraceus, Dolichopoda palpata, Diestrammena asynamora, Troglophilus brevicauda) and 9 Caelifera (Tetrix kraussi, Paracaloptenus caloptenoides, Chorthippus albomarginatus, Omocestus viridulus, Pseudochorthippus montanus, Miramella alpina, Celes variabilis, Oedipoda germanica, O. miniata). First faunistic records of 10 taxa are reported for Croatia, in total four Ensifera (Leptophyes punctatissima, Metrioptera hoermanni, Zeuneriana amplipennis, Gryllotalpa sp.) and six Caelifera (Xya variegata, Chorthippus dichrous, C. loratus, C. mollis ignifer, Odontopodisma sp., Acrotylus l. longipes). For each listed species, its distribution in Croatia and in Europe is given, and IUCN European Red List status is shown for species within threatened categories. Numerous distributional, taxonomic and nomenclatural problems are discussed. Several taxa with poorly defined diagnostic traits are synonymized, namely Gampsocleis abbreviata renei syn.nov. (with G. a. abbreviata), Pholidoptera maritima syn.nov. (with P. dalmatica), P. brachynota syn.nov. (with P. dalmatica), Acrida m. mediterranea syn.nov. (with A. u. ungarica), Chrysochraon dispar intermedius syn.nov. (with C. d. giganteus) and Odontopodisma rammei syn.nov. (with O. fallax).
",30647341
0,1767269,"Amino acid levels during learning and memory consolidation of an aversive conditioning task in crickets.
We followed the titer of free amino acids in nervous ganglia and hemolymph of the [START]cricket[END] [START]Pteronemobius sp[END]. at different times during and after a shock avoidance training that included one experimental group and three controls. The results showed that Tau, urea, Thr, His, GABA, and an unidentified compound (Q) increased their titer in ganglia and hemolymph during training, whereas Ala, Arg, Val, Glu, Ser, and one or all of the group formed by Cys, Phe, Ile, Leu, and Trp decreased theirs concomitantly to memory consolidation. The difference in the rate of experimental insects and their yoked slaves to consolidate the learned task was reflected in the changes of the titers of the amino acids mentioned above. The data add to the evidence for a direct involvement of these amino acids in modulating the memory consolidation process.
",1409806
0,7227,"Gut-associated microbes of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
There is growing interest in using [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] to elucidate mechanisms that underlie the complex relationships between a host and its microbiota. In addition to the many genetic resources and tools [START]Drosophila[END] provides, its associated microbiota is relatively simple (1-30 taxa), in contrast to the complex diversity associated with vertebrates (> 500 taxa). These attributes highlight the potential of this system to dissect the complex cellular and molecular interactions that occur between a host and its microbiota. In this review, we summarize what is known regarding the composition of gut-associated microbes of [START]Drosophila[END] and their impact on host physiology. We also discuss these interactions in the context of their natural history and ecology and describe some recent insights into mechanisms by which [START]Drosophila[END] and its gut microbiota interact.
",22572876
0,7227,"Cellular basis and developmental timing in a size cline of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
We examined 20 [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] populations collected from a 2600-km north-south transect in Australia. In laboratory culture at constant temperature and standard larval density, a genetic cline in thorax length and wing area was found, with both traits increasing with latitude. The cline in wing area was based on clines in both cell size and cell number, but was primarily determined by changes in cell number. Body size and larval development time were not associated among populations. We discuss our results in the context of selection processes operating in natural and experimental populations.
",7498744
0,7227,"Encapsulation ability of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]: a genetic analysis.
Insects are able to effectively recognize parasitoid eggs or larvae and to eliminate them by formation of a hemocytic capsule. Although the cellular process is now well documented, the genetic aspects of recognition of foreignness and the encapsulation process are still poorly understood. Experiments using the isofemale-strain method showed that the encapsulating ability of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] exercised against a parasitic wasp varies within a given population and that this variability is under partial genetic control.
",3926550
0,7227,"Innate antiviral immunity in [START]Drosophila[END].
The study of [START]Drosophila[END], and other genetically tractable insects, has expanded our understanding of innate immunity and more recently antiviral innate mechanisms. The [START]Drosophila[END] antiviral program includes inflammatory signaling cascades as well as antiviral RNA silencing and autophagy. This review will highlight the recent discoveries in antiviral immunity in insects and will reveal some of the lessons learned.
",20137906
0,7227,"Anatomy and Physiology of the Digestive Tract of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
The gastrointestinal tract has recently come to the forefront of multiple research fields. It is now recognized as a major source of signals modulating food intake, insulin secretion and energy balance. It is also a key player in immunity and, through its interaction with microbiota, can shape our physiology and behavior in complex and sometimes unexpected ways. The insect intestine had remained, by comparison, relatively unexplored until the identification of adult somatic stem cells in the [START]Drosophila[END] intestine over a decade ago. Since then, a growing scientific community has exploited the genetic amenability of this insect organ in powerful and creative ways. By doing so, we have shed light on a broad range of biological questions revolving around stem cells and their niches, interorgan signaling and immunity. Despite their relatively recent discovery, some of the mechanisms active in the intestine of flies have already been shown to be more widely applicable to other gastrointestinal systems, and may therefore become relevant in the context of human pathologies such as gastrointestinal cancers, aging, or obesity. This review summarizes our current knowledge of both the formation and function of the [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] digestive tract, with a major focus on its main digestive/absorptive portion: the strikingly adaptable adult midgut.
",30287514
0,7227,"Dissection of oenocytes from adult [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
In [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], as in other insects, a waxy layer on the outer surface of the cuticle, composed primarily of hydrocarbon compounds, provides protection against desiccation and other environmental challenges. Several of these cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) compounds also function as semiochemical signals, and as such mediate pheromonal communications between members of the same species, or in some instances between different species, and influence behavior. Specialized cells referred to as oenocytes are regarded as the primary site for CHC synthesis. However, relatively little is known regarding the involvement of the oenocytes in the regulation of the biosynthetic, transport, and deposition pathways contributing to CHC output. Given the significant role that CHCs play in several aspects of insect biology, including chemical communication, desiccation resistance, and immunity, it is important to gain a greater understanding of the molecular and genetic regulation of CHC production within these specialized cells. The adult oenocytes of [START]D. melanogaster[END] are located within the abdominal integument, and are metamerically arrayed in ribbon-like clusters radiating along the inner cuticular surface of each abdominal segment. In this video article we demonstrate a dissection technique used for the preparation of oenocytes from adult [START]D. melanogaster[END]. Specifically, we provide a detailed step-by-step demonstration of (1) how to fillet prepare an adult [START]Drosophila[END] abdomen, (2) how to identify the oenocytes and discern them from other tissues, and (3) how to remove intact oenocyte clusters from the abdominal integument. A brief experimental illustration of how this preparation can be used to examine the expression of genes involved in hydrocarbon synthesis is included. The dissected preparation demonstrated herein will allow for the detailed molecular and genetic analysis of oenocyte function in the adult [START]fruit fly[END].
",20689503
0,7227,"Gastrulation in [START]Drosophila[END]: the logic and the cellular mechanisms.
The egg contains a set of molecules that can be used to trigger cell-shape changes leading to morphogenetic movements. The temporally and spatially controlled activation of these molecules, and hence the choreography of gastrulation movements, is determined by region-specific expression of transcription factors which turn on a set of downstream targets whose products mediate the successive steps of gastrulation.
",10369659
0,7227,"Interactive effects of social environment, age and sex on immune responses in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Social environments have been shown to have multiple effects on individual immune responses. For example, increased social contact might signal greater infection risk and prompt a prophylactic upregulation of immunity. This differential investment of resources may in part explain why social environments affect ageing and lifespan. Our previous work using [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] showed that single-sex social contact reduced lifespan for both sexes. Here, we assess how social interactions (isolation or contact) affect susceptibility to infection, phagocytotic activity and expression of a subset of immune- and stress-related genes in young and old flies of both sexes. Social contact had a neutral, or even improved, effect on post-infection lifespan in older flies and reduced the expression of stress response genes in females; however, it reduced phagocytotic activity. Overall, the effects of social environment were complex and largely subtle and do not indicate a consistent effect. Together, these findings indicate that social contact in [START]D. melanogaster[END] does not have a predictable impact on immune responses and does not simply trade-off immune investment with lifespan.
",31313398
0,7227,"Insulin signalling mediates the response to male-induced harm in female [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Genetic manipulations in nutrient-sensing pathways are known to both extend lifespan and modify responses to environmental stressors (e.g., starvation, oxidative and thermal stresses), suggesting that similar mechanisms regulate lifespan and stress resistance. However, despite being a key factor reducing female lifespan and affecting female fitness, male-induced harm has rarely been considered as a stressor mediated by nutrient sensing pathways. We explored whether a lifespan-extending manipulation also modifies female resistance to male-induced harm. To do so, we used long-lived female [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] that had their insulin signalling pathway downregulated by genetically ablating the median neurosecretory cells (mNSC). We varied the level of exposure to males for control and ablated females and tested for interacting effects on female lifespan and fitness. As expected, we found that lifespan significantly declined with exposure to males. However, mNSC-ablated females maintained significantly increased lifespan across all male exposure treatments. Furthermore, lifespan extension and relative fitness of mNSC-ablated females were maximized under intermediate exposure to males, and minimized under low and high exposure to males. Overall, our results suggest that wild-type levels of insulin signalling reduce female susceptibility to male-induced harm under intense sexual conflict, and may also protect females when mating opportunities are sub-optimally low.
",27457757
0,7227,"[START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] positive transcriptional elongation factors regulate metabolic and sex-biased expression in adults.
BACKGROUND: Transcriptional elongation is a generic function, but is also regulated to allow rapid transcription responses. Following relatively long initiation and promoter clearance, RNA polymerase II can pause and then rapidly elongate following recruitment of positive elongation factors. Multiple elongation complexes exist, but the role of specific components in adult [START]Drosophila[END] is underexplored. RESULTS: We conducted RNA-seq experiments to analyze the effect of RNAi knockdown of Suppressor of Triplolethal and lilliputian. We similarly analyzed the effect of expressing a dominant negative Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 allele. We observed that almost half of the genes expressed in adults showed reduced expression, supporting a broad role for the three tested genes in steady-state transcript abundance. Expression profiles following lilliputian and Suppressor of Triplolethal RNAi were nearly identical raising the possibility that they are obligatory co-factors. Genes showing reduced expression due to these RNAi treatments were short and enriched for genes encoding metabolic or enzymatic functions. The dominant-negative Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 profiles showed both overlapping and specific differential expression, suggesting involvement in multiple complexes. We also observed hundreds of genes with sex-biased differential expression following treatment. CONCLUSION: Transcriptional profiles suggest that Lilliputian and Suppressor of Triplolethal are obligatory cofactors in the adult and that they can also function with Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 at a subset of loci. Our results suggest that transcriptional elongation control is especially important for rapidly expressed genes to support digestion and metabolism, many of which have sex-biased function.
",28521739
0,7227,"[START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] and the future of 'evo-devo' biology in space. Challenges and problems in the path of an eventual colonization project outside the earth.
Space exploration, especially its future phase involving the International Space Station (ISS) makes possible the study of the effects on living systems of long-term expositions to such a strange environment. This phase is being initiated when Biological Sciences are crossing a no-return line into a new territory where the connection between phenotype and genotype may be finally made. We briefly review the paradoxical results obtained in Space experiments performed during the last third of the XX Century. They reveal that simple unicellular systems sense the absence of gravity changing their cytoskeletal organization and the signal transduction pathways, while animal development proceeds unaltered in these conditions, in spite of the fact that these processes are heavily involved in embryogenesis. Longer-term experiments possible in the ISS may solve this apparent contradiction. On the other hand, the current constraints on the scientific use of the ISS makes necessary the development of new hardware and the modification of current techniques to start taking advantage of this extraordinary technological facility. We discuss our advances in this direction using one of the current key biological model systems, [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. In addition, the future phase of Space exploration, possibly leading to the exploration and, may be, the colonization of another planet, will provide the means of performing interesting evolutionary experiments, studying how the terrestrial biological systems will change in their long-term adaptation to new, very different environments. In this way, Biological Research in Space may contribute to the advancement of the new Biology, in particular to the branch known as ""Evo-Devo"". On the other hand, as much as the Space Adventure will continue involving human beings as the main actors in the play, long-term multi-generation experiments using a fast reproducing species, such as [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], capable of producing more than 300 generations in 15 years, the useful life foreseen for ISS, will be important. Among other useful information, they will help in detecting the possible changes that a biological species may undergo in such an environment, preventing the uncontrolled occurrence of irreversible deleterious effects with catastrophic consequences on the living beings participating in this endeavour.
",14631629
0,7227,"The neuroarchitecture of the circadian clock in the brain of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Neuroethologists try to assign behavioral functions to certain brain centers, if possible down to individual neurons and to the expression of specific genes. This approach has been successfully applied for the control of circadian rhythmic behavior in the [START]fruit fly[END] [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. Several so-called ""clock genes"" are expressed in specific neurons in the lateral and dorsal brain where they generate cell-autonomous molecular circadian oscillations. These clusters are connected with each other and contribute differentially to the control of behavioral rhythmicity. This report reviews the latest work on characterizing individual circadian pacemaker neurons in the [START]fruit fly[END]'s brain that control activity and pupal eclosion, leading to the questions by which neuronal pathways they are synchronized to the external light-dark cycle, and how they impose periodicity on behavior.
",12966496
0,7227,"MachiBase: a [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] 5'-end mRNA transcription database.
MachiBase (http://machibase.gi.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/) provides a comprehensive and freely accessible resource regarding [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] 5'-end mRNA transcription at different developmental states, supporting studies on the variabilities of promoter transcriptional activities and gene-expression profiles in the fruitfly. The data were generated in conjunction with the recently developed high-throughput genome sequencer Illumina/Solexa using a newly developed 5'-end mRNA collection method.
",18842623
0,7227,"Large-scale selective sweep among Segregation Distorter chromosomes in African populations of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Segregation Distorter (SD) is a selfish, coadapted gene complex on chromosome 2 of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] that strongly distorts Mendelian transmission; heterozygous SD/SD(+) males sire almost exclusively SD-bearing progeny. Fifty years of genetic, molecular, and theory work have made SD one of the best-characterized meiotic drive systems, but surprisingly the details of its evolutionary origins and population dynamics remain unclear. Earlier analyses suggested that the SD system arose recently in the Mediterranean basin and then spread to a low, stable equilibrium frequency (1-5%) in most natural populations worldwide. In this report, we show, first, that SD chromosomes occur in populations in sub-Saharan Africa, the ancestral range of [START]D. melanogaster[END], at a similarly low frequency (approximately 2%), providing evidence for the robustness of its equilibrium frequency but raising doubts about the Mediterranean-origins hypothesis. Second, our genetic analyses reveal two kinds of SD chromosomes in Africa: inversion-free SD chromosomes with little or no transmission advantage; and an African-endemic inversion-bearing SD chromosome, SD-Mal, with a perfect transmission advantage. Third, our population genetic analyses show that SD-Mal chromosomes swept across the African continent very recently, causing linkage disequilibrium and an absence of variability over 39% of the length of the second chromosome. Thus, despite a seemingly stable equilibrium frequency, SD chromosomes continue to evolve, to compete with one another, or evade suppressors in the genome.
",19412335
0,7227,"Evidence that natural selection maintains genetic variation for sleep in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
BACKGROUND: [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] often shows correlations between latitude and phenotypic or genetic variation on different continents, which suggests local adaptation with respect to a heterogeneous environment. Previous phenotypic analyses of latitudinal clines have investigated mainly physiological, morphological, or life-history traits. Here, we studied latitudinal variation in sleep in [START]D. melanogaster[END] populations from North and Central America. In parallel, we used RNA-seq to identify interpopulation gene expression differences. RESULTS: We found that in [START]D. melanogaster[END] the average nighttime sleep bout duration exhibits a latitudinal cline such that sleep bouts of equatorial populations are roughly twice as long as those of temperate populations. Interestingly, this pattern of latitudinal variation is not observed for any daytime measure of activity or sleep. We also found evidence for geographic variation for sunrise anticipation. Our RNA-seq experiment carried out on heads from a low and high latitude population identified a large number of gene expression differences, most of which were time dependent. Differentially expressed genes were enriched in circadian regulated genes and enriched in genes potentially under spatially varying selection. CONCLUSION: Our results are consistent with a mechanistic and selective decoupling of nighttime and daytime activity. Furthermore, the present study suggests that natural selection plays a major role in generating transcriptomic variation associated with circadian behaviors. Finally, we identified genomic variants plausibly causally associated with the observed behavioral and transcriptomic variation.
",25887180
0,7227,"Sexual activity increases resistance against Pseudomonas entomophila in male [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
BACKGROUND: Maintenance and deployment cost of immunity is high, therefore, it is expected to trade-off with other high cost traits like sexual activity. Previous studies with [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] show that male's ability to clear bacteria decreases with increase in sexual activity. We subjected this idea to test using two pathogens (Pseudomonas entomophila and Staphylococcus succinus) and three different populations of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. RESULTS: We found that sexual activity enhanced male survivorship in a pathogen specific manner. Sexually active males show higher resistance than virgins upon infection with Pseudomonas entomophila. Interestingly, the beneficial effects of sexual activity increased with time of co-habitation with females and declined when access to females was restricted. We observed no change in male survivorship upon experimentally varying the number of sexual interactions. CONCLUSION: Our results show that the sexual activity-immunity trade-off in males cannot be generalised. The trade-off is potentially mediated through complex interactions between the host, pathogen and the environment experienced by the host.
",24010544
0,7227,"Physiological and metabolic consequences of viral infection in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
An extensively used model system for investigating anti-pathogen defence and innate immunity involves Drosophila C virus (DCV) and [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. While there has been a significant effort to understand infection consequences at molecular and genetic levels, an understanding of fundamental higher-level physiology of this system is lacking. Here, we investigate the metabolic rate, locomotory activity, dry mass and water content of adult male flies injected with DCV, measured over the 4 days prior to virus-induced mortality. DCV infection resulted in multiple pathologies, notably the depression of metabolic rate beginning 2 days post-infection as a response to physiological stress. Even in this depressed metabolic state, infected flies did not decrease their activity until 1 day prior to mortality, which further suggests that cellular processes and synthesis are disrupted because of viral infection. Growth rate was also reduced, indicating that energy partitioning is altered as infection progresses. Microbial infection in insects typically results in an increase in excretion; however, water appeared to be retained in DCV-infected flies. We hypothesise that this is due to a fluid intake-output imbalance due to disrupted transport signalling and a reduced rate of metabolic processing. Furthermore, infected flies had a reduced rate of respiration as a consequence of metabolic depression, which minimised water loss, and the excess mass as a result of water retention is concurrent with impaired locomotory ability. These findings contribute to developing a mechanistic understanding of how pathologies accumulate and lead to mortality in infected flies. 
",23685974
0,7227,"The morphogenesis of spermathecae and spermathecal glands in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Sperm storage in female insects is important for reproductive success and sperm competition. In [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] females, sperm viability during storage is dependent upon secretions produced by spermathecae and parovaria. Class III dermal glands are present in both structures. Spermathecal glands are initially comprised of a three-cell unit that is refined to a single secretory cell in the adult. It encapsulates an end-apparatus joining to a cuticular duct passing secretions to the spermathecal lumen. We have examined spermatheca morphogenesis using DIC and fluorescence microscopy. In agreement with a recent study, cell division ceases by 36 h after puparium formation (APF). Immunostaining of the plasma membrane at this stage demonstrates that gland cells wrap around the developing end-apparatus and each other. By 48-60 h APF, the secretory cell exhibits characteristic adult morphology of an enlarged nucleus and extracellular reservoir. A novel finding is the presence of an extracellular reservoir in the basal support cell that is continuous with the secretory cell reservoir. Some indication of early spermathecal gland formation is evident in the division of enlarged cells lying adjacent to the spermathecal lumen at 18 h APF and in cellular processes that bind clusters of cells between 24 and 30 h APF.
",23872109
0,7227,"Genetic variation in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] pathogen susceptibility.
Genetic variation in susceptibility to pathogens is a central concern both to evolutionary and medical biologists, and for the implementation of biological control programmes. We have investigated the extent of such variation in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], a major model organism for immunological research. We found that within populations, different [START]Drosophila[END] genotypes show wide-ranging variation in their ability to survive infection with the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. Furthermore, striking divergence in susceptibility has occurred between genotypes from temperate and tropical African locations. We hypothesize that this may have been driven by adaptation to local differences in pathogen exposure or host ecology. Genetic variation within populations may be maintained by temporal or spatial variation in the costs and benefits of pathogen defence. Insect pathogens are employed widely as biological control agents and entomopathogenic fungi are currently being developed for reducing malaria transmission by mosquitoes. Our data highlight the need for concern about resistance evolution to these novel biopesticides in vector populations.
",16497252
0,7227,"Stress tolerance and metabolic response to stress in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
A potentially important physiological response to stress may be alteration in the gross regulation of energy metabolism. Different genotypes may respond differently to environmental stress, and the variation in these norms of reaction may be of key importance to the maintenance of genetic variation in metabolic traits. In the study reported here, a set of genetically defined lines of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] were exposed to four stresses (acetic acid, ethanol, starvation and thermal stress) in order to assess the magnitude of environmental effects and genotype x environment interactions. In addition to scoring metabolic traits, distributions of survival times under each stress were also quantified. Although both metabolic traits and survival times exhibited strong differences among genotypes, the correlations between enzyme traits and survival were generally weak. Many of the genetic correlations exhibit significant heterogeneity across environments. The results suggest that transient environmental stress may play an important role in the evolution of this highly intercorrelated set of metabolic traits.
",9881451
0,7227,"FlyBase: a [START]Drosophila[END] database.
FlyBase (http://flybase.bio.indiana.edu/) is a comprehensive database of genetic and molecular data concerning [START]Drosophila[END] . FlyBase is maintained as a relational database (in Sybase) and is made available as html documents and flat files. The scope of FlyBase includes: genes, alleles (with phenotypes), aberrations, transposons, pointers to sequence data, gene products, maps, clones, stock lists, [START]Drosophila[END] workers and bibliographic references.
",9399806
0,7227,"Inbreeding effects on standard metabolic rate investigated at cold, benign and hot temperatures in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Inbreeding increases homozygosity, which is known to affect the mean and variance of fitness components such as growth, fecundity and mortality rate. Across inbred lines inbreeding depression is typically observed and the variance between lines is increased in inbred compared to outbred lines. It has been suggested that damage incurred from increased homozygosity entails energetic cost associated with cellular repair. However, little is known about the effects of inbreeding on standard metabolic rate. Using stop-flow respirometry we performed repeated measurements of metabolic rate in replicated lines of inbred and outbred [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] at stressful low, benign and stressful high temperatures. The lowest measurements of metabolic rate in our study are always associated with the low activity period of the diurnal cycle and these measurements therefore serve as good estimates of standard metabolic rate. Due to the potentially added costs of genetic stress in inbred lines we hypothesized that inbred individuals have increased metabolic rate compared to outbred controls and that this is more pronounced at stressful temperatures due to synergistic inbreeding by environment interactions. Contrary to our hypothesis we found no significant difference in metabolic rate between inbred and outbred lines and no interaction between inbreeding and temperature. Inbreeding however effected the variance; the variance in metabolic rate was higher between the inbred lines compared to the outbred control lines with some inbred lines having very high or low standard metabolic rate. Thus genetic drift and not inbreeding per se seem to explain variation in metabolic rate in populations of different size. 
",24456661
0,7227,"How commensal microbes shape the physiology of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
The interactions between animals and their commensal microbes profoundly influence the host's physiology. In the last decade, [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] has been extensively used as a model to study host-commensal microbes interactions. Here, we review the most recent advances in this field. We focus on studies that extend our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of commensal microbes on [START]Drosophila[END]'s development and lifespan. We emphasize how commensal microbes influence nutrition and the intestinal epithelium homeostasis; how they elicit immune tolerance mechanisms and how these physiological processes are interconnected. Finally, we discuss the importance of diets and microbial strains and show how they can be confounding factors of microbe mediated host phenotypes.
",32836177
0,7227,"[START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] as an experimental organism.
The [START]fruit fly[END] [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] has been used as an experimental organism in studies of genetics since the early 1900s. It is now widely used not only in classical and molecular genetics but also, with many new biochemical, cell biological, and physiological techniques, to research problems requiring a multidisciplinary approach, such as those of developmental biology and neurobiology.
",3131880
0,7227,"Locomotor performance of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]: interactions among developmental and adult temperatures, age, and geography.
We explored the extent to which a phenotypic trait (walking speed) of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] is influenced by population, developmental temperature, adult temperature, and age. Our goals were to estimate the importance of these factors and to test the beneficial acclimation hypothesis. We measured speed of flies from two populations (the Congo and France) that developed at different temperatures (18, 25, and 29 degrees C) and were tested at different temperatures (18, 25, and 29 degrees C) and ages (2, 7, 13 days). Not surprisingly, speed increased strongly with test temperature. Speed was generally greatest for flies reared at an intermediate developmental temperature, contrary to the beneficial acclimation hypothesis, which predicts that speed would be greatest when influenced by interactions involving population. For example, speed was greatest for flies from France that developed at a low temperature, but for flies from the Congo that developed at a high temperature. The impact of developmental temperature declined with age. Surprisingly, speed actually increased with age for flies raised and maintained at a low temperature, but decreased with age for flies raised and maintained at an intermediate or at a high temperature. Thus, walking performance is highly dynamic phenotypically, complicating potential attempts to predict responses to selection on performance.
",11263741
0,7227,"[Symbiotic bacteria, which modify reproduction processes of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]].
Cytoplasmic bacteria-symbionts are actively investigated all over the world for the last ten years. The scale of their spreading in natural and laboratory populations of invertebrates, especially arthropods, is impressing scientists' imagination. Ways of their intraspecific and interspecific transmission are various. The nature and mechanisms of their interaction both between themselves and with their hosts are extremely diverse. Cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, male-killing, feminization, tissue degeneration and others are those phenotypic effects, which intracellular bacteria can cause in their hosts. Moreover, the same bacterium can have diverse influences on different hosts. So it is possible to talk about many-sidedness of endosymbiont interaction with a host, which is determined both by bacterium and host biology. However, majority of phenotypic effects is directed to the successful colonization of hosts' populations by increasing the number of infected females. Alas, the mechanisms of interaction are still not enough investigated. Besides, intracellular bacteria-symbionts can be one of the factors of the so-called ""infectious species formation"". In any investigation, model organisms, [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] belonging to them, take a special place. Among [START]drosophila[END]'s endosymbionts, only bacteria from genera Wolbachia, Spiroplasma and Cardinium were broadly investigated: their spreading in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] populations all over the world, the infecting level and those phenotypic effects, which they can cause. So this review is dedicated to analysis of these studies.
",21598659
0,7227,"Quantitative Bioimaging to Investigate the Uptake of Mercury Species in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
The uptake of mercury species in the model organism [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] was investigated by elemental bioimaging using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). The mercury distribution in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] was analyzed for the three species mercury(II) chloride, methylmercury chloride, and thimerosal after intoxication. A respective analytical method was developed and applied to the analysis of the entire [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] first, before a particular focus was directed to the cerebral areas of larvae and adult flies. For quantification of mercury, matrix-matched standards based on gelatin were prepared. Challenges of spatially dissolved mercury determination, namely, strong evaporation issues of the analytes and an inhomogeneous distribution of mercury in the standards due to interactions with cysteine containing proteins of the gelatin were successfully addressed by complexation with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). No mercury was detected in the cerebral region for mercury(II) chloride, whereas both organic species showed the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Quantitatively, the mercury level in the brain exceeded the fed concentration indicating mercury enrichment, which was approximately 3 times higher for methylmercury chloride than for thimerosal. 
",26424032
0,7227,"A rehabilitation of the genetic map of the 84B-D region in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
A reanalysis of the 84B3 to 84D3,5 region of the polytene chromosomes of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] has led to the identification and localization of 16 genes. These genes include 11 vital loci, four genes exhibiting nonlethal visible mutant phenotypes and one gene encoding a nonessential enzyme. The identity of the gene products of two of the vital genes has been determined to be alpha-tubulin and glucose dehydrogenase (Gld). Three newly identified genes, sticking (stk), half out (hat) and trapped (ted), as well as Gld are required for eclosion. Among the nonessential genes are roughened eye (roe) and ruffed eye (rue), which affect eye texture. The roe phenotype is greatly enhanced by deletions that simultaneously remove roe and an unidentified locus in 84E. Mutations in another nonessential gene, rotund (rn), are characterized by pattern deletions of most adult appendages.
",3095179
0,7227,"Life-history traits of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] populations exhibiting early and late eclosion chronotypes.
BACKGROUND: The hypothesis that circadian clocks confer adaptive advantage to organisms has been proposed based on its ubiquity across almost all levels of complexity and organization of life-forms. This thought has received considerable attention, and studies employing diverse strategies have attempted to investigate it. However, only a handful of them have examined how selection for circadian clock controlled rhythmic behaviors influences life-history traits which are known to influence Darwinian fitness. The 'early' and 'late' chronotypes are amongst the most widely studied circadian phenotypes; however, life-history traits associated with these chronotypes, and their consequences on Darwinian fitness remain largely unexplored, primarily due to the lack of a suitable model system. Here we studied several life-history traits of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] populations that were subjected to laboratory selection for morning (early) and evening (late) emergence. RESULTS: We report that the late eclosion chronotypes evolved longer pre-adult duration as compared to the early eclosion chronotypes both under light/dark (LD) and constant dark (DD) conditions, and these differences appear to be mediated by both clock dependent and independent mechanisms. Furthermore, longer pre-adult duration in the late chronotypes does not lead to higher body-mass at pupariation or eclosion, but the late females were significantly more fecund and lived significantly shorter as compared to the early females. CONCLUSIONS: Coevolution of multiple life-history traits in response to selection on timing of eclosion highlights correlations of the genetic architecture governing timing of eclosion with that of fitness components which suggests that timing ecologically relevant behaviors at specific time of the day might confer adaptive advantage.
",26922082
0,7227,"The effect of inbreeding on fluctuating asymmetry of wing veins in two laboratory strains of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Many authors have proposed that inbreeding destabilizes developmental processes. This destabilization may be reflected by increased fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in inbred compared to relatively outbred populations, but many studies have failed to find such differences. We measured the left and right wings of a large number of individual [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] from two genetically distinct populations to estimate changes in FA caused by inbreeding. The large sample size and experimental design allowed removal of potentially confounding directional asymmetry (DA) and measurement error terms. Trait means in the two populations were essentially unchanged by inbreeding (less than 0.5% smaller in both populations). Inbred lines showed higher signed FA variances (16 and 38% higher, significantly so in one population) and higher unsigned FA means (3.7 and 13.2%, significantly increased in one population). Significant DA was found in both populations, although the pattern differed between populations. DA did not change due to inbreeding.
",19277055
0,7227,"Latitudinal clines in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]: body size, allozyme frequencies, inversion frequencies, and the insulin-signalling pathway.
Many latitudinal clines exist in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]: in adult body size, in allele frequency at allozyme loci, and in frequencies of common cosmopolitan inversions. The question is raised whether these latitudinal clines are causally related. This review aims to connect data from two very different fields of study, evolutionary biology and cell biology, in explaining such natural genetic variation in [START]D. melanogaster[END] body size and development time. It is argued that adult body size clines, inversion frequency clines, and clines in allele frequency at loci involved in glycolysis and glycogen storage are part of the same adaptive strategy. Selection pressure is expected to differ at opposite ends of the clines. At high latitudes, selection on [START]D. melanogaster[END] would favour high larval growth rate at low temperatures, and resource storage in adults to survive winter. At low latitudes selection would favour lower larval critical size to survive crowding, and increased male activity leading to high male reproductive success. Studies of the insulin-signalling pathway in [START]D. melanogaster[END] point to the involvement of this pathway in metabolism and adult body size. The genes involved in the insulin-signalling pathway are associated with common cosmopolitan inversions that show latitudinal clines. Each chromosome region connected with a large common cosmopolitan inversion possesses a gene of the insulin transmembrane complex, a gene of the intermediate pathway and a gene of the TOR branch. The hypothesis is presented that temperate [START]D. melanogaster[END] populations have a higher frequency of a 'thrifty' genotype corresponding to high insulin level or high signal level, while tropical populations possess a more 'spendthrift' genotype corresponding to low insulin or low signal level.
",15133196
0,7227,"Reproductive fitness of [START]Drosophila[END] is maximised by optimal developmental temperature.
Whether the character of developmental plasticity is adaptive or non-adaptive has often been a matter of controversy. Although thermal developmental plasticity has been studied in [START]Drosophila[END] for several traits, it is not entirely clear how it affects reproductive fitness. We, therefore, investigated how developmental temperature affects reproductive performance (early fecundity and egg-to-adult viability) of wild-caught [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] We tested competing hypotheses on the character of developmental thermal plasticity using a full-factorial design with three developmental and adulthood temperatures within the natural thermal range of this species. To account for potential intraspecific differences, we examined flies from tropical (India) and temperate (Slovakia) climate zones. Our results show that flies from both populations raised at an intermediate developmental temperature (25 C) have comparable or higher early fecundity and fertility at all tested adulthood temperatures, while lower (17 C) or higher developmental temperatures (29 C) did not entail any advantage under the tested thermal regimes. Importantly, the superior thermal performance of flies raised at 25 C is apparent even after taking two traits positively associated with reproductive output into account: body size and ovariole number. Thus, in [START]D. melanogaster[END], development at a given temperature does not necessarily provide any advantage in this thermal environment in terms of reproductive fitness. Our findings strongly support the optimal developmental temperature hypothesis, which states that in different thermal environments, the highest fitness is achieved when an organism is raised at its optimal developmental temperature.
",31064855
0,7227,"Sexual conflict in wing size and shape in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Intralocus sexual conflict occurs when opposing selection pressures operate on loci expressed in both sexes, constraining the evolution of sexual dimorphism and displacing one or both sexes from their optimum. We eliminated intralocus conflict in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] by limiting transmission of all major chromosomes to males, thereby allowing them to win the intersexual tug-of-war. Here, we show that this male-limited (ML) evolution treatment led to the evolution (in both sexes) of masculinized wing morphology, body size, growth rate, wing loading, and allometry. In addition to more male-like size and shape, ML evolution resulted in an increase in developmental stability for males. However, females expressing ML chromosomes were less developmentally stable, suggesting that being ontogenetically more male-like was disruptive to development. We suggest that sexual selection over size and shape of the imago may therefore explain the persistence of substantial genetic variation in these characters and the ontogenetic processes underlying them.
",20695965
0,7227,"The effects of genetic background on exercise performance in [START]Drosophila[END].
The use of the [START]Drosophila[END] model for studying the broad beneficial effects of exercise training has grown over the past decade. As work using [START]Drosophila[END] as an exercise model becomes more widespread, the influence of genetic background on performance should be examined in order to better understand its influence on assessments used to quantitatively measure and compare exercise phenotypes. In this article, we review the various methods of exercise training [START]Drosophila[END], and the performance of different wild-type [START]Drosophila[END] strains on various physiological assessments of exercise response. We conclude by summarizing the performance trends of commonly used strains.
",33100141
0,7227,"Dynamic changes in ejaculatory bulb size during [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] aging and mating.
The ejaculatory bulb of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] males produces proteins and pheromones that play important roles in reproduction. This tissue is also the final mixing site for the ejaculate before transfer to the female. The ejaculatory bulb's dynamics remain largely unstudied. By microscopy of the ejaculatory bulb in maturing adult males, we observed that the ejaculatory bulb expands in size as males age. Moreover, we document that when males mate, their ejaculatory bulb expands further as ejaculate transfer begins, and then contracts halfway through the course of mating as ejaculate transfer finishes. Although there is some male-to-male variation in the timing of these changes, ultimately the tissue changes in a predictable pattern that gives insight into the active mating process in [START]Drosophila[END].
",29634921
0,7227,"Care and feeding of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
The information provided here should allow you to begin working with [START]Drosophila[END]. Mine your colleagues for alternative approaches, improvements, and refinements and develop your own. If you find a new and better way to do any aspect of fly work, take the time to share it with your colleagues through bionet.[START]drosophila[END] or DIN.
",7707948
0,7227,"Preadult parental diet affects offspring development and metabolism in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
When [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] larvae are reared on isocaloric diets differing in their amounts of protein relative to sugar, emerging adults exhibit significantly different development times and metabolic pools of protein, glycogen and trigylcerides. In the current study, we show that the influence of larval diet experienced during just one generation extends into the next generation, even when that subsequent generation had been shifted to a standard diet during development. Offspring of flies that were reared on high protein relative to sugar underwent metamorphosis significantly faster, had higher reproductive outputs, and different metabolic pool contents compared to the offspring of adults from low protein relative to sugar diets. In addition, isofemale lines differed in the degree to which parental effects were observed, suggesting a genetic component to the observed transgenerational influences.
",23555695
0,7227,"Calcium homeostasis in larval and adult [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Calcium homeostasis in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] was examined in response to the challenges imposed by growth, reproduction and variations in dietary calcium content. Turnover time for calcium, calculated as the time for (45)Ca(2+)to accumulate to half the steady state value of 3.46 nmol/fly, was 3.3 days. Although larvae weighed 2x as much as adults, they contained 3-4x as much calcium. Anterior Malpighian tubules (Mts) contain much more calcium than posterior Mts, accounting for 25-30% of the calcium content of the whole fly. In response to a 6.2-fold increase in dietary calcium level, calcium content of whole flies increased only 10%. Hemolymph calcium concentration ( approximately 0.5 mM) was similar in males and females and in animals raised on diets differing in calcium content. Fluid secretion rate, secreted fluid calcium concentration, and transepithelial calcium flux in tubules isolated from flies raised on high and low calcium diets did not differ significantly. Malpighian tubules secrete calcium at rates sufficient to eliminate whole body calcium content in 0.5 and 3 days for tubules secreting fluid at basal and maximal rates, respectively. It is suggested that flies absorb high quantities of calcium from the diet and maintain homeostasis through the combined effects of elimination of calcium in fluid secreted by the Malpighian tubules and the sequestration of calcium in granules, especially within the distal segment of the anterior pair of Malpighian tubules.
",10790183
0,7227,"A genetic and developmental analysis of mutations in the Deformed locus in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Individuals expressing recessive mutations in the Deformed (Dfd) locus of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] were examined for embryonic and adult defects. Mutant embryos were examined in both scanning electron microscope and light microscope preparations. The adult Dfd recessive mutant phenotype was assessed in somatic clones and in survivors homozygous for hypomorphic alleles of the gene. The time of Dfd+ action was determined by studying a temperature conditional allele. Dfd+ is required in three embryonic cephalic segments to form a normal head. Mutant embryos of Dfd display defects in derivatives of the maxillary segment, of the mandibular segment, and of some more anterior segments. In the adult fly, defects are seen in the posterior aspect of the head when the gene is mutant. A transformation from head to thoracic-like tissue is seen dorsally and a deletion of structures is seen ventrally. Shift studies utilizing a temperature conditional allele have shown that the gene product is necessary during at least two periods of development, during embryonic segmentation and head involution and during the late larval and pupal stages. From these studies we conclude that Dfd is a homeotic gene necessary for proper specification of both the embryonic and the adult head.
",3109984
0,7227,"[START]Drosophila[END] neuroblast asymmetric divisions: cell cycle regulators, asymmetric protein localization, and tumorigenesis.
Over the past decade, many of the key components of the genetic machinery that regulate the asymmetric division of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] neural progenitors, neuroblasts, have been identified and their functions elucidated. Studies over the past two years have shown that many of these identified components act to regulate the self-renewal versus differentiation decision and appear to function as tumor suppressors during larval nervous system development. In this paper, we highlight the growing number of molecules that are normally considered to be key regulators of cell cycle events/progression that have recently been shown to impinge on the neuroblast asymmetric division machinery to control asymmetric protein localization and/or the decision to self-renew or differentiate.
",18209103
0,7227,"The role of commensal microbes in the lifespan of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Commensal microbes have mutualistic relationships with their host and mainly live in the host intestine. There are many studies on the relationships between commensal microbes and host physiology. However, there are inconsistent results on the effects of commensal microbes on host lifespan. To clarify this controversy, we generated axenic flies by using two controlled methods - bleaching and antibiotic treatment - and investigated the relationship between the commensal microbes and host lifespan in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. The removal of microbes by using bleaching and antibiotic treatments without detrimental effects increased fly lifespan. Furthermore, a strain of flies colonized with a high load of microbiota showed a greater effect on lifespan extension when the microbes were eliminated, suggesting that commensal bacteria abundance may be a critical determinant of host lifespan. Consistent with those observations, microbial flora of aged fly gut significantly decreased axenic fly lifespan via an increase in bacterial load rather than through a change of bacterial composition. Our elaborately controlled experiments showed that the elimination of commensal microbes without detrimental side effects increased fly lifespan, and that bacterial load was a significant determinant of lifespan. Furthermore, our results indicate the presence of a deterministic connection between commensal microbes and host lifespan.
",31299010
0,7227,"The indole alkaloid tryptamine impairs reproduction in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
The plant-produced indole alkaloid tryptamine is one of a large array of neuroactive substances that may affect insect behavior, development, and physiology. We tested the role of tryptamine on insect reproduction using the [START]fruit fly[END], [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] (Meigen), as a model system. Measurements were made of reproductive success, oviposition rate, and preadult survival of insects on artificial diets containing tryptamine, its precursor tryptophan, as well as glycine and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine). [START]Drosophila[END] reproduction was reduced to 15% of controls when adult insects mated and the young were allowed to develop on medium containing 75 mM tryptamine. Tryptamine-induced depression in reproductive success was due to decreased oviposition rate and preadult survival. Serotonin, but not tryptophan or glycine, also reduced oviposition rate. Preference tests indicated that tryptamine may act as an antiattractant or antifeedant in this species. The accumulation of the indole alkaloid tryptamine in plants may provide a mechanism for reducing insect reproduction, which is potentially useful in protecting crop plants.
",9725032
0,7227,"Neurogenetics of female reproductive behaviors in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
We follow an adult [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] female through the major reproductive decisions she makes during her lifetime, including habitat selection, precopulatory mate choice, postcopulatory physiological changes, polyandry, and egg-laying site selection. In the process, we review the molecular and neuronal mechanisms allowing females to integrate signals from both environmental and social sources to produce those behavioral outputs. We pay attention to how an understanding of [START]D. melanogaster[END] female reproductive behaviors contributes to a wider understanding of evolutionary processes such as pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection as well as sexual conflict. Within each section, we attempt to connect the theories that pertain to the evolution of female reproductive behaviors with the molecular and neurobiological data that support these theories. We draw attention to the fact that the evolutionary and mechanistic basis of female reproductive behaviors, even in a species as extensively studied as [START]D. melanogaster[END], remains poorly understood. 
",24880733
0,7227,"Sensitivity to ether anesthesia and to gamma-rays in mutagen-sensitive strains of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
An ether-resistant strain of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], Eth-29, has previously been found to be radiosensitive. Some mutagen-sensitive strains are known to be hypersensitive to X-rays in larvae. The correlation between sensitivities to ether anesthesia and to gamma-rays was examined in adult flies of 12 mutagen-sensitive strains and 6 control strains. A wide variation in sensitivities to ether anesthesia, gamma-ray knock-down and gamma-ray lethality was demonstrated. No correlation between DNA-repair capacity and ether sensitivity or gamma-ray knock-down sensitivity was shown. Only mei-9 and mus201, which are deficient in excision repair, as well as Eth-29 were found to be sensitive to gamma-ray lethality. These findings indicate that the targets for ether anesthesia, knock-down and lethality may be different. Lethality appears to be caused by DNA damage, while the other 2 endpoints appear not to be related to DNA damage.
",2105463
0,7227,"Bacteria-induced sexual isolation in [START]Drosophila[END].
Commensal bacteria can induce sexual isolation between populations of [START]Drosophila[END]. This phenomenon has implications for speciation, and raises questions about its behavioral and developmental mechanisms, which are not yet known. In this Extra View, we discuss related work by others, bearing directly on these issues, and we speculate about how bacteria might influence fly behavior. There are many reports of interaction between [START]Drosophila[END] and their microbiota that significantly impacts mating preferences. Sexual isolation can be enhanced or reduced by altering the culture media, or the microbiota inhabiting those media. More dramatically, the endoparasite Wolbachia has induced strong mate preferences in some instances. While a sudden, ecologically induced shift in mating preferences falls far short of the changes required for speciation, it might be a first step in that direction. We hypothesize that bacteria-induced sexual isolation is caused by chemosensory cues. In our experiments, bacteria altered the profile of cuticular hydrocarbons, which function as sex pheromones. Commensal bacteria may act directly on these hydrocarbons, or they may affect their synthesis. Alternatively, bacterial metabolites might perfume the flies in ways that affect mate choice. In that event, habituation or conditioning likely plays a role.
",21525789
0,7227,"Regulative interactions between cells from different imaginal disks of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
The regulative behavior of cells from the imaginal wing disk of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] can be modified by interaction with cells from different disk types. Both thoracic and nonthoracic disks are able to interact, but there are major differences in the effectiveness of interaction. The finding lends experimental support to the idea that cells in different fields within the same organism use the same mechanism for specifying positional information. A similar conclusion has been reached by Wilcox and Smith based on studies of the mutation wingless.
",98843
0,7227,"Insights from intoxicated [START]Drosophila[END].
Our understanding of alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly alcohol's effects on the nervous system, has unquestionably benefited from the use of model systems such as [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. Here, we briefly introduce the use of flies in alcohol research, and highlight the genetic accessibility and neurobiological contribution that flies have made to our understanding of AUD. Future fly research offers unique opportunities for addressing unresolved questions in the alcohol field, such as the neuromolecular and circuit basis for cravings and alcohol-induced neuroimmune dysfunction. This review strongly advocates for interdisciplinary approaches and translational collaborations with the united goal of confronting the major health problems associated with alcohol abuse and addiction.
",29980341
0,7227,"Localization of a dosage sensitive region for pyruvate kinase in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
A small segment of chromosome 1, 12AB-12C, in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] is dosage-sensitive for the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase (EC 2.7.1.40). We suggest that the enzyme is coded by a gene, Pyk+, located within this region. The activity of the enzyme over developmental time also was measured.
",3920304
0,7227,"Experimental Evolution and Heart Function in [START]Drosophila[END].
[START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] is a good model species for the study of heart function. However, most previous work on [START]D. melanogaster[END] heart function has focused on the effects of large-effect genetic variants. We compare heart function among 18 [START]D. melanogaster[END] populations that have been selected for altered development time, aging, or stress resistance. We find that populations with faster development and faster aging have increased heart dysfunction, measured as percentage heart failure after electrical pacing. Experimental evolution of different triglyceride levels, by contrast, has little effect on heart function. Evolved differences in heart function correlate with allele frequency changes at many loci of small effect. Genomic analysis of these populations produces a list of candidate loci that might affect cardiac function at the intersection of development, aging, and metabolic control mechanisms.
",28277957
0,7227,"Using artificial diets to understand the nutritional physiology of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Artificial diets have been in use for rearing insects for more than 100 years. Their composition ranges from completely chemically defined (holidic), to semi-defined (meridic) to non-defined (oligidic). Recently, meridic and holidic diets have been used to demonstrate previously unrecognised nutrient-sensitive behaviours and patterns of fitness trait expression in adult [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. This article presents a summary of the basic nutritional requirements of [START]Drosophila[END] followed by an account of some of these nutrient-modified phenotypes and what they can reveal about fundamental mechanisms. Precisely controlled nutrition, combined with the many advantages of [START]Drosophila[END] present an ideal system for the development of large scale metabolic modelling.
",29129274
0,7227,"Studies on mutagen-sensitive strains of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. X. Repair of radiation-induced DNA damage in primary cell cultures after irradiation with X-rays.
The repair of X-ray-induced DNA lesions in repair-deficient mutant strains was studied as a way of investigating the mechanism of the induction of genetic damage. Genetic effects on the recovery of X-ray-induced damage by the repair-deficient strains ebony (photoreactivation repair-deficient) and mus(1)101D1 (post-replication repair-deficient) were interpreted as impaired repair of single- and double-strand DNA breaks. We investigated the repair of X-ray-induced DNA breaks and alkaline-labile sites in primary cell cultures of ebony and mus(1)101D1 and in cultures of their control strains. No significant differences were found between the repair rates in the mutants and control strains. This indicates that the genetic effects of these mutants are not due to an impaired rate of repair of DNA breaks.
",3102957
0,7227,"Relationship between genotypes of longevity genes and developmental speed in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Hatching time (the period between egg-laying and hatching) and emerging time were surveyed and their relationship with the adult life span was investigated. A relationship between emerging time and adult life span was clearly evident: early emergers were often long-lived. This relation is considered to have a genetic basis because all the larvae in a group were bred in the same culture bottle. Thus, the longevity genes involved also appear to have control over the rate of development. No significant relation was observed between hatching time and adult life span or between hatching time and emerging time. These results suggest that the function of the longevity genes begins at the larval or pupal stage before emergence, and that adult life spans differentiate at this time.
",1901302
0,7227,"Quantitative analysis of antennal mosaic generation in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] by the MARCM system.
Mosaics have been used in [START]Drosophila[END] to study development and to generate mutant structures when a mutant allele is homozygous lethal. New approaches of directed somatic recombination based on FRT/FLP methods, have increased mosaicism rates but likewise multiple clones in the same individual appeared more frequently. Production of single clones could be essential for developmental studies; however, for cell-autonomous gene function studies only the presence of homozygous cells for the target recessive allele is relevant. Herein, we report the number and extension of antennal mosaics generated by the MARCM system at different ages. This information is directed to obtain the appropriated mosaic type for the intended application. By applying heat shock at 10 different developmental stages from 0-12 h to 6-7 days after egg laying, more than 50% of mosaics were obtained from 5,028 adults. Single recombinant clones appeared mainly at early stages while massive recombinant areas were observed with late treatments.
",18543310
0,7227,"Stage-specific effects of candidate heterochronic genes on variation in developmental time along an altitudinal cline of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
BACKGROUND: Previously, we have shown there is clinal variation for egg-to-adult developmental time along geographic gradients in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. Further, we also have identified mutations in genes involved in metabolic and neurogenic pathways that affect development time (heterochronic genes). However, we do not know whether these loci affect variation in developmental time in natural populations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we constructed second chromosome substitution lines from natural populations of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] from an altitudinal cline, and measured egg-adult development time for each line. We found not only a large amount of genetic variation for developmental time, but also positive associations of the development time with thermal amplitude and altitude. We performed genetic complementation tests using substitution lines with the longest and shortest developmental times and heterochronic mutations. We identified segregating variation for neurogenic and metabolic genes that largely affected the duration of the larval stages but had no impact on the timing of metamorphosis. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Altitudinal clinal variation in developmental time for natural chromosome substitution lines provides a unique opportunity to dissect the response of heterochronic genes to environmental gradients. Ontogenetic stage-specific variation in invected, mastermind, cricklet and CG14591 may affect natural variation in development time and thermal evolution.
",20585460
0,7227,"Thermal acclimation of flies from three populations of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] fails to support the seasonality hypothesis.
In seasonal environments, natural selection should favor genotypes that acclimate to slow and predictable changes in temperature. Selective pressure for acclimation should be especially strong for animals that complete many generations per year, because seasonal warming or cooling causes offspring to experience different temperatures than their parents did. Here, we studied variation in acclimation capacity among three populations of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. We used a reverse acclimation design to see whether developmental acclimation persisted throughout adulthood. Flies developed from fertilization to adulthood at either 16  or 26  C. Then, flies either remained at the same temperature or moved to the other temperature for 7 days. We measured fecundity at seven temperatures ranging from 14  to 36 C. Genotypes from North Carolina and Vermont laid more eggs at 16  C after spending the larval and adult stages at 16  C, instead of 26  C. In both populations, the benefit of acclimation to 16  C during development was erased by acclimation to 26  C during adulthood. In contrast to our prediction, genotypes from Indiana laid fewer eggs at 16  C or 26  C after developing at this temperature. Overall, these data provide only weak support for the models of optimal acclimation in seasonal environments.
",30975420
0,7227,"Identification and characterization of the major [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] mating plug protein.
In many insects, semen coagulates into a mating plug at the distal part of the female's genital tract. Mating plugs have been proposed to facilitate sperm movement or to prevent subsequent matings or sperm loss. The molecular constituents of insect mating plugs have not previously been characterized. Here we report that an abundant autofluorescent protein made by the [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] male's ejaculatory bulb is a major constituent of the posterior region of the mating plug. Identities in size, chromosomal location and expression pattern indicate that the autofluorescent protein is PEB-me, an abundant ejaculatory bulb protein reported by Ludwig et al. [Biochem. Genet. 29 (1991) 215]. We cloned and sequenced the RNA encoding this protein. The transcript, which is male-specific and expressed only in the ejaculatory bulb, encodes a 377 a.a. predicted secreted protein with PGG repeats similar to those in homopolymer-forming proteins found in spider silk.
",11267893
0,7227,"Natural genetic variation in social environment choice: context-dependent gene-environment correlation in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Gene-environment correlation (rGE) occurs when an individual's genotype determines its choice of environment, generating a correlation between environment and genotype frequency. In particular, social rGE, caused by genetic variation in social environment choice, can critically determine both individual development and the course of social selection. Despite its foundational role in social evolution and developmental psychology theory, natural genetic variation in social environment choice has scarcely been examined empirically. [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] provides an ideal system for investigating social rGE. Flies live socially in nature and have many opportunities to make social decisions; and natural, heterozygous genotypes may be replicated, enabling comparisons between genotypes across environments. Using this approach, I show that all aspects of social environment choice vary among natural genotypes, demonstrating pervasive social rGE. Surprisingly, genetic variation in group-size preference was density dependent, indicating that the behavioral and evolutionary consequences of rGE may depend on the context in which social decisions are made. These results provide the first detailed investigation of social rGE, and illustrate that that genetic variation may influence organismal performance by specifying the environment in which traits are expressed.
",21790578
0,7227,"Variation in the male pheromones and mating success of wild caught [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
[START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] males express two primary cuticular hydrocarbons (male-predominant hydrocarbons). These act as sex pheromones by influencing female receptivity to mating. The relative quantities of these hydrocarbons vary widely among natural populations and can contribute to variation in mating success. We tested four isofemale lines collected from a wild population to assess the effect of intrapopulation variation in male-predominant hydrocarbons on mating success. The receptivity of laboratory females to males of the four wild-caught lines varied significantly, but not consistently in the direction predicted by variation in male-predominant hydrocarbons. Receptivity of the wild-caught females to laboratory males also varied significantly, but females from lines with male-predominant hydrocarbon profiles closer to a more cosmopolitan one did not show a correspondingly strong mating bias toward a cosmopolitan male. Among wild-caught lines, the male-specific ejaculatory bulb lipid, cis-vaccenyl acetate, varied more than two-fold, but was not associated with variation in male mating success. We observed a strong inverse relationship between the receptivity of wild-caught females and the mating success of males from their own lines, when tested with laboratory flies of the opposite sex.
",21858189
0,7227,"Evolution of starvation resistance in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]: measurement of direct and correlated responses to artificial selection.
Laboratory selection for resistance to starvation has been conducted under relatively controlled conditions to investigate direct and correlated responses to artificial selection. With regard to starvation resistance, there are three physiological routes by which the trait can evolve: resource accumulation, energy conservation and starvation tolerance. A majority of energetic compounds and macromolecules including triglycerides, trehalose and other sugars, and soluble protein increased in abundance as a result of selection. Movement was additionally investigated with selected males moving less than control males and selected females exhibiting a similar response to selection. Results obtained from this study supported two of the possible evolutionary mechanisms for adaptation to starvation: energy compound storage and conservation. If the response to selection is based on an evolutionarily conserved pattern of genetic correlations (elevated lipid, elevated sugars and reduced movement), then the response to selection is medically relevant and the genetic architecture should be investigated in depth.
",22151916
0,7227,"Metabolomics profiling reveals the mechanism of caffeic acid in extending lifespan in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Caffeic acid is a phenolic compound widely synthesized by plants, which has shown health benefits for multiple aging-related diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the life-extending effect of caffeic acid and its underlying mechanisms. The effects of caffeic acid on lifespan, climbing behavior, starvation resistance, and heat sensitivity of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] ([START]D. melanogaster[END]) were evaluated. 1H-NMR-based metabolomics and biochemical detection were performed to explore the potential mechanisms. The results demonstrated that supplementation with caffeic acid extended the lifespan, and improved climbing behavior and stress resistance in [START]D. melanogaster[END]. Additionally, continuous supplementation with caffeic acid caused the metabolic profile of 30-day [START]D. melanogaster[END] closer to that of 3-day [START]D. melanogaster[END], among which 17 differential metabolites were significantly regulated by caffeic acid, involved in amino acid metabolism and mitochondrial metabolism. Furthermore, caffeic acid significantly prevented oxidative damage and improved mitochondrial function. Correlation analysis indicated that the differential metabolites regulated by caffeic acid were correlated with its antioxidant effect and mitochondrial improvement function. In conclusion, our data support that caffeic acid could extend lifespan in [START]D. melanogaster[END] through regulation of metabolic abnormality and improvement of mitochondrial function.
",32966485
0,7227,"Plastic and evolutionary responses of cell size and number to larval malnutrition in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Both development and evolution under chronic malnutrition lead to reduced adult size in [START]Drosophila[END]. We studied the contribution of changes in size vs. number of epidermal cells to plastic and evolutionary reduction of wing size in response to poor larval food. We used flies from six populations selected for tolerance to larval malnutrition and from six unselected control populations, raised either under standard conditions or under larval malnutrition. In the control populations, phenotypic plasticity of wing size was mediated by both cell size and cell number. In contrast, evolutionary change in wing size, which was only observed as a correlated response expressed on standard food, was mediated entirely by reduction in cell number. Plasticity of cell number had been lost in the selected populations, and cell number did not differ between the sexes despite males having smaller wings. Results of this and other experimental evolution studies are consistent with the hypothesis that alleles which increase body size through prolonged growth affect wing size mostly via cell number, whereas alleles which increase size through higher growth rate do so via cell size.
",21276112
0,7227,"Neuropeptide Mapping of Dimmed Cells of Adult [START]Drosophila[END] Brain.
Neuropeptides are structurally highly diverse messenger molecules that act as regulators of many physiological processes such as development, metabolism, reproduction or behavior in general. Differentiation of neuropeptidergic cells often corresponds with the presence of the transcription factor DIMMED. In the central nervous system of the [START]fruit fly[END] [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], DIMMED commonly occurs in neuroendocrine neurons that release peptides as neurohormones but also in interneurons with complex branching patterns. Fly strains with green fluorescence protein (GFP)-expressing dimmed cells make it possible to systematically analyze the processed neuropeptides in these cells. In this study, we mapped individual GFP-expressing neurons of adult [START]D. melanogaster[END] from the dimmed (c929)>GFP line. Using single cell mass spectrometry, we analyzed 10 types of dimmed neurons from the brain/gnathal ganglion. These cells included neuroendocrine cells with projection into the retrocerebral complex but also a number of large interneurons. Resulting mass spectra not only provided comprehensive data regarding mature products from 13 neuropeptide precursors but also evidence for the cellular co-localization of neuropeptides from different neuropeptide genes. The results can be implemented in a neuroanatomical map of the [START]D. melanogaster[END] brain. Graphical Abstract  .
",29372551
0,7227,"The effect of deleterious mutations and age on recombination in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
At the population level, recombination mediates the efficiency with which selection can eliminate deleterious mutations. At the individual level, deleterious alleles may influence recombination, which would change the rate at which linkage disequilibrium is eroded and thereby alter the efficiency with which deleterious alleles are purged. Here, we test whether the presence of a deleterious allele on one autosome affects recombination on another autosome. We find that deleterious alleles not only alter the rate but also the pattern of recombination. However, there is little support that different deleterious alleles affect recombination in a consistent manner. Because we have detailed information on individual females across their lifetimes, we are able to examine how recombination patterns change with age and find that these patterns are also affected by the presence of deleterious alleles. The differences among genotypes or among age classes are large enough to add substantial noise to genetic mapping experiments that do not consider these sources of variation.
",22276549
0,7227,"Incipient speciation in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] involves chemical signals.
The sensory and genetic bases of incipient speciation between strains of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] from Zimbabwe and those from elsewhere are unknown. We studied mating behaviour between eight strains - six from Zimbabwe, together with two cosmopolitan strains. The Zimbabwe strains showed significant sexual isolation when paired with cosmopolitan males, due to Zimbabwe females discriminating against these males. Our results show that flies' cuticular hydrocarbons (CHs) were involved in this sexual isolation, but that visual and acoustic signals were not. The mating frequency of Zimbabwe females was highly significantly negatively correlated with the male's relative amount of 7-tricosene (%7-T), while the mating of cosmopolitan females was positively correlated with %7-T. Variation in transcription levels of two hydrocarbon-determining genes, desat1 and desat2, did not correlate with the observed mating patterns. Our study represents a step forward in our understanding of the sensory processes involved in this classic case of incipient speciation.
",22355738
0,7227,"Female and male genetic contributions to post-mating immune defence in female [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Post-mating reduction in immune defence is common in female insects, and a trade-off between mating and immunity could affect the evolution of immunity. In this work, we tested the capacity of virgin and mated female [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] to defend against infection by four bacterial pathogens. We found that female [START]D. melanogaster[END] suffer post-mating immunosuppression in a pathogen-dependent manner. The effect of mating was seen after infection with two bacterial pathogens (Providencia rettgeri and Providencia alcalifaciens), though not after infection with two other bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). We then asked whether the evolution of post-mating immunosuppression is primarily a 'female' or 'male' trait by assaying for genetic variation among females for the degree of post-mating immune suppression they experience and among males for the level of post-mating immunosuppression they elicit in their mates. We also assayed for an interaction between male and female genotypes to test the specific hypothesis that the evolution of a trade-off between mating and immune defence in females might be being driven by sexual conflict. We found that females, but not males, harbour significant genetic variation for post-mating immunosuppression, and we did not detect an interaction between female and male genotypes. We thus conclude that post-mating immune depression is predominantly a 'female' trait, and find no evidence that it is evolving under sexual conflict.
",20573620
0,7227,"Consequences of chronic bacterial infection in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Even when successfully surviving an infection, a host often fails to eliminate a pathogen completely and may sustain substantial pathogen burden for the remainder of its life. Using systemic bacterial infection in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], we characterize chronic infection by three bacterial species from different genera - Providencia rettgeri, Serratia marcescens, and Enterococcus faecalis-following inoculation with a range of doses. To assess the consequences of these chronic infections, we determined the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes, survival of secondary infection, and starvation resistance after one week of infection. While higher infectious doses unsurprisingly lead to higher risk of death, they also result in higher chronic bacterial loads among the survivors for all three infections. All three chronic infections caused significantly elevated expression of antimicrobial peptide genes at one week post-infection and provided generalized protection again secondary bacterial infection. Only P. rettgeri infection significantly influenced resistance to starvation, with persistently infected flies dying more quickly under starvation conditions relative to controls. These results suggest that there is potentially a generalized mechanism of protection against secondary infection, but that other impacts on host physiology may depend on the specific pathogen. We propose that chronic infections in [START]D. melanogaster[END] could be a valuable tool for studying tolerance of infection, including impacts on host physiology and behavior.
",31648237
0,7227,"Alternative measures of response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Studies of invertebrate immune defence often measure genetic variation either for the fitness cost of infection or for the ability of the host to clear the parasite. These studies assume that variation in measures of resistance is related to variation in fitness costs of infection. To test this assumption, we infected strains of the [START]fruit fly[END], [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], with a pathogenic bacterium. We then measured the correlation between host bacterial load and the ability to survive infection. Despite the presence of genotypic variation for both traits, bacterial load and survival post-infection were not correlated. Our results support previous arguments that individual measures of immune function and the host's ability to survive infection may be decoupled. In light of these results, we suggest that the difference between tolerance and resistance to infection, a distinction commonly found in the plant literature, may also be of value in studies of invertebrate immunity.
",17305818
0,7227,"[START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] as a model organism of brain diseases.
[START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] has been utilized to model human brain diseases. In most of these invertebrate transgenic models, some aspects of human disease are reproduced. Although investigation of rodent models has been of significant impact, invertebrate models offer a wide variety of experimental tools that can potentially address some of the outstanding questions underlying neurological disease. This review considers what has been gleaned from invertebrate models of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, metabolic diseases such as Leigh disease, Niemann-Pick disease and ceroid lipofuscinoses, tumor syndromes such as neurofibromatosis and tuberous sclerosis, epilepsy as well as CNS injury. It is to be expected that genetic tools in [START]Drosophila[END] will reveal new pathways and interactions, which hopefully will result in molecular based therapy approaches.
",19333415
0,7227,"External control of the [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] lifespan by combination of 3D oscillating low-frequency electric and magnetic fields.
We demonstrate that the lifespan of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] population is controllable by a combination of external three-dimensional oscillating low-frequency electric and magnetic fields (3D OLFEMFs). The lifespan was decreased or increased in dependence of the parameters of the external 3D OLFEMFs. We propose that metabolic processes in [START]D. melanogaster[END]'s body are either accelerated (in the case of reduced lifespan) or slowed down (in the case of increased lifespan) in function of 3D OLFEMFs that induce vibrational motions on sub-cellular and larger scales.
",23977947
0,7227,"Commensal bacteria play a role in mating preference of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Development of mating preference is considered to be an early event in speciation. In this study, mating preference was achieved by dividing a population of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] and rearing one part on a molasses medium and the other on a starch medium. When the isolated populations were mixed, ""molasses flies"" preferred to mate with other molasses flies and ""starch flies"" preferred to mate with other starch flies. The mating preference appeared after only one generation and was maintained for at least 37 generations. Antibiotic treatment abolished mating preference, suggesting that the fly microbiota was responsible for the phenomenon. This was confirmed by infection experiments with microbiota obtained from the fly media (before antibiotic treatment) as well as with a mixed culture of Lactobacillus species and a pure culture of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from starch flies. Analytical data suggest that symbiotic bacteria can influence mating preference by changing the levels of cuticular hydrocarbon sex pheromones. The results are discussed within the framework of the hologenome theory of evolution.
",21041648
0,7227,"Chronic exposure to dim artificial light at night decreases fecundity and adult survival in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
The presence of artificial light at night is expanding in geographical range and increasing in intensity to such an extent that species living in urban environments may never experience natural darkness. The negative ecological consequences of artificial night lighting have been identified in several key life history traits across multiple taxa (albeit with a strong vertebrate focus); comparable data for invertebrates is lacking. In this study, we explored the effect of chronic exposure to different night-time lighting intensities on growth, reproduction and survival in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. We reared three generations of flies under identical daytime light conditions (2600lx) and one of four ecologically relevant ALAN treatments (0, 1, 10 or 100lx), then explored variation in oviposition, number of eggs produced, juvenile growth and survival and adult survival. We found that, in the presence of light at night (1, 10 and 100lx treatments), the probability of a female commencing oviposition and the number of eggs laid was significantly reduced. This did not translate into differences at the juvenile phase: juvenile development times and the probability of eclosing as an adult were comparable across all treatments. However, we demonstrate for the first time a direct link between chronic exposure to light at night (greater than 1lx) and adult survival. Our data highlight that ALAN has the capacity to cause dramatic shifts in multiple life history traits at both the individual and population level. Such shifts are likely to be species-specific, however a more in depth understanding of the broad-scale impact of ALAN and the relevant mechanisms driving biological change is urgently required as we move into an increasing brightly lit future.
",28499591
0,7227,"The adult component of selection in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]: some aspects of early-remating activity of females.
As an important factor of the adult component of selection, mating behaviour was studied in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], with emphasis on non-virgin females. We found that 30-50 per cent of the females in a laboratory population will remate within 6 h of first mating under no-choice conditions. This high percentage of early rematings was not due to the continuous confinement of the females with males but indicated a rapid return of receptivity of a significant proportion of the females. Remating behaviour was significantly influenced by both the genotype of the female and the genotype of her two successive partners. Age of females was only important insofar as it concerned young, 1 or 2-day old, females. These females showed less remating than older females. Willingness to remate was also affected by the number of sperm stored. Females that had been inseminated by less fertile males, i.e. males that had already mated two or three times, showed higher remating percentages than females inseminated by more fertile males. Notwithstanding this sperm effect, females were estimated to remate approximately every second day. It is suggested that a high frequency of remating and the resulting sperm competition are significant components of [START]Drosophila[END] life-history.
",8407356
0,7227,"Geographic differentiation in wing shape in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Genetic variation of a suite of 12 morphometric wing characters was examined in 16 natural populations of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] from Eastern Europe and Central Asia using principal component analysis. The posterior wing compartment was found to differ in shape between the Eastern European and Central Asian populations. This result in agreement with data on wing shape variation from exposure to high and low temperatures under laboratory conditions.
",8522169
0,7227,"Microscopy methods for the study of centriole biogenesis and function in [START]Drosophila[END].
Centrosomes regulate cell motility, adhesion, and polarity in interphase and participate in spindle formation in mitosis. They are composed of two centrioles, which are microtubule-based structures, and a proteinaceous matrix recruited by those, called pericentriolar material. Centrioles are also necessary for the nucleation of the axoneme, the microtubule inner structure of cilia and flagella. The [START]fruit fly[END], [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], has played an important role in the study of cell biology processes and their contextualization in a variety of developmental phenomena. In this chapter, we describe immunofluorescence and electron microscopy methods used to study [START]Drosophila[END] early embryogenesis and spermatogenesis. These methods have been widely used to study centriole assembly and its function as a centrosome organizer during mitotic and meiotic cell divisions and as an axoneme nucleator in the formation of flagella.
",20719274
0,7227,"Correlated responses to selection on body size in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Correlated responses to artificial selection on body size in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] were investigated, to determine how the changes in size were produced during development. Selection for increased thorax length was associated with an increase in larval development time, an extended growth period, no change in growth rate, and an increased critical larval weight for pupariation. Selection for reduced thorax length was associated with reduced growth rate, no change in duration of larval development and a reduced critical larval weight for pupariation. In both lines selected for thorax length and lines selected for wing area, total body size changed in the same direction as the artificially selected trait. In large selection lines of both types, the increase in size was achieved almost entirely by an increase in cell number, while in the small lines the decrease in size was achieved predominantly by reduced cell size, and also by a reduction in cell number. The implications of the results for evolutionary-genetic change in body size in nature are discussed.
",10505406
0,7227,"Characterization of the mus308 gene in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Among the available mutagen-sensitive mutations in [START]Drosophila[END], those at the mus308 locus are unique in conferring hypersensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents but not to monofunctional agents. Those mutations are also associated with an elevated frequency of chromosomal aberrations, altered DNA metabolism and the modification of a deoxyribonuclease. This spectrum of phenotypes is shared with selected mammalian mutations including Fanconi anemia in humans. In anticipation of the molecular characterization of the mus308 gene, it has been localized cytogenetically to 87C9-87D1,2 on the right arm of chromosome three. Nine new mutant alleles of the gene have been generated by X-ray mutagenesis and one was recovered following hybrid dysgenesis. Characterization of these new alleles has uncovered additional phenotypes of mutations at this locus. Homozygous mus308 flies that have survived moderate mutagen treatment exhibit an altered wing position that is correlated with reduced flight ability and an altered mitochondrial morphology. In addition, observations of elevated embryo mortality are potentially explained by an aberrant distribution of nuclear material in early embryos which is similar to that seen in the mutant giant nuclei.
",8417992
0,7227,"[START]Drosophila[END] Neurobiology: No Escape from 'Big Data' Science.
Combining a variety of large-scale, data-intensive techniques, a recent study has unraveled the neural pathways involved in [START]Drosophila[END] larval escape from a parasitoid wasp invasion. 
",26196487
0,7227,"Olfaction in [START]Drosophila[END]: genetic and molecular analysis.
[START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] has a sophisticated yet relatively simple olfactory system, the function of which can be studied in vivo by either physiological or behavioral methods. Several genetic and molecular approaches have been applied to isolating and characterizing genes required for the function or development of the olfactory system. Recent analysis of some of these genes is beginning to provide insight into their functions.
",1726342
0,7227,"Analysis of [START]Drosophila[END] nervous system development following an early, brief exposure to ethanol.
The effects of ethanol on neural function and development have been studied extensively, motivated in part by the addictive properties of alcohol and the neurodevelopmental deficits that arise in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Absent from this research area is a genetically tractable system to study the effects of early ethanol exposure on later neurodevelopmental and behavioral phenotypes. Here, we used embryos of the [START]fruit fly[END], [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], as a model system to investigate the neuronal defects that arise after an early exposure to ethanol. We found several disruptions of neural development and morphology following a brief ethanol exposure during embryogenesis and subsequent changes in larval behavior. Altogether, this study establishes a new system to examine the effects of alcohol exposure in embryos and the potential to conduct large-scale genetics screens to uncover novel factors that sensitize or protect neurons to the effects of alcohol.
",31472090
0,7227,"Developmental genetic analysis of Contrabithorax mutations in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
A developmental analysis of the Contrabithorax (Cbx) alleles offers the opportunity to examine the role of the Ultrabithorax (Ubx) gene in controlling haltere, as alternative to wing, morphogenesis in [START]Drosophila[END]. Several Cbx alleles are known with different spatial specificity in their wing toward haltere homeotic transformation. The molecular data on these mutations, however, does not readily explain differences among mutant phenotypes. In this work, we have analyzed the ""apogenetic"" mosaic spots of transformation in their adult phenotype, in mitotic recombination clones and in the spatial distribution of Ubx proteins in imaginal discs. The results suggest that the phenotypes emerge from early clonality in some Cbx alleles, and from cell-cell interactions leading to recruitment of cells to Ubx gene expression in others. We have found, in addition, mutual interactions between haltere and wing territories in pattern and dorsoventral symmetries, suggesting short distance influences, ""accommodation,"" during cell proliferation of the anlage. These findings are considered in an attempt to explain allele specificity in molecular and developmental terms.
",1977655
0,7227,"Trade-off of ovarian lipids and total body lipids for fecundity and starvation resistance in tropical populations of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
In [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], clines of starvation resistance along a latitudinal gradient (south to north) have been reported in India, which matched with their cline for total body lipids (TL ). Nevertheless, producing too many reserves is likely to be costly and a trade-off might exist with life-history traits. Previous studies on starvation resistance and life-history traits of [START]D. melanogaster[END] have mainly focused on quantification of total body lipids, instead of separating ovarian lipids from total body lipids. In the present study, we have quantified absolute ovarian lipids (OL ) versus absolute body lipids excluding ovarian lipids (BL ) and examined associations with fecundity as well as starvation resistance in two latitudinal populations (8.34 vs. 32.43 N) of [START]D. melanogaster[END]. Firstly, we observed a trade-off between BL and OL that matched the trade-off of starvation resistance, longevity versus fecundity and development time in latitudinal populations of [START]D. melanogaster[END]. Southern populations had higher starvation resistance, more BL and lesser OL, whereas northern populations had enhanced fecundity, OL and lesser BL . Secondly, within population, starvation resistance also correlated with BL , and fecundity with OL . However, there was no correlation between starvation resistance and OL . Moreover, there was utilization of BL and nonutilization of OL under starvation stress. Therefore, resources invested for fecundity in the form of OL were independent of evolved starvation resistance in [START]D. melanogaster[END]. Our results suggest that a common pool of energy storage compounds (lipids) are allocated differentially between fecundity and starvation resistance and are consistent with Y-model of resource allocation. 
",25223796
0,7227,"Target genes of homeodomain proteins.
Homeodomain proteins are transcription factors that share a related DNA binding domain, the homeodomain. This class of proteins was first recognized in the fruitfly [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] where they cause homeotic transformations such as a fly with four wings instead of two (Lewis EB. A gene complex controlling segmentation in [START]Drosophila[END]. Nature 1978;276:565-570 [Ref. 18]). They are now known to exist in all eukaryotes where they perform important functions during development. Given that homeodomain proteins are transcription factors, they control the expression of downstream genes to regulate development. Which genes are controlled by homeodomain proteins and how many of them are there? This review focuses on a recent paper by Liang and Biggin (Liang Z, Biggin MD. Eve and Ftz regulate a wide array of genes in blastoderm embryos: the selector homeoproteins directly or indirectly regulate most genes in [START]Drosophila[END]. Development 1998; 125:4471-4482 [Ref. 1]), which proposes that the [START]Drosophila[END] homeodomain proteins Even-skipped and Fushi-tarazu directly control the expression of the majority of genes in the [START]Drosophila[END] genome. An alternative view, that most genes are only indirectly affected by homeodomain proteins is also discussed.
",10377888
0,7227,"The effect of pathogens on selection against deleterious mutations in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
In natural populations, fitness is reduced by both deleterious mutations and parasites. Few studies have examined interactions between these two factors, particularly at the level of individual genes. We examined how the presence of a bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, affected the selection against each of eight deleterious mutations in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. We found that mutations tended to become more deleterious in the presence of disease. This increase in the average selection was primarily due to three genes with the remainder showing little evidence of change.
",19694894
0,7227,"Cold temperature preference in bacterially infected [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] improves survival but is remarkably suboptimal.
Altering one's temperature preference (e.g. behavioral fever or behavioral chill) is a common immune defense among ectotherms that is likely to be evolutionarily conserved. However, the temperature chosen by an infected host may not be optimal for pathogen defense, causing preference to be inefficient. Here we examined the efficiency of temperature preference in Drosophila melanogaster infected with an LD50 of the gram negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To this end, we estimated the host's uninfected and infected temperature preferences as well as their optimal survival temperature. We found that flies decreased their preference from 26.3 C to 25.2 C when infected, and this preference was stable over 48h. Furthermore, the decrease in temperature preference was associated with an increased chance of surviving the infection. Nevertheless, the infected temperature preference did not coincide with the optimum temperature for infection survival, which lies at or below 21.4 C. These data suggest that the behavioral response to P. aeruginosa infection is considerably inefficient, and the mechanisms that may account for this pattern are discussed. Future studies of infected temperature preferences should document its efficiency, as this understudied aspect of behavioral immunity can provide important insight into preference evolution.
",27530304
0,7227,"The effects of CO(2) and chronic cold exposure on fecundity of female [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Carbon dioxide and chilling are sometimes used to immobilise insects for laboratory research. Both of these methods are known to have short-term effects on behaviour and physiology in [START]Drosophila[END], but their long-term impacts are unknown. We exposed female [START]D. melanogaster[END] adults to high CO(2) concentrations (4h at 18,000ppm) and chronic cold (72h at 4 C). The carbon dioxide exposure increased chill coma recovery time, but did not result in changes in offspring number, sex ratio, or size. By contrast, the cold exposure resulted in fewer, smaller offspring, and resulted in a male-biased sex ratio compared to controls. There was no significant interaction between CO(2) and cold. We conclude that although caution must be used in choosing an immobilisation method, CO(2) appears to have less long-term impact than cold.
",20868691
0,7227,"Blood scent.
Blood cell production is tightly regulated by cell-intrinsic mechanisms and environmental factors. The study by Utpal Banerjee and colleagues and colleagues reveals that, in [START]Drosophila[END], olfactory signals control hematopoietic progenitor maintenance, thus uncovering a physiological link between sensory perception and hematopoietic response to environmental stress. 
",24267883
0,7227,"In a variable thermal environment selection favors greater plasticity of cell membranes in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Theory predicts that developmental plasticity, the capacity to change phenotypic trajectory during development, should evolve when the environment varies sufficiently among generations, owing to temporal (e.g., seasonal) variation or to migration among environments. We characterized the levels of cellular plasticity during development in populations of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] experimentally evolved for over three years in either constant or temporally variable thermal environments. We used two measures of the lipid composition of cell membranes as indices of physiological plasticity (a.k.a. acclimation): (1) change in the ratio of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) to phosphatidylcholine (PC) and (2) change in lipid saturation (number of double bonds) in cool (16 C) relative to warm (25 C) developmental conditions. Flies evolved under variable environments had a greater capacity to acclimate the PE/PC ratio compared to flies evolved in constant environments, supporting the prediction that environments with high among-generation variance favor greater developmental plasticity. Our results are consistent with the selective advantage of a more environmentally sensitive allele that may have associated costs in constant environments.
",22671561
0,7227,"Enterococci Mediate the Oviposition Preference of [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] through Sucrose Catabolism.
Sucrose, one of the main products of photosynthesis in plants, functions as a universal biomarker for nutritional content and maturity of different fruits across diverse ecological niches. [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END] congregates to lay eggs in rotting fruits, yet the factors that influence these decisions remains uncovered. Here, we report that lactic acid bacteria Enterococci are critical modulators to attract [START]Drosophila[END] to lay eggs on decaying food. [START]Drosophila[END]-associated Enterococci predominantly catabolize sucrose for growing their population in fly food, and thus generate a unique ecological niche with depleted sucrose, but enriched bacteria. Female flies navigate these favorable oviposition sites by probing the sucrose cue with their gustatory sensory neurons. Acquirement of indigenous microbiota facilitated the development and systemic growth of [START]Drosophila[END], thereby benefiting the survival and fitness of their offspring. Thus, our finding highlights the pivotal roles of commensal bacteria in influencing host behavior, opening the door to a better understanding of the ecological relationships between the microbial and metazoan worlds.
",29044155
0,7227,"Setting the clock--by nature: circadian rhythm in the fruitfly [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Nowadays humans mainly rely on external, unnatural clocks such as of cell phones and alarm clocks--driven by circuit boards and electricity. Nevertheless, our body is under the control of another timer firmly anchored in our genes. This evolutionary very old biological clock drives most of our physiology and behavior. The genes that control our internal clock are conserved among most living beings. One organism that shares this ancient clock mechanism with us humans is the fruitfly [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END]. Since it turned out that [START]Drosophila[END] is an excellent model, it is no surprise that its clock is very well and intensely investigated. In the following review we want to display an overview of the current understanding of [START]Drosophila[END]'s circadian clock.
",21354415
0,7227,"The bacterial symbiont Wolbachia induces resistance to RNA viral infections in [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END].
Wolbachia are vertically transmitted, obligatory intracellular bacteria that infect a great number of species of arthropods and nematodes. In insects, they are mainly known for disrupting the reproductive biology of their hosts in order to increase their transmission through the female germline. In [START]Drosophila melanogaster[END], however, a strong and consistent effect of Wolbachia infection has not been found. Here we report that a bacterial infection renders [START]D. melanogaster[END] more resistant to Drosophila C virus, reducing the load of viruses in infected flies. We identify these resistance-inducing bacteria as Wolbachia. Furthermore, we show that Wolbachia also increases resistance of [START]Drosophila[END] to two other RNA virus infections (Nora virus and Flock House virus) but not to a DNA virus infection (Insect Iridescent Virus 6). These results identify a new major factor regulating [START]D. melanogaster[END] resistance to infection by RNA viruses and contribute to the idea that the response of a host to a particular pathogen also depends on its interactions with other microorganisms. This is also, to our knowledge, the first report of a strong beneficial effect of Wolbachia infection in [START]D. melanogaster[END]. The induced resistance to natural viral pathogens may explain Wolbachia prevalence in natural populations and represents a novel Wolbachia-host interaction.
",19222304
0,7460,"Go East for Better [START]Honey Bee[END] Health: Apis cerana Is Faster at Hygienic Behavior than [START]A. mellifera[END].
The poor health status of the [START]Western honey bee[END], [START]Apis mellifera[END], compared to its Eastern counterpart, Apis cerana, is remarkable. This has been attributed to lower pathogen prevalence in A. cerana colonies and to their ability to survive infestations with the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor. These properties have been linked to an enhanced removal of dead or unhealthy immature [START]bees[END] by adult workers in this species. Although such hygienic behavior is known to contribute to [START]honey bee[END] colony health, comparative data of [START]A. mellifera[END] and A. cerana in performing this task are scarce. Here, we compare for the first time the removal of freeze-killed brood in one population of each species and over two seasons in China. Our results show that A. cerana was significantly faster than [START]A. mellifera[END] at both opening cell caps and removing freeze-killed brood. The fast detection and removal of diseased brood is likely to limit the proliferation of pathogenic agents. Given our results can be generalized to the species level, a rapid hygienic response could contribute to the better health of A. cerana. Promoting the fast detection and removal of worker brood through adapted breeding programs could further improve the social immunity of A. mellifera colonies and contribute to a better health status of the [START]Western honey bee[END] worldwide. 
",27606819
0,7460,"Differential gene expression of two extreme [START]honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) colonies showing varroa tolerance and susceptibility.
Varroa destructor, an ectoparasitic mite of [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]), is the most serious pest threatening the apiculture industry. In our [START]honey bee[END] breeding programme, two [START]honey bee[END] colonies showing extreme phenotypes for varroa tolerance/resistance (S88) and susceptibility (G4) were identified by natural selection from a large gene pool over a 6-year period. To investigate potential defence mechanisms for [START]honey bee[END] tolerance to varroa infestation, we employed DNA microarray and real time quantitative (PCR) analyses to identify differentially expressed genes in the tolerant and susceptible colonies at pupa and adult stages. Our results showed that more differentially expressed genes were identified in the tolerant [START]bees[END] than in [START]bees[END] from the susceptible colony, indicating that the tolerant colony showed an increased genetic capacity to respond to varroa mite infestation. In both colonies, there were more differentially expressed genes identified at the pupa stage than at the adult stage, indicating that pupa [START]bees[END] are more responsive to varroa infestation than adult [START]bees[END]. Genes showing differential expression in the colony phenotypes were categorized into several groups based on their molecular functions, such as olfactory signalling, detoxification processes, exoskeleton formation, protein degradation and long-chain fatty acid metabolism, suggesting that these biological processes play roles in conferring varroa tolerance to naturally selected colonies. Identification of differentially expressed genes between the two colony phenotypes provides potential molecular markers for selecting and breeding varroa-tolerant [START]honey bees[END].
",26919127
0,7460,"Possible interference of Bacillus thuringiensis in the survival and behavior of Africanized [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]).
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), an entomopathogenic bacterium, has been used as bioinsecticides for insect pest control worldwide. Consequently, the objective of this work was to evaluate the possible effects of commercial formulations of Bt products, Dipel and Xentari, on the survival and behavior of Africanized [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]). Bioassays were performed on foragers and newly emerged (24-h-old) [START]bees[END] that received the products mixed in the food. Their survival and behavior were evaluated through the vertical displacement tests and the walk test, analyzed using software Bee-Move. Then, histological analysis of the mesenterium was performed. As control treatment was used sterile water. The [START]honey bees[END]' survival was evaluated for between 1 and 144 h. No interference of B. thuringiensis, Dipel and Xentari, in the survival of Africanized [START]honey bees[END] were found. Only Xentari interfered with vertical displacement behavior of newly emerged (24-h-old) [START]bees[END]. Both the products tested were selective and safe for [START]A. mellifera[END].
",33568730
0,7460,"A veterinary approach to the [START]European honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END])
The [START]European honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) has the unusual status of being an inherently wild species from which a natural foodstuff (honey) is derived by manipulating its behaviour to deposit this in man-made wooden frames. [START]Bees[END] also produce propolis and Royal Jelly which can be harvested but their most important effect is one not immediately obvious as an economic product: that of pollination. Bee diseases are predominantly infectious and parasitic conditions accentuated by the close confinement in which they congregate, either in man-made hives or in colonies in a natural cavity. Treatment or at least control of some of these conditions can be attempted. In some cases natural bee behavioural traits limit the effect of the disease while in others, such as the notifiable disease American foulbrood, destruction of the colony is the only method of control. The mite Varroa jacobsoni can be controlled by the synthetic pyrethroids flumethrin and tau-fluvalinate. The introduction of these products has heightened veterinary interest in this important invertebrate species.
",10950136
0,7460,"Tolerance and response of two [START]honeybee[END] species Apis cerana and [START]Apis mellifera[END] to high temperature and relative humidity.
The ambient temperature and relative humidity affect the metabolic and physiological responses of [START]bees[END], thus affecting their life activities. However, the physiological changes in bee due to high temperature and high humidity remain poorly understood. In this study, we explored the effects of higher temperature and humidity on the epiphysiology of [START]bees[END] by evaluating the survival, tolerance and body water loss in two bee species (Apis cerana and [START]Apis mellifera[END]). We also evaluated the changes in the activity of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes in their body. We observed that under higher temperature and humidity conditions, the survival rate of [START]A. mellifera[END] was higher than that of A. cerana. On the other hand, a comparison of water loss between the two species revealed that [START]A. mellifera[END] lost more water. However, under extremely high temperature conditions, A. cerana was more tolerant than [START]A. mellifera[END]. Moreover, under higher temperature and humidity conditions, the activity of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes in [START]bees[END] was significantly increased. Overall, these results suggest that high temperatures can adversely affect [START]bees[END]. They not only affect the survival and water loss, but also stimulate oxidative stress in [START]bees[END]. However, unlike our previous understanding, high humidity can also adversely affect [START]bees[END], although its effects are lower than that of temperature.
",31170259
0,7460,"Experimental infection of [START]Apis mellifera[END] [START]honeybees[END] with Nosema ceranae (Microsporidia).
In this report, an experimental infection of Apis mellifera by Nosema ceranae, a newly reported microsporidian in this host is described. Nosema free [START]honeybees[END] were inoculated with 125,000 N. ceranae spores, isolated from heavily infected [START]bees[END]. The parasite species was identified by amplification and sequencing the SSUrRNA gene of the administered spores. Three replicate cages of 20 [START]honeybees[END] each were prepared, along with one control cage (n=20) supplied with sugar syrup only. The infection rate was 100% at the dosage administered. The presence of Nosema inside ventricular cells was confirmed in the samples using ultrathin sectioning and transmission electron microscopy. By day 3 p.i. a few cells (4.4%+/-1.2) were observed to be parasitized, whereas by 6 days p.i. more than half of the counted cells (66.4%+/-6) showed different parasite stages, this value increasing on day 7 p.i. (81.5%+/-14.8). Only one control bee died on day 7 p.i. In the infected groups, mortality was not observed until day 6 p.i. (66.7%+/-5.6). Total mortality on day 7 p.i. was 94.1% in the three infected replicates and by day 8 p.i. no infected bee was alive. After the infection, the parasites invaded both the tip of folds and the basal cells of the epithelium and the autoinfective capacity of the spores seemed to spread the infection rapidly between epithelial cells. On day 3 p.i., mature spores could be seen inside host cell tissue implying that the developmental cycle had been completed. The large number of parasitized cells, even the regenerative ones, the presence of autoinfective spores and the high mortality rate demonstrate that N. ceranae is highly pathogenic to [START]Apis mellifera[END]. Possible relation with bee depopulation syndrome is discussed by authors.
",17217954
0,7460,"Muscle biochemistry and the ontogeny of flight capacity during behavioral development in the [START]honey bee[END], [START]Apis mellifera[END].
A fundamental issue in physiology and behavior is underlie major behavioral shifts in organisms as they transitions are common in nature and include the age-related switch from nest/hive work to foraging in social insects such as [START]honey bees[END] (understanding the functional and genetic mechanisms that adopt new environments or life history tactics. Such). Because of their experimental [START]Apis mellifera[END] tractability, recently sequenced genome and well understood biology, [START]honey bees[END] are an ideal model system for integrating molecular, genetic, physiological and sociobiological perspectives to advance understanding of behavioral and life history transitions. When [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) transition from hive work to foraging, their flight muscles undergo changes [START]Apis mellifera[END] that allow these insects to attain the highest rates of flight muscle metabolism and power output ever recorded in the animal kingdom. Here, we review research to date showing that [START]honey bee[END] flight muscles undergo significant changes in biochemistry and gene expression and that these changes accompany a significant increase in the capacity to generate metabolic and aerodynamic power during flight. It is likely that changes in muscle gene expression, biochemistry, metabolism and functional capacity may be driven primarily by behavior as opposed to age, as is the case for changes in [START]honey bee[END] brains.
",16272241
0,7460,"Prevalence of Nosema species infections in Apis cerana japonica and [START]Apis mellifera[END] [START]honeybees[END] in the Tohoku region of Japan.
We investigated here, the prevalence of Nosema microsporidia infections in the [START]honeybees[END], Apis cerana japonica and [START]Apis mellifera[END], in the Tohoku region of Japan. We detected Nosema ceranae DNA in 14 (2.8%) of 509 A. cerana japonica and in 34 (21.9%) of 155 [START]A. mellifera[END] [START]honeybees[END] from Aomori, Iwate, Akita, Yamagata, and Fukushima prefectures. Nosema apis DNA was undetectable in A. cerana japonica and [START]A. mellifera[END]. The unidentifiable Nosema species that genetically differed from N. apis, N. ceranae, and N. neumanni in terms of small subunit (SSU) rDNA, large subunit rDNA, and internal transcribed spacer sequences was identified in 105 (20.6%) of 509 A. cerana japonica and in 1 (0.6%) of 155 [START]A. mellifera[END] [START]honeybees[END], and from Iwate prefecture. A phylogenetic tree based on SSU rDNA sequences showed that the Nosema sp. belonged to the same clade as N. thomsoni detected in moth and solitary [START]bees[END] in North America and N. pieriae found in cabbage butterfly in Turkey, which have not hitherto been detected in [START]honeybees[END]. The morphological characteristics of the spores should be analyzed to enable species identification of the Nosema sp.
",33894389
0,7460,"Varroa destructor induces changes in the expression of immunity-related genes during the development of [START]Apis mellifera[END] worker and drone broods.
The ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor has emerged as the major pest of [START]honeybees[END]. Despite extensive research efforts, the pathogenesis of varroosis has not been fully explained. Earlier studies suggested that V. destructor infestation leads to the suppression of the host's immune system. The aim of this study was to analyze the immune responses of 14 genes in the Toll signal transduction pathways, including effector genes of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), in developing [START]Apis mellifera[END] workers and drones infested with V. destructor. Four developmental stages (L5 larvae, prepupae, and 2 pupal stages) and newly emerged imagines were analyzed. In workers, the most significant changes were observed in L5 larvae in the initial stages of infestation. A significant increase in the relative expression of 10 of the 14 analyzed genes, including defensin-1 and defensin-2, was observed in infested [START]bees[END] relative to non-infested individuals. The immune response in drones developed at a slower rate. The expression of genes regulating cytoplasmic signal transduction increased in prepupae, whereas the expression of defensin-1 and defensin-2 effector genes increased in P3 pupae with red eyes. The expression of many immunity-related genes was silenced in successive life stages and in imagines, and it was more profound in workers than in drones. The results indicate that V. destructor significantly influences immune responses regulated by the Toll signal transduction pathway in [START]bees[END]. In infested [START]bees[END], the observed changes in Toll pathway genes varied between life stages and the sexes.
",29035869
0,7460,"[START]Honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) nurses do not consume pollens based on their nutritional quality.
[START]Honey bee[END] workers ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) consume a variety of pollens to meet the majority of their requirements for protein and lipids. Recent work indicates that [START]honey bees[END] prefer diets that reflect the proper ratio of nutrients necessary for optimal survival and homeostasis. This idea relies on the precept that [START]honey bees[END] evaluate the nutritional composition of the foods provided to them. While this has been shown in bumble bees, the data for [START]honey bees[END] are mixed. Further, there is controversy as to whether foragers can evaluate the nutritional value of pollens, especially if they do not consume it. Here, we focused on nurse workers, who eat most of the pollen coming into the hive. We tested the hypothesis that nurses prefer diets with higher nutritional value. We first determined the nutritional profile, number of plant taxa (richness), and degree of hypopharyngeal gland (HG) growth conferred by three [START]honey bee[END] collected pollens. We then presented nurses with these same three pollens in paired choice assays and measured consumption. To further test whether nutrition influenced preference, we also presented [START]bees[END] with natural pollens supplemented with protein or lipids and liquid diets with protein and lipid ratios equal to the natural pollens. Different pollens conferred different degrees of HG growth, but despite these differences, nurse [START]bees[END] did not always prefer the most nutritious pollens. Adding protein and/or lipids to less desirable pollens minimally increased pollen attractiveness, and nurses did not exhibit a strong preference for any of the three liquid diets. We conclude that different pollens provide different nutritional benefits, but that nurses either cannot or do not assess pollen nutritional value. This implies that the nurses may not be able to communicate information about pollen quality to the foragers, who regulate the pollens coming into the hive.
",29324841
0,7460,"8. The development and evolution of division of labor and foraging specialization in a social insect ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.).
How does complex social behavior evolve? What are the developmental building blocks of division of labor and specialization, the hallmarks of insect societies? Studies have revealed the developmental origins in the evolution of division of labor and specialization in foraging worker [START]honeybees[END], the hallmarks of complex insect societies. Selective breeding for a single social trait, the amount of surplus pollen stored in the nest (pollen hoarding) revealed a phenotypic architecture of correlated traits at multiple levels of biological organization in facultatively sterile female worker [START]honeybees[END]. Verification of this phenotypic architecture in ""wild-type"" [START]bees[END] provided strong support for a ""pollen foraging syndrome"" that involves increased senso-motor responses, motor activity, associative learning, reproductive status, and rates of behavioral development, as well as foraging behavior. This set of traits guided further research into reproductive regulatory systems that were co-opted by natural selection during the evolution of social behavior. Division of labor, characterized by changes in the tasks performed by [START]bees[END], as they age, is controlled by hormones linked to ovary development. Foraging specialization on nectar and pollen results also from different reproductive states of [START]bees[END] where nectar foragers engage in pre-reproductive behavior, foraging for nectar for self-maintenance, while pollen foragers perform foraging tasks associated with reproduction and maternal care, collecting protein.
",16860670
0,7460,"When European meets African honeybees ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.) in the tropics: Morphological changes related to genetics in Mauritius Island (South-West Indian Ocean).
The previous genetic characterization of the [START]honeybee[END] population of Mauritius Island (Indian Ocean) revealed an ongoing process of hybridization between the first established African subspecies [START]Apis mellifera[END] unicolor and recently imported European subspecies (A. m. ligustica, A. m. carnica and A. m. mellifera). This context offers the rare opportunity to explore the influence of hybridization between African and European [START]honeybees[END] on phenotypic traits out of the case largely studied of the Africanized honeybee (hybrid between A. m. scutellata from South Africa and European subspecies). We thus conducted geometric morphometric analyses on forewings of 283 workers genetically characterized at 14 microsatellite loci to evaluate (1) if the morphological variability coincides well with the neutral genetic variability, (2) if hybrids exhibited rather parental, intermediate or transgressive traits, and (3) to test if fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of size and shape, as a measure of developmental stability, was elevated in hybrids (due to genetic stress) and/or European [START]bees[END] (due to unsuitable environment) compared to African [START]bees[END]. A strong concordance was found between morphological variability and neutral genetic variability, especially for wing shape, based on partial least-square analyses (PLS). However, on average, the morphology of hybrids was more similar to the African [START]bees[END], potentially reflecting the dynamics and direction of introgression. Significant FA for wing size as well as wing shape was detected, suggesting the overall presence of stress during the development of the studied individuals. In contrast, the asymmetry levels do not differ according to the ancestry (African, European or hybrid) of the individuals. Therefore, if ongoing hybridization contributed to increasing the genetic and phenotypic diversity of the populations and influences its adaptive potential, developmental stressors could not be identified and their evolutionary consequences remain uncertain.
",33211716
0,7460,"Differential gene expression of the [START]honey bees[END] [START]Apis mellifera[END] and A. cerana induced by Varroa destructor infection.
Varroa destructor mite is currently the most serious threat to the world bee industry. Differences in mite tolerance are reported between two [START]honey bee[END] species [START]Apis mellifera[END] and Apis cerana. Differential gene expression of two [START]honey bee[END] species induced by V. destructor infection was investigated by constructing two suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) libraries, as first steps toward elucidating molecular mechanisms of Varroa tolerance. From the SSH libraries, we obtained 289 high quality sequences which clustered into 132 unique sequences grouped in 26 contigs and 106 singlets where 49 consisted in A. cerana subtracted library and 83 in [START]A. mellifera[END]. Using BLAST, we found that 85% sequences had counterpart known genes whereas 15% were undescribed. A Gene Ontology analysis classified 51 unique sequences into different functional categories. Eight of these differentially expressed genes, representative of different regulation patterns, were confirmed by qRT-PCR. Upon the mite induction, the differentially expressed genes from both bee species were different, except hex 110 gene, which was up-regulated in A. cerana but down-regulated in [START]A. mellifera[END], and Npy-r gene, which was down-regulated in both species. In general, most of the differential expression genes were involved in metabolic processes and nerve signaling. The results provide information on the molecular response of these two bee species to Varroa infection.
",20346951
0,7460,"Nosema Tolerant Honeybees (Apis mellifera) Escape Parasitic Manipulation of Apoptosis.
Apoptosis is not only pivotal for development, but also for pathogen defence in multicellular organisms. Although numerous intracellular pathogens are known to interfere with the host's apoptotic machinery to overcome this defence, its importance for host-parasite coevolution has been neglected. We conducted three inoculation experiments to investigate in the apoptotic respond during infection with the intracellular gut pathogen Nosema ceranae, which is considered as potential global threat to the [START]honeybee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) and other bee pollinators, in sensitive and tolerant [START]honeybees[END]. To explore apoptotic processes in the gut epithelium, we visualised apoptotic cells using TUNEL assays and measured the relative expression levels of subset of candidate genes involved in the apoptotic machinery using qPCR. Our results suggest that N. ceranae reduces apoptosis in sensitive [START]honeybees[END] by enhancing inhibitor of apoptosis protein-(iap)-2 gene transcription. Interestingly, this seems not be the case in Nosema tolerant [START]honeybees[END]. We propose that these tolerant [START]honeybees[END] are able to escape the manipulation of apoptosis by N. ceranae, which may have evolved a mechanism to regulate an anti-apoptotic gene as key adaptation for improved host invasion. 
",26445372
0,7460,"Impact of Nosema ceranae and Nosema apis on individual worker [START]bees[END] of the two host species (Apis cerana and [START]Apis mellifera[END]) and regulation of host immune response.
Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae are obligate intracellular microsporidian parasites infecting midgut epithelial cells of host adult [START]honey bees[END], originally [START]Apis mellifera[END] and Apis cerana respectively. Each microsporidia cross-infects the other host and both microsporidia nowadays have a worldwide distribution. In this study, cross-infection experiments using both N. apis and N. ceranae in both [START]A. mellifera[END] and A. cerana were carried out to compare pathogen proliferation and impact on hosts, including host immune response. Infection by N. ceranae led to higher spore loads than by N. apis in both host species, and there was greater proliferation of microsporidia in [START]A. mellifera[END] compared to A. cerana. Both N. apis and N. ceranae were pathogenic in both host Apis species. N. ceranae induced subtly, though not significantly, higher mortality than N. apis in both host species, yet survival of A. cerana was no different to that of [START]A. mellifera[END] in response to N. apis or N. ceranae. Infections of both host species with N. apis and N. ceranae caused significant up-regulation of AMP genes and cellular mediated immune genes but did not greatly alter apoptosis-related gene expression. In this study, A. cerana enlisted a higher immune response and displayed lower loads of N. apis and N. ceranae spores than [START]A. mellifera[END], suggesting it may be better able to defend itself against microsporidia infection. We caution against over-interpretation of our results, though, because differences between host and parasite species in survival were insignificant and because size differences between microsporidia species and between host Apis species may alternatively explain the differential proliferation of N. ceranae in [START]A. mellifera[END].
",29289505
0,7460,"Origin and function of the major royal jelly proteins of the [START]honeybee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) as members of the yellow gene family.
In the [START]honeybee[END], [START]Apis mellifera[END], the queen larvae are fed with a diet exclusively composed of royal jelly (RJ), a secretion of the hypopharyngeal gland of young worker [START]bees[END] that nurse the brood. Up to 15% of RJ is composed of proteins, the nine most abundant of which have been termed major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs). Although it is widely accepted that RJ somehow determines the fate of a female larva and in spite of considerable research efforts, there are surprisingly few studies that address the biochemical characterisation and functions of these MRJPs. Here we review the research on MRJPs not only in [START]honeybees[END] but in hymenopteran insects in general and provide metadata analyses on genome organisation of mrjp genes, corroborating previous reports that MRJPs have important functions for insect development and not just a nutritional value for developing [START]honeybee[END] larvae.
",23855350
0,7460,"[START]Apis mellifera[END] [START]bees[END] acquire long-term olfactory memories within the colony.
Early studies indicate that [START]Apis mellifera[END] [START]bees[END] learn nectar odours within their colonies. This form of olfactory learning, however, has not been analysed by measuring well-quantifiable learning performances and the question remains whether it constitutes a 'robust' form of learning. Hence, we asked whether [START]bees[END] acquire long-term olfactory memories within the colony. To this end, we used the bee proboscis extension response. We found that within-the-nest [START]bees[END] do indeed associate the odour (as the conditioned stimulus) with the sugar (as the unconditioned stimulus) present in the incoming nectar, and that the distribution of scented nectar within the colony allows them to establish long-term olfactory memories. This finding is discussed in the context of efficient foraging.
",17148337
0,7460,"Composition of fatty acids in the Varroa destructor mites and their hosts, [START]Apis mellifera[END] drone-prepupae.
The fatty acid (FA) profile of lipids extracted from the Varroa destructor parasitic mite and its host, drone-prepupae of [START]Apis mellifera[END], was determined by gas chromatography (GC). The percentages of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were generally similar in parasites and their hosts. Fatty acids were arranged in the following descending order based on their content: MUFAs (ca. 52-55%), SFAs (ca. 41%) and PUFAs (ca. 3%). The predominant fatty acids were oleic acid (46% in mites, 44% in prepupae) and palmitic acid (23% and 30%, respectively). Varroa parasites differed from their hosts in the quantity of individual FAs and in their FA profiles. Three PUFAs noted in the host were not observed in parasitic mites, whereas the presence of C21:0, C24:0 and C22:1 FAs was reported in mites, but not in drones.
",25911034
0,7460,"Social immunity in [START]honeybees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]): transcriptome analysis of varroa-hygienic behaviour.
[START]Honeybees[END] have evolved a social immunity consisting of the cooperation of individuals to decrease disease in the hive. We identified a set of genes involved in this social immunity by analysing the brain transcriptome of highly varroa-hygienic [START]bees[END], who efficiently detect and remove brood infected with the Varroa destructor mite. The function of these candidate genes does not seem to support a higher olfactory sensitivity in hygienic [START]bees[END], as previously hypothesized. However, comparing their genomic profile with those from other behaviours suggests a link with brood care and the highly varroa-hygienic Africanized honeybees. These results represent a first step toward the identification of genes involved in social immunity and thus provide first insights into the evolution of social immunity.
",21435061
0,7460,"Synergistic effects of pathogen and pesticide exposure on [START]honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) survival and immunity.
Declines in native insect pollinator populations and substantial losses in managed [START]honey bees[END] have been reported on a global scale and become a widespread concern because of the importance of these insects for human food production and ecosystem stability. Several potential factors have been studied as possible causes of declining pollinator health, such as parasites and pathogens, exposure to agricultural pesticides, habitat loss and/or climate change. More recently, a combination of these factors rather than a single cause have been blamed for observed pollinator losses, but field studies of such interactions are challenging, especially in the presence of confounding environmental stressors. We therefore examined the impact of single and combined stressors on the [START]honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) in a generally healthy Australian population. We exposed workers during their larval development and drones until they reached sexual maturity to the neonicotinoid pesticide Thiamethoxam, at concentrations more than 20 times lower than we initially measured in the field, the microsporidian gut pathogen Nosema apis or both stressors at the same time. We found that simultaneous exposure significantly reduced bee health. We observed a substantial increase in mortality and a reduction of immunocompetence in workers exposed to both the pathogen and the pesticide. We conclude that the exposure of generally healthy [START]bees[END] to multiple environmental stressors results in synergistic effects where the effects are expected to negatively impact performance and could be sufficient to trigger colony collapse. We found that the vast majority of males did not survive to sexual maturity after exposure to very low levels of Thiamethoxam. This would not only reduce the reproductive success of individual colonies, but can also impact gene flow and genetic diversity at the population level, which are both known as key components of [START]honey bee[END] health.
",30300630
0,7460,"Organophosphorus insecticides in honey, pollen and [START]bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.) and their potential hazard to bee colonies in Egypt.
There is no clear single factor to date that explains colony loss in [START]bees[END], but one factor proposed is the wide-spread application of agrochemicals. Concentrations of 14 organophosphorous insecticides (OPs) in [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) and hive matrices (honey and pollen) were measured to assess their hazard to [START]honey bees[END]. Samples were collected during spring and summer of 2013, from 5 provinces in the middle delta of Egypt. LC/MS-MS was used to identify and quantify individual OPs by use of a modified Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe (QuEChERS) method. Pesticides were detected more frequently in samples collected during summer. Pollen contained the greatest concentrations of OPs. Profenofos, chlorpyrifos, malation and diazinon were the most frequently detected OPs. In contrast, ethoprop, phorate, coumaphos and chlorpyrifos-oxon were not detected. A toxic units approach, with lethality as the endpoint was used in an additive model to assess the cumulative potential for adverse effects posed by OPs. Hazard quotients (HQs) in honey and pollen ranged from 0.01-0.05 during spring and from 0.02-0.08 during summer, respectively. HQs based on lethality due to direct exposure of adult worker [START]bees[END] to OPs during spring and summer ranged from 0.04 to 0.1 for best and worst case respectively. It is concluded that direct exposure and/or dietary exposure to OPs in honey and pollen pose little threat due to lethality of [START]bees[END] in Egypt. 
",25574845
0,7460,"Toxicity and motor changes in Africanized [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.) exposed to fipronil and imidacloprid.
This study evaluated the in vitro toxicity and motor activity changes in African-derived adult [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.) exposed to lethal or sublethal doses of the insecticides fipronil and imidacloprid. Mortality of [START]bees[END] was assessed to determine the ingestion and contact lethal dose for 24 h using probit analysis. Motor activities in [START]bees[END] exposed to lethal (LD50) and sublethal doses (1/500th of the lethal dose) of both insecticides were evaluated in a behavioral observation box at 1 and 4 h. Ingestion and contact lethal doses of fipronil were 0.2316 ? 0.0626 and 0.0080 ? 0.0021 mug/bee, respectively. Ingestion and contact lethal doses of imidacloprid were 0.1079 ? 0.0375 and 0.0308 ? 0.0218 mug/bee, respectively. Motor function of [START]bees[END] exposed to lethal doses of fipronil and imidacloprid was impaired; exposure to sublethal doses of fipronil but not imidacloprid impaired motor function. The insecticides evaluated in this study were highly toxic to African-derived [START]A. mellifera[END] and caused impaired motor function in these pollinators.
",29641761
0,7460,"Mating frequencies of [START]honey bee[END] queens ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.) in a population of feral colonies in the Northeastern United States.
Across their introduced range in North America, populations of feral [START]honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.) colonies have supposedly declined in recent decades as a result of exotic parasites, most notably the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor. Nonetheless, recent studies have documented several wild populations of colonies that have persisted. The extreme polyandry of [START]honey bee[END] queens-and the increased intracolony genetic diversity it confers-has been attributed, in part, to improved disease resistance and may be a factor in the survival of these populations of feral colonies. We estimated the mating frequencies of queens in feral colonies in the Arnot Forest in New York State to determine if the level of polyandry of these queens is especially high and so might contribute to their survival success. We genotyped the worker offspring from 10 feral colonies in the Arnot Forest of upstate New York, as well as those from 20 managed colonies closest to this forest. We found no significant differences in mean mating frequency between the feral and managed queens, suggesting that queens in the remote, low-density population of colonies in the Arnot Forest are neither mate-limited nor adapted to mate at an especially high frequency. These findings support the hypothesis that the hyperpolyandry of [START]honey bees[END] has been shaped on an evolutionary timescale rather than on an ecological one. 
",25775410
0,7460,"Two quantitative trait loci are associated with recapping of Varroa destructor-infested brood cells in Apis mellifera mellifera.
Recapping of Varroa destructor-infested brood cells is a trait that has recently attracted interest in [START]honey bee[END] breeding to select mite-resistant [START]Apis mellifera[END] colonies. To investigate the genetic architecture of this trait, we evaluated a sample of A. mellifera mellifera colonies (N = 155) from Switzerland and France and performed a genome-wide association study, using a pool of 500 workers per colony for next-generation sequencing. The results revealed that two QTL were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with recapping of V. destructor-infested brood cells. The best-associated QTL is located on chromosome 5 in a region previously found to be associated with grooming behaviour, a resistance trait against V. destructor, in [START]A. mellifera[END] and Apis cerana. The second best-associated QTL is located on chromosome 4 in an intron of the Dscam gene, which is involved in neuronal wiring. Previous research demonstrated that genes involved in neuronal wiring are associated with recapping and varroa sensitive hygiene. Therefore, our study confirms the role of a gene region on chromosome 5 in social immunity and simultaneously provides novel insights into genetic interactions between common mite resistance traits in [START]honey bees[END].
",34729804
0,7460,"Effects of group size on learning and memory in the [START]honey bee[END] [START]Apis mellifera[END].
In animals that experience interactions with conspecifics while young, social interactions appear to be a necessary prerequisite for typical behaviour. Eusocial insects have large colonies where individuals experience a large number of social interactions with nest mates during all life stages, making them excellent candidates for understanding the effects of social isolation on brain development and behaviour. Here, we used the [START]honey bee[END] [START]Apis mellifera[END] to study the effect of social isolation and group size on reward perception and discrimination learning and memory. We confined day--old adult workers into three different size groups (1, 8 or 32 [START]bees[END]) for 6 days during a critical period associated with adult behavioural maturation. We quantified their sucrose responsiveness, their ability to use and remember olfactory cues to discriminate between sucrose and salt (i.e. discrimination learning), and four biogenic amines in the brain. We found that the smaller the group size, the more responsive a worker was to the sucrose reward. [START]Honey bees[END] raised in groups of 32 performed the best in the learning trials and had the highest levels of dopamine. We found no effect of group size on memory. The observed group size effect on learning but not memory supports the hypothesis that social interactions modulate learning through the dopaminergic system.
",31019069
0,7460,"Characterization of the olfactory system of the giant [START]honey bee[END], Apis dorsata.
Apis dorsata is an open-nesting, undomesticated, giant [START]honey bee[END] found in southern Asia. We characterized a number of aspects of olfactory system of Apis dorsata and compared it with the well-characterized, western [START]honeybee[END], [START]Apis mellifera[END], a domesticated, cavity-nesting species. A. dorsata differs from [START]A. mellifera[END] in nesting behavior, foraging activity, and defense mechanisms. Hence, there can be different demands on its olfactory system. We elucidated the glomerular organization of A. dorsata by creating a digital atlas for the antennal lobe and visualized the antennal lobe tracts and localized their innervations. We showed that the neurites of Kenyon cells with cell bodies located in a neighborhood in calyx retain their relative neighborhoods in the pedunculus and the vertical lobe forming a columnar organization in the mushroom body. The vertical lobe and the calyx of the mushroom body were found to be innervated by extrinsic neurons with cell bodies in the lateral protocerebrum. We found that the species was amenable to olfactory conditioning and showed good learning and memory retention at 24 h after training. It was also amenable to massed and spaced conditioning and could distinguish trained odor from an untrained novel odor. We found that all the above mentioned features in A. dorsata are very similar to those in [START]A. mellifera[END]. We thereby establish A. dorsata as a good model system, strikingly similar to [START]A. mellifera[END] despite the differences in their nesting and foraging behavior.
",31410628
0,7460,"Lethal and sublethal effects, and incomplete clearance of ingested imidacloprid in [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]).
A previous study claimed a differential behavioural resilience between spring or summer [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) and bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) after exposure to syrup contaminated with 125 microg L-1 imidacloprid for 8 days. The authors of that study based their assertion on the lack of body residues and toxic effects in [START]honey bees[END], whereas bumble bees showed body residues of imidacloprid and impaired locomotion during the exposure. We have reproduced their experiment using winter [START]honey bees[END] subject to the same protocol. After exposure to syrup contaminated with 125 microg L-1 imidacloprid, [START]honey bees[END] experienced high mortality rates (up to 45%), had body residues of imidacloprid in the range 2.7-5.7 ng g-1 and exhibited abnormal behaviours (restless, apathetic, trembling and falling over) that were significantly different from the controls. There was incomplete clearance of the insecticide during the 10-day exposure period. Our results contrast with the findings reported in the previous study for spring or summer [START]honey bees[END], but are consistent with the results reported for the other bee species.
",28831701
0,7460,"Transcriptional markers of sub-optimal nutrition in developing [START]Apis mellifera[END] nurse workers.
BACKGROUND: [START]Honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) contribute substantially to the worldwide economy and ecosystem health as pollinators. Pollen is essential to the bee's diet, providing protein, lipids, and micronutrients. The dramatic shifts in physiology, anatomy, and behavior that accompany normal worker development are highly plastic and recent work demonstrates that development, particularly the transition from nurse to foraging roles, is greatly impacted by diet. However, the role that diet plays in the developmental transition of newly eclosed [START]bees[END] to nurse workers is poorly understood. To further understand [START]honey bee[END] nutrition and the role of diet in nurse development, we used a high-throughput screen of the transcriptome of 3 day and 8 day old worker [START]bees[END] fed either honey and stored pollen (rich diet) or honey alone (poor diet) within the hive. We employed a three factor (age, diet, age x diet) analysis of the transcriptome to determine whether diet affected nurse worker physiology and whether poor diet altered the developmental processes normally associated with aging. RESULTS: Substantial changes in gene expression occurred due to starvation. Diet-induced changes in gene transcription occurring in younger [START]bees[END] were largely a subset of those occurring in older [START]bees[END], but certain signatures of starvation were only evident 8 day old workers. Of the 18,542 annotated transcripts in the [START]A. mellifera[END] genome, 150 transcripts exhibited differential expression due to poor diet at 3d of age compared with 17,226 transcripts that differed due to poor diet at 8d of age, and poor diet caused more frequent down-regulation of gene expression in younger [START]bees[END] compared to older [START]bees[END]. In addition, the age-related physiological changes that accompanied early adult development differed due to the diet these young adult [START]bees[END] were fed. More frequent down-regulation of gene expression was observed in developing [START]bees[END] fed a poor diet compared to those fed an adequate diet. Functional analyses also suggest that the physiological and developmental processes occurring in well-fed [START]bees[END] are vastly different than those occurring in pollen deprived [START]bees[END]. Our data support the hypothesis that poor diet causes normal age-related development to go awry. CONCLUSION: Poor nutrition has major consequences for the expression of genes underlying the physiology and age-related development of nurse worker [START]bees[END]. More work is certainly needed to fully understand the consequences of starvation and the complex biology of nutrition and development in this system, but the genes identified in the present study provide a starting point for understanding the consequences of poor diet and for mitigating the economic costs of colony starvation.
",24529032
0,7460,"Accelerated behavioural development changes fine-scale search behaviour and spatial memory in [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.).
Normally, worker [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) begin foraging when more than 2 weeks old as adults, but if individual [START]bees[END] or the colony is stressed, [START]bees[END] often begin foraging precociously. Here, we examined whether [START]bees[END] that accelerated their behavioural development to begin foraging precociously differed from normal-aged foragers in cognitive performance. We used a social manipulation to generate precocious foragers from small experimental colonies and tested their performance in a free-flight visual reversal learning task, and a test of spatial memory. To assess spatial memory, [START]bees[END] were trained to learn the location of a small sucrose feeder within an array of three landmarks. In tests, the feeder and one landmark were removed and the search behaviour of the [START]bees[END] was recorded. Performance of precocious and normal-aged foragers did not differ in a visual reversal learning task, but the two groups showed a clear difference in spatial memory. Flight behaviour suggested normal-aged foragers were better able to infer the position of the removed landmark and feeder relative to the remaining landmarks than precocious foragers. Previous studies have documented the cognitive decline of old foragers, but this is the first suggestion of a cognitive deficit in young foragers. These data imply that worker [START]honey bees[END] continue their cognitive development during the adult stage. These findings may also help to explain why precocious foragers perform quite poorly as foragers and have a higher than normal loss rate. 
",26596532
0,7460,"Proteomic analysis in the Dufour's gland of Africanized [START]Apis mellifera[END] workers (Hymenoptera: Apidae).
The colony of eusocial bee [START]Apis mellifera[END] has a reproductive queen and sterile workers performing tasks such as brood care and foraging. Chemical communication plays a crucial role in the maintenance of sociability in [START]bees[END] with many compounds released by the exocrine glands. The Dufour's gland is a non-paired gland associated with the sting apparatus with important functions in the communication between members of the colony, releasing volatile chemicals that influence workers roles and tasks. However, the protein content in this gland is not well studied. This study identified differentially expressed proteins in the Dufour's glands of nurse and forager workers of [START]A. mellifera[END] through 2D-gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. A total of 131 spots showed different expression between nurse and forager [START]bees[END], and 28 proteins were identified. The identified proteins were categorized into different functions groups including protein, carbohydrate, energy and lipid metabolisms, cytoskeleton-associated proteins, detoxification, homeostasis, cell communication, constitutive and allergen. This study provides new insights of the protein content in the Dufour's gland contributing to a more complete understanding of the biological functions of this gland in [START]honeybees[END].
",28542566
0,7460,"Developmental stability, age at onset of foraging and longevity of Africanized [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END] L.) under heat stress (Hymenoptera: Apidae).
Beekeeping with the [START]western honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) is important in tropical regions but scant information is available on the possible consequences of global warming for tropical beekeeping. We evaluated the effect of heat stress on developmental stability, the age at onset of foraging (AOF) and longevity in Africanized [START]honey bees[END] (AHBs) in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, one of the main honey producing areas in the Neotropics, where high temperatures occur in spring and summer. To do so, we reared worker AHB pupae under a fluctuating temperature regime, simulating current tropical heatwaves, with a high temperature peak of 40.0  C for 1 h daily across six days, and compared them to control pupae reared at stable temperatures of 34.0-35.5  C. Heat stress did not markedly affect overall body size, though the forewing of heat-stressed [START]bees[END] was slightly shorter than controls. However, [START]bees[END] reared under heat stress showed significantly greater fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in forewing shape. Heat stress also decreased AOF and reduced longevity. Our results show that changes occur in the phenotype and behavior of [START]honey bees[END] under heat stress, with potential consequences for colony fitness.
",29801630
0,7460,"Pathological effects of the microsporidium Nosema ceranae on [START]honey bee[END] queen physiology ([START]Apis mellifera[END]).
Nosema ceranae, a microsporidian parasite originally described in the Asian [START]honey bee[END] Apis cerana, has recently been found to be cross-infective and to also parasitize the [START]European honey bee[END] [START]Apis mellifera[END]. Since this discovery, many studies have attempted to characterize the impact of this parasite in [START]A. mellifera[END] [START]honey bees[END]. Nosema species can infect all colony members, workers, drones and queens, but the pathological effects of this microsporidium has been mainly investigated in workers, despite the prime importance of the queen, who monopolizes the reproduction and regulates the cohesion of the society via pheromones. We therefore analyzed the impact of N. ceranae on queen physiology. We found that infection by N. ceranae did not affect the fat body content (an indicator of energy stores) but did alter the vitellogenin titer (an indicator of fertility and longevity), the total antioxidant capacity and the queen mandibular pheromones, which surprisingly were all significantly increased in Nosema-infected queens. Thus, such physiological changes may impact queen health, leading to changes in pheromone production, that could explain Nosema-induced supersedure (queen replacement).
",21156180
0,7460,"A non-policing [START]honey bee[END] colony (Apis mellifera capensis).
In the Cape [START]honey bee[END] Apis mellifera capensis, workers lay female eggs without mating by thelytokous parthenogenesis. As a result, workers are as related to worker-laid eggs as they are to queen-laid eggs and therefore worker policing is expected to be lower, or even absent. This was tested by transferring worker- and queen-laid eggs into three queenright A. m. capensis discriminator colonies and monitoring their removal. Our results show that worker policing is variable in A. m. capensis and that in one colony worker-laid eggs were not removed. This is the first report of a non-policing queenright [START]honey bee[END] colony. DNA microsatellite and morphometric analysis suggests that the racial composition of the three discriminator colonies was different. The variation in policing rates could be explained by differences in degrees of hybridisation between A. m. capensis and A. m. scutellata, although a larger survey is needed to confirm this.
",12384725
0,7460,"Conceptual learning by miniature brains.
Concepts act as a cornerstone of human cognition. Humans and non-human primates learn conceptual relationships such as 'same', 'different', 'larger than', 'better than', among others. In all cases, the relationships have to be encoded by the brain independently of the physical nature of objects linked by the relation. Consequently, concepts are associated with high levels of cognitive sophistication and are not expected in an insect brain. Yet, various works have shown that the miniature brain of [START]honeybees[END] rapidly learns conceptual relationships involving visual stimuli. Concepts such as 'same', 'different', 'above/below of' or 'left/right are well mastered by [START]bees[END]. We review here evidence about concept learning in [START]honeybees[END] and discuss both its potential adaptive advantage and its possible neural substrates. The results reviewed here challenge the traditional view attributing supremacy to larger brains when it comes to the elaboration of concepts and have wide implications for understanding how brains can form conceptual relations. 
",24107530
0,7460,"Resisting majesty: Apis cerana, has lower antennal sensitivity and decreased attraction to queen mandibular pheromone than [START]Apis mellifera[END].
In highly social [START]bees[END], queen mandibular pheromone (QMP) is vital for colony life. Both Apis cerana (Ac) and [START]Apis mellifera[END] (Am) share an evolutionarily conserved set of QMP compounds: (E)-9-oxodec-2-enoic acid (9-ODA), (E)-9-hydroxydec-2-enoic acid (9-HDA), (E)-10-hydroxy-dec-2-enoic acid (10-HDA), 10-hydroxy-decanoic acid (10-HDAA), and methyl p-hydroxybenzoate (HOB) found at similar levels. However, evidence suggests there may be species-specific sensitivity differences to QMP compounds because Ac workers have higher levels of ovarian activation than Am workers. Using electroantennograms, we found species-specific sensitivity differences for a blend of the major QMP compounds and three individual compounds (9-HDA, 10-HDAA, and 10-HDA). As predicted, Am was more sensitive than Ac in all cases (1.3- to 2.7- fold higher responses). There were also species differences in worker retinue attraction to three compounds (9-HDA, HOB, and 10-HDA). In all significantly different cases, Am workers were 4.5- to 6.2-fold more strongly attracted than Ac workers were. Thus, Ac workers responded less strongly to QMP than Am workers, and 9-HDA and 10-HDA consistently elicited stronger antennal and retinue formation responses [corrected].
",28294146
0,7460,"Conspecific and interspecific stimuli reduce initial performance in an aversive learning task in [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]).
The purpose of this experiment was to investigate whether [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) are able to use social discriminative stimuli in a spatial aversive conditioning paradigm. We tested [START]bees[END]' ability to avoid shock in a shuttle box apparatus across multiple groups when either shock, or the absence of shock, was associated with a live hive mate, a dead hive mate, a live Polistes exclamans wasp or a dead wasp. Additionally, we used several control groups common to bee shuttle box research where shock was only associated with spatial cues, or where shock was associated with a blue or yellow color. While [START]bees[END] were able to learn the aversive task in a simple spatial discrimination, the presence of any other stimuli (color, another bee, or a wasp) reduced initial performance. While the color biases we discovered are in line with other experiments, the finding that the presence of another animal reduces performance is novel. Generally, it appears that the use of [START]bees[END] or wasps as stimuli initially causes an increase in overall activity that interferes with early performance in the spatial task. During the course of the experiment, the [START]bees[END] habituate to the insect stimuli (bee or wasp), and begin learning the aversive task. Additionally, we found that experimental subject [START]bees[END] did not discriminate between [START]bees[END] or wasps used as stimulus animals, nor did they discriminate between live or dead stimulus animals. This may occur, in part, due to the specialized nature of the worker [START]honey bee[END]. Results are discussed with implications for continual research on [START]honey bees[END] as models of aversive learning, as well as research on insect social learning in general.
",32097420
0,7460,"Rare royal families in [START]honeybees[END], [START]Apis mellifera[END].
The queen is the dominant female in the [START]honeybee[END] colony, [START]Apis mellifera[END], and controls reproduction. Queen larvae are selected by the workers and are fed a special diet (royal jelly), which determines caste. Because queens mate with many males a large number of subfamilies coexist in the colony. As a consequence, there is a considerable potential for conflict among the subfamilies over queen rearing. Here we show that [START]honeybee[END] queens are not reared at random but are preferentially reared from rare ""royal"" subfamilies, which have extremely low frequencies in the colony's worker force but a high frequency in the queens reared.
",16151795
0,7460,"Effects of developmental exposure to pesticides in wax and pollen on [START]honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) queen reproductive phenotypes.
Stressful conditions during development can have sub-lethal consequences on organisms aside from mortality. Using previously reported in-hive residues from commercial colonies, we examined how multi-pesticide exposure can influence [START]honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) queen health. We reared queens in beeswax cups with or without a pesticide treatment within colonies exposed to treated or untreated pollen supplement. Following rearing, queens were open-mated and then placed into standard hive equipment in an ""artificial swarm"" to measure subsequent colony growth. Our treated wax had a pesticide Hazard Quotient comparable to the average in beeswax from commercial colonies, and it had no measurable effects on queen phenotype. Conversely, colonies exposed to pesticide-treated pollen had a reduced capacity for viable queen production, and among surviving queens from these colonies we observed lower sperm viability. We found no difference in queen mating number across treatments. Moreover, we measured lower brood viability in colonies later established by queens reared in treated-pollen colonies. Interestingly, royal jelly from colonies exposed to treated pollen contained negligible pesticide residues, suggesting the indirect social consequences of colony-level pesticide exposure on queen quality. These findings highlight how conditions during developmental can impact queens long into adulthood, and that colony-level pesticide exposure may do so indirectly.
",33441911
0,7460,"[START]Honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) exposomes and dysregulated metabolic pathways associated with Nosema ceranae infection.
[START]Honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) health has been severely impacted by multiple environmental stressors including parasitic infection, pesticide exposure, and poor nutrition. The decline in bee health is therefore a complex multifactorial problem which requires a holistic investigative approach. Within the exposome paradigm, the combined exposure to the environment, drugs, food, and individuals' internal biochemistry affects health in positive and negative ways. In the context of the exposome, [START]honey bee[END] hive infection with parasites such as Nosema ceranae is also a form of environmental exposure. In this study, we hypothesized that exposure to xenobiotic pesticides and other environmental chemicals increases susceptibility to N. ceranae infection upon incidental exposure to the parasite. We further queried whether these exposures could be linked to changes in conserved metabolic biological pathways. From 30 hives sampled across 10 sites, a total of 2,352 chemical features were found via gas chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF) in extracts of [START]honey bees[END] collected from each hive. Of these, 20 pesticides were identified and annotated, and found to be significantly associated with N. ceranae infection. We further determined that infected hives were linked to a greater number of xenobiotic exposures, and the relative concentration of the exposures were not linked to the presence of a N. ceranae infection. In the exposome profiles of the [START]bees[END], we also found chemicals inherent to known biological metabolic pathways of [START]Apis mellifera[END] and identified 9 dysregulated pathways. These findings have led us to posit that for hives exposed to similar chemicals, those that incur multiple, simultaneous xenobiotic stressors have a greater incidence of infection with N. ceranae. Mechanistically, our results suggests the overwhelming nature of these exposures negatively affects the biological functioning of the bee, and could explain how the decline in bee populations is associated with pesticide exposures.
",30845162
0,7460,"[START]Honeybee[END] (Apis mellifera ligustica) drone embryo proteomes.
Little attention has been paid to the drone [START]honeybee[END] (Apis mellifera ligustica) which is a haploid individual carrying only the set of alleles that it inherits from its mother. Molecular mechanisms underlying drone embryogenesis are poorly understood. This study evaluated protein expression profiles of drone embryogenesis at embryonic ages of 24, 48 and 72h. More than 100 reproducible proteins were analyzed by mass spectrometry on 2D electrophoresis gels. Sixty-two proteins were significantly changed at the selected three experimental age points. Expression of the metabolic energy requirement-related protein peaked at the embryonic age of 48h, whereas development and metabolizing amino acid-related proteins expressed optimally at 72h. Cytoskeleton, protein folding and antioxidant-related proteins were highly expressed at 48 and 72h. Protein networks of the identified proteins were constructed and protein expressions were validated at the transcription level. This first proteomic study of drone embryogenesis in the [START]honeybee[END] may provide geneticists an exact timetable and candidate protein outline for further manipulations of drone stem cells.
",21172355
0,7460,"Evidence of immunocompetence reduction induced by cadmium exposure in [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]).
In the last decades a dramatic loss of [START]Apis mellifera[END] hives has been reported in both Europe and USA. Research in this field is oriented towards identifying a synergy of contributing factors, i.e. pathogens, pesticides, habitat loss and pollution to the weakening of the hive. Cadmium (Cd) is a hazardous anthropogenic pollutant whose effects are proving to be increasingly lethal. Among the multiple damages related to Cd contamination, some studies report that it causes immunosuppression in various animal species. The aim of this paper is to determine whether contamination by Cd, may have a similar effect on the [START]honey bees[END]' immunocompetence. Our results, obtained by immune challenge experiments and confirmed by structural and ultrastructural observations show that such metal causes a reduction in immunocompetence in 3 days Cd exposed [START]bees[END]. As further evidence of [START]honey bee[END] response to Cd treatment, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (X-EDS) has revealed the presence of zinc (Zn) in peculiar electron-dense granules in fat body cells. Zn is a characteristic component of metallothioneins (MTs), which are usually synthesized as anti-oxidant and scavenger tools against Cd contamination. Our findings suggest that [START]honey bee[END] colonies may have a weakened immune system in Cd polluted areas, resulting in a decreased ability in dealing with pathogens.
",27528187
0,7460,"Methoprene does not affect juvenile hormone titers in [START]honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) workers.
Methoprene, a juvenile hormone (JH) analog, is a widely used insecticide that also accelerates behavioral development in [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]). JH regulates the transition from nursing to foraging in adult worker [START]bees[END], and treatment with JH or methoprene have both been shown to induce precocious foraging. To determine how methoprene changes [START]honey bee[END] behavior, we compared JH titers of methoprene-treated and untreated [START]bees[END]. Behavioral observations confirmed that methoprene treatment significantly increased the number of precocious foragers in 3 out of 4 colonies. In only 1 out of 4 colonies, however, was there a significant difference in JH titers between the methoprene-treated and control [START]bees[END]. Further, in all 4 colonies, there was no significant differences in JH titers between precocious and normal-aged foragers. These results suggest that methoprene did not directly affect the endogenous JH secreted by corpora allata. Because methoprene caused early foraging without changing workers' JH titers, we conclude that methoprene most likely acts directly on the JH receptors as a substitute for JH.
",27763722
0,7460,"Transgenerational accumulation of methylome changes discovered in commercially reared [START]honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) queens.
Whether a female [START]honey bee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) develops into a worker or a queen depends on her nutrition during development, which changes the epigenome to alter the developmental trajectory. Beekeepers typically exploit this developmental plasticity to produce queen bee by transplanting worker larvae into queen cells to be reared as queens, thus redirecting a worker developmental pathway to a queen developmental pathway. We studied the consequences of this manipulation for the queen phenotype and methylome over four generations. Queens reared from worker larvae consistently had fewer ovarioles than queens reared from eggs. Over four generations the methylomes of lines of queens reared from eggs and worker larvae diverged, accumulating increasing differences in exons of genes related to caste differentiation, growth and immunity. We discuss the consequences of these cryptic changes to the [START]honey bee[END] epigenome for the health and viability of [START]honey bee[END] stocks.
",33053387
0,7460,"Nosema ceranae induced mortality in [START]honey bees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) depends on infection methods.
Nosema ceranae infection can reduce survival of the [START]Western honey bee[END], [START]Apis mellifera[END], but experiments examining its virulence have highly variable results. This variation may arise from differences in experimental techniques. We examined survival effects of two techniques: Nosema infection at day 1 without anesthesia and infection at day 5 using CO2 anesthesia. All [START]bees[END] infected with the latter method had poorer survival. Interestingly, these [START]bees[END] also had significantly fewer spores than [START]bees[END] infected without anesthesia. These results indicate that differences in Nosema ceranae-induced mortality in [START]honey bees[END] may be partially due to differences in experimental techniques. 
",23711414
0,7460,"Effects of Nosema ceranae and thiametoxam in [START]Apis mellifera[END]: A comparative study in Africanized and Carniolan [START]honey bees[END].
Multiple stressors, such as chemicals and pathogens, are likely to be detrimental for the health and lifespan of [START]Apis mellifera[END], a bee species frequently exposed to both factors in the field and inside hives. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate comparatively the health of Carniolan and Africanized [START]honey bees[END] (AHB) co-exposed to thiamethoxam and Nosema ceranae (N. ceranae) spores. Newly-emerged worker [START]honey bees[END] were exposed solely with different sublethal doses of thiamethoxam (2% and 0.2% of LD50 for AHB), which could be consumed by [START]bees[END] under field conditions. Toxicity tests for the Carniolan [START]bees[END] were performed, and the LD50 of thiamethoxam for Carniolan [START]honey bees[END] was 7.86 ng bee(-1). Immunohistological analyses were also performed to detect cell death in the midgut of thiamethoxam and/or N. ceranae treated [START]bees[END]. Thiamethoxam exposure had no negative impact on Nosema development in experimental conditions, but it clearly inhibited cell death in the midgut of thiamethoxam and Nosema-exposed [START]bees[END], as demonstrated by immunohistochemical data. Indeed, thiamethoxam exposure only had a minor synergistic toxic effect on midgut tissue when applied as a low dose simultaneously with N. ceranae to AHB and Carniolan [START]honey bees[END], in comparison with the effect caused by both stressors separately. Our data provides insights into the effects of the neonicotenoid thiamethoxam on the AHB and Carniolan [START]honey bee[END] life span, as well as the effects of simultaneous application of thiamethoxam and N. ceranae spores to [START]honey bees[END].
",26774296
0,7460,"A Single Gene Causes Thelytokous Parthenogenesis, the Defining Feature of the Cape Honeybee Apis mellifera capensis.
In [START]honeybees[END], the ability of workers to produce daughters asexually, i.e., thelytokous parthenogenesis, is restricted to a single subspecies inhabiting the Cape region of South Africa, Apis mellifera capensis. Thelytoky has unleashed new selective pressures and the evolution of traits such as social parasitism, invasiveness, and social cancer. Thelytoky arises from an abnormal meiosis that results in the fusion of two maternal pronuclei, restoring diploidy in newly laid eggs. The genetic basis underlying thelytoky is disputed. To resolve this controversy, we generated a backcross between thelytokous A. m. capensis and non-thelytokous A. m. scutellata from the neighboring population and looked for evidence of genetic markers that co-segregated with thelytokous reproduction in 49 backcross females. We found that markers associated with the gene GB45239 on chromosome 11, including non-synonymous variants, showed consistent co-segregation with thelytoky, whereas no other region did so. Alleles associated with thelytoky were present in all A. m. capensis genomes examined but were absent from all other [START]honeybees[END] worldwide including A. m. scutellata. GB45239 is derived in A. m. capensis and has a putative role in chromosome segregation. It is expressed in ovaries and is downregulated in thelytokous [START]bees[END], likely because of polymorphisms in the promoter region. Our study reveals how mutations affecting the sequence and/or expression of a single gene can change the reproductive mode of a population.
",32386531
0,7460,"Toxicological, Biochemical, and Histopathological Analyses Demonstrating That Cry1C and Cry2A Are Not Toxic to Larvae of the [START]Honeybee[END], [START]Apis mellifera[END].
The [START]honey bee[END], [START]Apis mellifera[END], is commonly used as a test species for the regulatory risk assessment of insect-resistant genetically engineered (IRGE) plants. In the current study, a dietary exposure assay was developed, validated, and used to assess the potential toxicity of Cry1C and Cry2A proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to [START]A. mellifera[END] larvae; Cry1C and Cry2A are produced by different IRGE crops. The assay, which uses the soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) as a positive control and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a negative control, was used to measure the responses of [START]A. mellifera[END] larvae to high concentrations of Cry1C and Cry2A. Survival was reduced and development was delayed when larvae were fed SBTI (1 mg/g diet) but were unaffected when larvae were fed BSA (400 mug/g), Cry1C (50 mug/g), or Cry2A (400 mug/g). The enzymatic activities of [START]A. mellifera[END] larvae were not altered and their midgut brush border membranes (BBMs) were not damaged after being fed with diets containing BSA, Cry1C, or Cry2A; however, enzymatic activities were increased and BBMs were damaged when diets contained SBTI. The study confirms that Cry1C and Cry2A have no acute toxicity to [START]A. mellifera[END] larvae at concentrations >10 times higher than those detected in pollen from Bt plants. 
",26084400
0,7460,"[START]Honeybee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) vision can discriminate between and recognise images of human faces.
Recognising individuals using facial cues is an important ability. There is evidence that the mammalian brain may have specialised neural circuitry for face recognition tasks, although some recent work questions these findings. Thus, to understand if recognising human faces does require species-specific neural processing, it is important to know if non-human animals might be able to solve this difficult spatial task. [START]Honeybees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) were tested to evaluate whether an animal with no evolutionary history for discriminating between humanoid faces may be able to learn this task. Using differential conditioning, individual [START]bees[END] were trained to visit target face stimuli and to avoid similar distractor stimuli from a standard face recognition test used in human psychology. Performance was evaluated in non-rewarded trials and [START]bees[END] discriminated the target face from a similar distractor with greater than 80% accuracy. When novel distractors were used, [START]bees[END] also demonstrated a high level of choices for the target face, indicating an ability for face recognition. When the stimuli were rotated by 180 degrees there was a large drop in performance, indicating a possible disruption to configural type visual processing.
",16326952
0,7460,"Bee-hawking by the wasp, Vespa velutina, on the [START]honeybees[END] Apis cerana and [START]A. mellifera[END].
The vespine wasps, Vespa velutina, specialise in hawking [START]honeybee[END] foragers returning to their nests. We studied their behaviour in China using native Apis cerana and introduced A. mellifera colonies. When the wasps are hawking, A. cerana recruits threefold more guard [START]bees[END] to stave off predation than [START]A. mellifera[END]. The former also utilises wing shimmering as a visual pattern disruption mechanism, which is not shown by [START]A. mellifera[END]. A. cerana foragers halve the time of normal flight needed to dart into the nest entrance, while [START]A. mellifera[END] actually slows down in sashaying flight manoeuvres. V. velutina preferentially hawks [START]A. mellifera[END] foragers when both [START]A. mellifera[END] and A. cerana occur in the same apiary. The pace of wasp-hawking was highest in mid-summer but the frequency of hawking wasps was three times higher at A. mellifera colonies than at the A. cerana colonies. The wasps were taking [START]A. mellifera[END] foragers at a frequency eightfold greater than A. cerana foragers. The final hawking success rates of the wasps were about three times higher for [START]A. mellifera[END] foragers than for A. cerana. The relative success of native A. cerana over European [START]A. mellifera[END] in thwarting predation by the wasp V. velutina is interpreted as the result of co-evolution between the Asian wasp and [START]honeybee[END], respectively.
",17235596
0,7460,"Cheaters sometimes prosper: targeted worker reproduction in [START]honeybee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) colonies during swarming.
Kin selection theory predicts that [START]honeybee[END] ([START]Apis mellifera[END]) workers should largely refrain from producing their own offspring, as the workers collectively have higher inclusive fitness if they rear the sons of their mother, the queen. Studies that have quantified levels of ovary activation and reproduction among workers have largely supported this prediction. We sampled pre-emergent male pupae and adult workers from seven colonies at regular intervals throughout the reproductive part of the season. We show that the overall contribution of workers to male (drone) production is 4.2%, nearly 40 times higher than is generally reported, and is highest during reproductive swarming, when an average of 6.2% of the males genotyped are worker-produced. Similarly, workers in our samples were 100 times more likely to have active ovaries than previously assumed. Worker reproduction is seasonally influenced and peaks when colonies are rearing new queens. Not all worker subfamilies contribute equally to reproduction. Instead, certain subfamilies are massively over-represented in drone brood. By laying eggs within the period in which many colonies produce virgin queens, these rare worker subfamilies increase their direct fitness via their well-timed sons. 
",23889604
0,212527,"Digestibility and nutritional value of fresh and stored pollen for honey bees ([START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END]).
Pollen, the main protein source for honey bees, is mixed with regurgitated nectar or honey during collection and then stored as 'bee bread' before its consumption, mainly by young nurse workers. It has been suggested that storage of pollen improves its nutritional value and digestibility, but there is little evidence for such changes. We fed two fresh pollen types of different protein content (aloe and sunflower), and two stored pollen types (sunflower and a mixed pollen), to young caged worker bees. We measured daily consumption of pollen and sucrose solution, and survival after 14 days. At day 14 we recorded ovarian activation and extraction efficiency, by counting empty pollen grains in the rectal contents. Extraction efficiency is a measure of pollen digestibility. Contrary to our predictions, bees did not consume more fresh sunflower pollen than fresh aloe pollen to compensate for the lower protein content of sunflower pollen. In addition, they did not consume less sucrose solution when fed stored pollen diets that are already enriched in sugar. Consumption of stored sunflower pollen resulted in a low protein to carbohydrate (P:C) intake. Survival and ovarian activation were higher on diets giving higher P:C intakes. Extraction efficiency was high (up to 99%) for all pollen diets, and comparison of fresh and stored sunflower pollen showed that storage did not make it easier to digest. Changes to pollen during storage do not confer obvious benefits to honey bees.
",29287787
0,212527,"The effects of crude propolis, its volatiles and ethanolic extracts on the ecto-parasitic mite, Varroa destructor and health of the African savannah honey bee, [START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END].
Propolis is a hive product composed of biologically active plant resins, and has been shown to enhance individual honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) health. Propolis has also been demonstrated to mitigate, in part, the negative effects caused by the ecto-parasitic mite Varroa destructor and its associated viruses on the health of managed European honey bee colonies. However, its effect on the health status of African honey bees remains largely unknown. Here, we found that the African savannah honey bees, A. m. scutellata in Kenya, deposited approximately two and half-fold more propolis in their colonies during periods of increased than reduced worker brood rearing. This finding suggested that A. m. scutellata may use high quantities of propolis prophylactically to protect their young brood; yet, we observed no significant correlation between the quantity of propolis and the amount of worker brood or mite-infestation level on adult workers. Furthermore, whereas propolis volatiles or propolis placed in direct contact with the mites had no effect on mite survival under laboratory conditions, the ethanolic extract of propolis significantly reduced mite survival when compared with untreated control. These results suggest the presence of mite deterrent compounds in the ethanolic extract of the African honey bee propolis.
",33593461
0,212527,"Temporal variation in the genetic structure of a drone congregation area: an insight into the population dynamics of wild [START]African honeybees[END] ([START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END]).
The mating system of the honeybee (Apis mellifera) has been regarded as one of the most panmictic in the animal kingdom, with thousands of males aggregating in drone congregation areas (DCAs) that virgin queens visit to mate with tens of partners. Although males from many colonies gather at such congregations, the temporal changes in the colonies contributing drones remain unknown. Yet, changes in the DCAs' genetic structure will ultimately determine population gene flow and effective population size. By repeatedly sampling drones from an [START]African[END] DCA over a period of 3 years, we studied the temporal changes in the genetic structure of a wild honeybee population. Using three sets of tightly linked microsatellite markers, we were able to reconstruct individual queen genotypes with a high accuracy, follow them through time and estimate their rate of replacement. The number of queens contributing drones to the DCA varied from 12 to 72 and was correlated with temperature and rainfall. We found that more than 80% of these queens were replaced by mostly unrelated ones in successive eight months sampling intervals, which resulted in a clear temporal genetic differentiation of the DCA. Our results suggest that the frequent long-range migration of colonies without nest-site fidelity is the main driver of this high queen turnover. DCAs of [START]African honeybees[END] should thus be regarded as extremely dynamic systems which together with migration boost the effective population size and maintain a high genetic diversity in the population.
",19368651
0,212527,"Quality versus quantity: Foraging decisions in the honeybee ([START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END]) feeding on wildflower nectar and fruit juice.
Foraging animals must often decide among resources which vary in quality and quantity. Nectar is a resource that exists along a continuum of quality in terms of sugar concentration and is the primary energy source for bees. Alternative sugar sources exist, including fruit juice, which generally has lower energetic value than nectar. We observed many honeybees ([START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END]) foraging on juice from fallen guava (Psidium guajava) fruit near others foraging on nectar. To investigate whether fruit and nectar offered contrasting benefits of quality and quantity, we compared honeybee foraging performance on P. guajava fruit versus two wildflowers growing within 50 m, Richardia brasiliensis and Tridax procumbens. Bees gained weight significantly faster on fruit, 2.72 mg/min, than on either flower (0.17 and 0.12 mg/min, respectively). However, the crop sugar concentration of fruit foragers was significantly lower than for either flower (12.4% vs. 37.0% and 22.7%, respectively). Fruit foragers also spent the most time handling and the least time flying, suggesting that fruit juice was energetically inexpensive to collect. We interpret honeybee foraging decisions in the context of existing foraging models and consider how nest-patch distance may be a key factor for central place foragers choosing between resources of contrasting quality and quantity. We also discuss how dilute solutions, such as fruit juice, can help maintain colony sugar-water balance. These results show the benefits of feeding on resources with contrasting quality and quantity and that even low-quality resources have value.
",28725389
0,212527,"Hydroxylation patterns associated with pheromone synthesis and composition in two honey bee subspecies [START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END] and A. m. capensis laying workers.
Colony losses due to social parasitism in the form of reproductive workers of the Apis mellifera capensis clones results from the production of queen-like pheromonal signals coupled with ovarian activation in these socially parasitic honey bees. While the behavioral attributes of these social parasites have been described, their genetic attributes require more detailed exploration. Here, we investigate the production of mandibular gland pheromones in queenless workers of two sub-species of African honey bees; A. m. scutellata (low reproductive potential) and A. m. capensis clones (high reproductive potential). We used standard techniques in gas chromatography to assess the amounts of various pheromone components present, and qPCR to assess the expression of cytochrome P450 genes cyp6bd1 and cyp6as8, thought to be involved in the caste-dependent hydroxylation of acylated stearic acid in queens and workers, respectively. We found that, for both subspecies, the quality and quantity of the individual pheromone components vary with age, and that from the onset, A. m. capensis parasites make use of gene pathways typically upregulated in queens in achieving reproductive dominance. Due to the high production of 9-hydroxy-decenoic acid (9-HDA) the precursor to the queen substance 9-oxo-decenoic acid (9-ODA) in newly emerged capensis clones, we argue that clones are primed for parasitism upon emergence and develop into fully fledged parasites depending on the colony's social environment.
",31470083
0,212527,"Managed European-Derived Honey Bee, Apis mellifera sspp, Colonies Reduce African-Matriline Honey Bee, A. m. scutellata, Drones at Regional Mating Congregations.
African honey bees ([START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END]) dramatically changed the South American beekeeping industry as they rapidly spread through the Americas following their introduction into Brazil. In the present study, we aimed to determine if the management of European-derived honey bees (A. mellifera sspp.) could reduce the relative abundance of African-matriline drones at regional mating sites known as drone congregation areas (DCAs). We collected 2,400 drones at six DCAs either 0.25 km or >2.8 km from managed European-derived honey bee apiaries. The maternal ancestry of each drone was determined by Bgl II enzyme digestion of an amplified portion of the mitochondrial Cytochrome b gene. Furthermore, sibship reconstruction via nuclear microsatellites was conducted for a subset of 1,200 drones to estimate the number of colonies contributing drones to each DCA. Results indicate that DCAs distant to managed European apiaries (>2.8 km) had significantly more African-matriline drones (34.33% of the collected drones had African mitochondrial DNA) than did DCAs close (0.25 km) to managed European apiaries (1.83% of the collected drones had African mitochondrial DNA). Furthermore, nuclear sibship reconstruction demonstrated that the reduction in the proportion of African matriline drones at DCAs near apiaries was not simply an increase in the number of European matriline drones at the DCAs but also the result of fewer African matriline colonies contributing drones to the DCAs. Our data demonstrate that the management of European honey bee colonies can dramatically influence the proportion of drones with African matrilines at nearby drone congregation areas, and would likely decreasing the probability that virgin European queens will mate with African drones at those drone congregation areas. 
",27518068
0,212527,"Impact of Varroa destructor on honeybee ([START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END]) colony development in South Africa.
The devastating effects of Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman on European honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera L.) have been well documented. Not only do these mites cause physical damage to parasitised individuals when they feed on them, they also transmit viruses and other pathogens, weaken colonies and can ultimately cause their death. Nevertheless, not all honeybee colonies are doomed once Varroa mites become established. Some populations, such as the savannah honeybee, A. m. scutellata, have become tolerant after the introduction of the parasite and are able to withstand the presence of these mites without the need for acaricides. In this study, we measured daily Varroa mite fall, Varroa infestation rates of adult honeybees and worker brood, and total Varroa population size in acaricide treated and untreated honeybee colonies. In addition, honeybee colony development was compared between these groups in order to measure the cost incurred by Varroa mites to their hosts. Daily Varroa mite fall decreased over the experimental period with different dynamics in treated and untreated colonies. Varroa infestation rates in treated adult honeybees and brood were lower than in untreated colonies, but not significantly so. Thus, indicating a minimal benefit of treatment thereby suggesting that A. m. scutellata have the ability to maintain mite populations at low levels. We obtained baseline data on Varroa population dynamics in a tolerant honeybee over the winter period. Varroa mites appeared to have a low impact on this honeybee population, given that colony development was similar in the treated and untreated colonies. 
",25037745
0,212527,"Effects of age and Reproductive Status on Tergal Gland Secretions in Queenless Honey bee Workers, [START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END] and A. m. capensis.
Secretions from tergal glands are part of a queen's pheromonal control of worker reproduction in honey bees. However, in queenless honey bee colonies, workers compete to gain pheromonal, and hence reproductive dominance, over nestmates with ontogenetic changes in their glandular secretions that affect the behavioral or physiological responses of other individuals. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, we investigated for the first time the age-dependent changes in tergal gland secretions of queenless workers of the clonal lineage of Apis mellifera capensis and workers of A. m. scutellata. The reproductive status of honey bee workers was determined by recording the presence of spermathecae and the level of ovarian activation. The tergal gland chemicals identified in both A. m. scutellata workers and A. m. capensis clone workers were oleic acid, n-tricosene, n-pentacosene, and n-heptacosene, with three additional compounds, palmitic acid, n-heneicosene, and n-nonacosene, in A. m. capensis clones. We report ethyl esters as new compounds from honey bee worker tergal gland profiles; these compounds increased in amount with age. All A. m. capensis clone workers dissected had spermathecae and showed ovarian activation from day 4, while ovarian activation only started on day 7 for A. m. scutellata workers that had no spermathecae. Tergal gland secretions were present in higher quantities in bees with activated, rather than inactive ovaries. This suggests that tergal gland secretions from reproductive workers could act as releaser and primer pheromones in synergy with other glandular compounds to achieve pheromonal and reproductive dominance. 
",26384295
0,212527,"Glandular sources of pheromones used to control host workers ([START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END]) by socially parasitic workers of Apis mellifera capensis.
Pheromonal control by the honey bee queen is achieved through the use of secretions from diverse glandular sources, but the use of pheromones from a variety of glandular sources by reproductively dominant workers, has not previously been explored. Using the social parasite, Apis mellifera capensis clonal worker we studied the diversity of glandular sources used for pheromonal control of reproductively subordinate A. m. scutellata workers. To determine whether pheromones from different glandular sources are used by reproductively active workers to achieve dominance and evaluate the degree of pheromonal competition between workers of the two sub-species, we housed groups of workers of the two sub-species together in cages and analysed mandibular and tergal gland secretions as well as, ovarian activation status of each worker after 21days. The results showed that A. m. capensis invasive clones used both mandibular and tergal gland secretions to achieve reproductive dominance and suppress ovarian activation in their A. m. scutellata host workers. The reproductively dominant workers (false queens) produced more queen-like pheromones and inhibited ovarian activation in subordinate A. m. scutellata workers. These results show that tergal gland pheromones working in synergy with pheromones from other glands allow individual workers (false queens) to establish reproductive dominance within these social groups and to act in a manner similar to that of queens. Thus suggesting that, the evolution of reproductively dominant individuals (queens or false queens) and subordinate individuals (workers) in social insects like the honey bee is the result of a complex interplay of pheromonal signals from different exocrine glands.
",28889990
0,212527,"Morphological and Chemical Characterization of the Invasive Ants in Hives of [START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END] Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Apidae).
Apiculture in Brazil is quite profitable and has great potential for expansion because of the favorable climate and abundancy of plant diversity. However, the occurrence of pests, diseases, and parasites hinders the growth and profitability of beekeeping. In the interior of the state of Sao Paulo, apiaries are attacked by ants, especially the species Camponotus atriceps (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), which use the substances produced by [START]Apis mellifera scutellata[END] (Lepeletier) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), like honey, wax, pollen, and offspring as a source of nourishment for the adult and immature ants, and kill or expel the adult bees during the invasion. This study aimed to understand the invasion of C. atriceps in hives of A. m. scutellata. The individuals were classified into castes and subcastes according to morphometric analyses, and their cuticular chemical compounds were identified using Photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS). The morphometric analyses were able to classify the individuals into reproductive castes (queen and gynes), workers (minor and small ants), and the soldier subcaste (medium and major ants). Identification of cuticular hydrocarbons of these individuals revealed that the eight beehives were invaded by only three colonies of C. atriceps; one of the colonies invaded only one beehive, and the other two colonies underwent a process called sociotomy and were responsible for the invasion of the other seven beehives. The lack of preventive measures and the nocturnal behavior of the ants favored the invasion and attack on the bees. 
",26563402
0,7010,"Schistocerca neuropeptides - An update.
We compiled a comprehensive list of 67 precursor genes encoding neuropeptides and neuropeptide-like peptides using the [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END] genome and several transcriptome datasets. 11 of these 67 precursor genes have alternative transcripts, bringing the total number of [START]S. gregaria[END] precursors identified in this study to 81. Based on this precursor information, we used different mass spectrometry approaches to identify the putative mature, bioactive peptides processed in the nervous system of [START]S. gregaria[END]. The thereby generated dataset for [START]S. gregaria[END] confirms significant conservation of the entire neuropeptidergic gene set typical of insects and also contains precursors typical of Polyneoptera only. This is in striking contrast to the substantial losses of peptidergic systems in some holometabolous species. The neuropeptidome of [START]S. gregaria[END], apart from species-specific sequences within the known range of variation, is quite similar to that of Locusta migratoria and even to that of less closely related Polyneoptera. With the [START]S. gregaria[END] peptidomics data presented here, we have thus generated a very useful source of information that could also be relevant for the study of other Polyneoptera species.
",34767790
0,7010,"Allocation of more reproductive resource to egg size rather than clutch size of gregarious [START]desert locust[END] ([START]Schistocerca gregaria[END]) through increasing oogenesis period and oosorption rate.
The [START]desert locust[END], [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END], shows density-dependent reproductive trade-off by laying fewer but larger eggs in crowded conditions (gregarious phase) than in isolated conditions (solitarious phase). However, the physiological mechanisms controlling reproductive resource allocation remain unclear. We examined how egg production processes, including ovulation timing (i.e., oogenesis period), oocyte and ovarian growth rates, and oosorption rate (resorbing developing terminal oocytes), regulate reproductive outputs (egg biomass per clutch, egg size, and clutch size) during a reproductive cycle in [START]S. gregaria[END] by rearing them either under isolated or crowded conditions. We observed a common density-dependent negative correlation between egg size and clutch size, with no significant difference in egg biomass between the two rearing conditions. Dissection of female locusts after different days of oviposition revealed that the daily oocyte growth rate was almost similar between the two rearing conditions, but crowd-reared females ovulated later than isolated-reared ones, resulting in further oocyte growth in the former. Terminal oocytes were renewed by previous penultimate oocytes at the onset of a new reproductive cycle, and oosorption mainly occurred at an early stage in both rearing conditions; however, crowd-reared locusts displayed higher levels of oosorption compared to their isolated-reared counterparts. Crowding induced a high oosorption rate, resulting in a reduced clutch size and a prolonged oogenesis period, which in turn allowed oocytes to intake more yolk, which was probably recycled via oosorption. These results suggest that the length of the oogenesis period and oosorption rate are manipulated by maternal density, and these physiological modifications interactively regulate reproductive trade-off in [START]S. gregaria[END].
",34838517
0,7010,"Egg size-dependent embryonic development in the [START]desert locust[END], [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END].
Phenotypic plasticity in body size is a product of modification of the developmental pathway. Although hatchlings of the [START]desert locust[END], [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END], show egg size-dependent plasticity in body size, it remains unclear how embryogenesis during egg development regulates final embryonic body size. To determine the developmental pathway causing body size variation at hatching, we examined egg and embryonic development at the early, middle, and late egg developmental stages in [START]S. gregaria[END] by comparing small and large eggs. Crowd-reared females produced larger eggs than isolated-reared females. The daily egg developmental rate was similar between small and large eggs: eggs dramatically absorbed external water after days 3 to 7 and nearly doubled the initial egg weight at the late stage of day 12. Morphological measurements of eggs and embryos at different days after oviposition revealed that large eggs were longer than small eggs throughout developmental stages. However, embryo length was similar between small and large eggs at the early stage (anatrepsis). Embryos begin to absorb yolk into their bodies after blastokinesis. The size of large-egg embryos increased significantly from the middle stage (katatrepsis) due to absorption of more yolk than small eggs. Egg length and embryo length were conspicuously larger in large eggs than in small eggs on day 12 of late katatrepsis. These results suggest that egg size did not influence the egg developmental rate and initial embryo size. Large eggs had more yolk and space, resulting in larger final embryos than small eggs. The amount of yolk and size of eggshells during katatrepsis could play a key role in determining hatchling body size in [START]S. gregaria[END].
",36528090
0,7010,"In Silico Screening for Pesticide Candidates against the [START]Desert Locust[END] [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END].
Adipokinetic hormone (AKH) is one of the most important metabolic neuropeptides in insects, with actions similar to glucagon in vertebrates. AKH regulates carbohydrate and fat metabolism by mobilizing trehalose and diacylglycerol into circulation from glycogen and triacylglycerol stores, respectively, in the fat body. The short peptide (8 to 10 amino acids long) exerts its function by binding to a rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptor located in the cell membrane of the fat body. The AKH receptor (AKHR) is, thus, a potential target for the development of novel specific (peptide) mimetics to control pest insects, such as locusts, which are feared for their prolific breeding, swarm-forming behavior and voracious appetite. Previously, we proposed a model of the interaction between the three endogenous AKHs of the [START]desert locust[END], [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END], and the cognate AKHR (Jackson et al., Peer J. 7, e7514, 2019). In the current study we have performed in silico screening of two databases (NCI Open 2012 library and Zinc20) to identify compounds which may fit the endogenous Schgr-AKH-II binding site on the AKHR of [START]S. gregaria[END]. In all, 354 compounds were found to fit the binding site with glide scores < -8. Using the glide scores and binding energies, 7 docked compounds were selected for molecular dynamic simulation in a phosphatidylcholine membrane. Of these 7 compounds, 4 had binding energies which would allow them to compete with Schgr-AKH-II for the receptor binding site and so are proposed as agonistic ligand candidates. One of the ligands, ZINC000257251537, was tested in a homospecific in vivo biological assay and found to have significant antagonistic activity.
",35330138
0,7010,"Integrative taxonomy confirms that Gregarina garnhami and G. acridiorum (Apicomplexa, Gregarinidae), parasites of Schistocerca gregaria and Locusta migratoria (Insecta, Orthoptera), are distinct species.
Orthoptera are infected by about 60 species of gregarines assigned to the genus Gregarina Dufour, 1828. Among these species, Gregarina garnhami Canning, 1956 from [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END] (Forsskal, 1775) was considered by Lipa et al. in 1996 to be synonymous with Gregarina acridiorum (Leger 1893), a parasite of several orthopteran species including Locusta migratoria (Linne, 1758). Here, a morphological study and molecular analyses of the SSU rDNA marker demonstrate that specimens of [START]S. gregaria[END] and specimens of L. migratoria are infected by two distinct Gregarina species, G. garnhami and G. acridiorum, respectively. Validation of the species confirms that molecular analyses provide useful taxonomical information. Phenotypic plasticity was clearly observed in the case of G. garnhami: the morphology of its trophozoites, gamonts and syzygies varied according to the geographical location of [START]S. gregaria[END] and the subspecies infected.
",33620310
0,7010,"Peptides in the locusts, Locusta migratoria and [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END].
The first peptide identified in locusts was adipokinetic hormone I (AKH-I), a neurohormone mobilizing lipids from the fat body. No other locusts peptides were isolated until 1985. From then on peptide identification started to boom at such a tremendously fast rate that even specialists in the field could hardly keep track. At this moment the total number of different insect neuropeptide sequences exceeds 100. Currently, the locusts Locusta migratoria and [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END] are the species from which the largest number of neuropeptides has been isolated and sequenced, namely 56. Myotropic bioassays have played a major role in the isolation and subsequent structural characterization of locust neuropeptides. They have been responsible for the discovery of locustamyotropins, locustapyrokinins, locustatachykinins, locustakinin, locusta accessory gland myotropins, locustasulfakinin, cardioactive peptide, and locustamyoinhibiting peptides. Members of the myotropin peptide families have been associated with a variety of physiological activities such as myotropic activities, pheromonotropic activities, diapause induction, stimulation of cuticular melanization, diuresis, pupariation, and allatostatic activities. Recently, we have identified in [START]Schistocerca[END] 10 peptides belonging to the allatostatin peptide family, which inhibit peristaltic movements of the oviduct. Some of the myotropins appear to be important neurotransmitters or modulators innervating the locust oviduct, the salivary glands, the male accessory glands, and the heart, whereas others are stored in neurohemal organs until release in the hemolymph. Some myotropic peptides have been found to be releasing factors of neurohormones from the corpora cardiaca. Several peptides isolated in locusts appear to be unique to insects or arthropods; others seem to be members of peptides families spanning across phyla: two vasopressin-like peptides, FMRFamide-related peptides, Locusta diuretic hormone (CRF-like), Locusta insulin-related peptide, locustatachykinins, locustasulfakinin (gastrin/CCK-like). In a systematic structural study of neuropeptides in Locusta, several novel peptides have been isolated from the corpora cardiaca and the pars intercerebralis. They include the neuroparsins, two 6-kDa dimeric peptides, and three proteinase inhibitors. Ovary maturating parsin is the first gonadotropin identified in insects. The isolation of a peptide from an ovary extract that inhibits ovary maturation in [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END] is currently underway in our lab. The proteinase inhibitors, recently found to be mainly transcribed in the fat body, are believed to play a role in defense reactions of insects. Finally, a locust ion transport peptide and a peptide stimulating salivation recently can be added to this extensive list of locust peptides.
",9114464
0,7010,"Myoinhibitory peptides in the central complex of the locust [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END] and colocalization with locustatachykinin-related peptides.
The central complex in the brain of insects provides a neural network for sensorimotor processing that is essential for spatial navigation and locomotion and plays a role in sleep control. Studies on the neurochemical architecture of the central complex have been performed especially in the fruit fly Drosophila melangoaster and the [START]desert locust[END], [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END]. In several insect species, myoinhibitory peptides (MIPs) are involved in circadian control and sleep-wake regulation. To identify neurons that might underlie these functions, we investigated the distribution of MIPs in the central complex of the locust. In silico transcript analysis suggests the presence of eight different MIPs in the [START]desert locust[END]. Through immunolabeling, we identified five systems of central-complex neurons that express MIP-like peptides. Two systems constitute columnar neurons of the protocerebral bridge and the lower division of the central body, while the other three systems are columnar neurons (two systems) and tangential neurons (one system) of the upper division of the central body. The innervation pattern and cell count of two systems of columnar neurons revealed the existence of 18 instead of 16 columns of the protocerebral bridge. Immunostaining of preparations containing intracellularly stained single cells allowed us to further specify subtypes of labeled columnar neurons. Double-label experiments showed that three systems of MIP-immunostained columnar neurons are also locustatachykinin-immunoreactive. No colocalization was found with serotonin immunostaining. The data provide novel insights into the architecture of the locust central complex and suggest that MIPs play a prominent role within the central-complex network.
",35700405
0,7010,"Early embryonic development of Johnston's organ in the antenna of the [START]desert locust[END] [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END].
Johnston's organ has been shown to act as an antennal auditory organ across a spectrum of insect species. In the hemimetabolous [START]desert locust[END] [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END], Johnston's organ must be functional on hatching and so develops in the pedicellar segment of the antenna during embryogenesis. Here, we employ the epithelial cell marker Lachesin to identify the pedicellar domain of the early embryonic antenna and then triple-label against Lachesin, the mitosis marker phosphohistone-3, and neuron-specific horseradish peroxidase to reveal the sense-organ precursors for Johnston's organ and their lineages. Beginning with a single progenitor at approximately a third of embryogenesis, additional precursors subsequently appear in both the ventral and dorsal pedicellar domains, each generating a lineage or clone. Lineage locations are remarkably conserved across preparations and ages, consistent with the epithelium possessing an underlying topographic coordinate system that determines the cellular organization of Johnston's organ. By mid-embryogenesis, twelve lineages are arranged circumferentially in the pedicel as in the adult structure. Each sense-organ precursor is associated with a smaller mitotically active cell from which the neuronal complement of each clone may derive. Neuron numbers within a clone increase in discrete steps with age and are invariant between clones and across preparations of a given age. At mid-embryogenesis, each clone comprises five cells consolidated into a tightly bound cartridge. A long scolopale extends apically from each cartridge to an insertion point in the epithelium, and bundled axons project basally toward the brain. Comparative data suggest mechanisms that might also regulate the developmental program of Johnston's organ in the locust.
",36138225
0,7010,"The role of female accessory glands in maternal inheritance of phase in the [START]desert locust[END] [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END].
Accessory glands of crowd-reared females of [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END] were ligatured from the lateral oviducts. Hatchlings resulting from egg pods laid after the treatment showed a significant shift towards solitarious behaviour as compared to hatchlings from control-treated females. Morphometric measurement of hatchlings revealed no consistent difference between ligatured and control females, however, one ratio (hind femur length/vertex width) was approaching significance. Hatchlings from eggs of crowd-reared females behaved solitariously when freshly laid eggs were washed with a saline solution. Gregarious behaviour could be restored when washed eggs were treated with a saline extract of the accessory glands. The colouration of hatchlings was not affected by any treatment. Our findings implicate the accessory glands in the production, release or activation of the recently reported gregarizing factor found in the egg pod foam [McCaffery, A.R., Simpson, S.J., Islam, M.S., Roessingh, P., 1998. A gregarizing factor present in the egg pod foam of the [START]desert locust[END] [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END]. Journal of Experimental Biology 201, 347-363].
",12770232
0,7010,"Neuroarchitecture of the central complex in the brain of the locust [START]Schistocerca gregaria[END] and S. americana as revealed by serotonin immunocytochemistry.
The central complex is a prominent structure in the insect brain, yet its anatomical organization and functional role is still poorly understood. To facilitate investigations on the physiology of the central complex, this study describes its anatomical organization in the brain of locusts ([START]Schistocerca gregaria[END] and Schistocerca americana) based on an investigation of serotonin immunocytochemistry. Most subdivisions of the central complex including the protocerebral bridge, several layers in the upper division of the central body, and the noduli of the central body are innervated by serotonin-immunoreactive neurons, while the lower division of the central body does not exhibit serotonin-like immunoreactivity. Several types of serotonin-immunoreactive neurons can be distinguished. A system of about 60 columnar neurons innervates the protocerebral bridge, layer III of the upper division of the central body, and the noduli. A group of 15-20 bilateral pairs of serotonin-immunoreactive neurons connects the posterior optic tubercles with the protocerebral bridge. About ten pairs of neurons with somata in the inferior protocerebrum innervate layer Ia of the upper division of the central body. In addition, large-field neurons arborize in layers Ia and Ib of the upper division of the central body and in the lateral accessory lobes. The detailed mapping of serotonin immunoreactivity provides further insight into the anatomical organization of the central complex and suggests that serotonin is a major neuroactive substance within this brain structure.
",2013639
0,27454,"Development and validation of a GC-MS method for nicotine detection in [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END] (L.) (Diptera: Calliphoridae).
Entomotoxicology is the application of toxicological methods and analytical procedures on necrophagous insects feeding on decomposing tissues to detect drugs and other chemical components, and their mechanisms affecting insect development and morphology and modifying the methodology for estimation of minimum time since death. Nicotine is a readily available potent poison. Because of its criminal use, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the detection of nicotine in Calliphora vomitoria L. (Diptera: Calliphoridae) was developed and validated. Furthermore, the effect of nicotine on the development, growth rate, and survival of this blowfly was studied. Larvae were reared on liver substrates homogeneously spiked with measured amounts of nicotine (2, 4, and 6 ng/mg) based on concentrations that are lethal to humans. The results demonstrated that (a) the GC-MS method can detect both nicotine and its metabolite cotinine in immature [START]C. vomitoria[END]; (b) the presence of nicotine in the aforementioned three concentrations in food substrates did not modify the developmental time of [START]C. vomitoria[END]; (c) during the pupation period, larvae exposed to nicotine died depending on the concentration of nicotine in the substrate; and (d) the resultant lengths of larvae and pupae exposed to 4 and 6 ng/mg concentrations of nicotine were significantly shorter than those of the control.
",26874739
0,27454,"The ability of the blowflies Calliphora vomitoria (Linnaeus), Calliphora vicina (Rob-Desvoidy) and Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and the muscid flies Muscina stabulans (Fallen) and Muscina prolapsa (Harris) (Diptera: Muscidae) to colonise buried remains.
The blowflies Calliphora vomitoria (Linnaeus), Calliphora vicina (Rob-Desvoidy) and Lucilia sericata (Meigen) exhibited a limited ability to colonise pig liver baits buried in loose soil. Calliphora vomitoria colonised baits buried at 5 cm but no deeper whilst C. vicina and L. sericata colonised remains at 10 cm but not at 20 cm. The baits were colonised by larvae hatching from eggs laid on the surface of the soil. Both [START]C. vomitoria[END] and L. sericata were able to develop from eggs through to adulthood on baits that were infested before being buried and the larvae developed at similar rates and pupariated at similar depths to larvae developing on baits on the soil surface. The muscid flies Muscina stabulans (Fallen) and Muscina prolapsa (Harris) colonised remains buried in loose soil at a depth of 40 cm and even when presented with baits on the soil surface their larvae tended to remain in the soil beneath the baits. In compacted soil, M. stabulans colonised baits buried at 10 cm but M. prolapsa only colonised those buried at 5 cm. In both muscid species, the adult flies were instantly attracted to feed on fresh blood and laid eggs in the soil above buried baits within 30min of them being introduced into the cages. The adult muscid flies did not attempt to burrow into the soil and their larvae colonised the baits from eggs laid on the soil surface. This information could be useful in determining whether a body was stored above ground before being buried and/or the time since burial occurred.
",21071161
0,27454,"Chitosan and Essential Oils Combined for Beef Meat Protection against the Oviposition of [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END], Water Loss, Lipid Peroxidation, and Colour Changes.
Meat production has a higher economic and ecological impact than other commodities. The reduction in meat loss and waste throughout the whole supply chain is a demanding challenge. In recent years, the interest in the food-grade polysaccharide chitosan (CH) and essential oils (EOs) employed as allies in meat protection has increased. In this work, we selected five EOs obtained from plants traditionally used as spices, and after their chemical characterisation, a trained panel of expert sensorial analysts determined that, among them, Laurus nobilis (Lauraceae) and Piper nigrum (Piperaceae) EOs were the most suitable to season meat. Therefore, the effect of CH, the L. nobilis and P. nigrum EOs, and EOs-enriched CH solutions on meat was tested to assess how they deter the oviposition behaviour of the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and against water loss, lipid peroxidation, and colour changes. All the applied treatments, compared to the control, did not accelerate meat dehydration but increased colour lightness, an attractive feature for consumers, and discouraged the blowfly's oviposition. In particular, the P. nigrum EO-enriched CH was the most active in repelling [START]C. vomitoria[END] without negatively affecting the organoleptic qualities and shelf-life of meat.
",36553736
0,27454,"Pilot Study of a New Methodology to Study the Development of the Blue Bottle Fly ([START]Calliphora vomitoria[END]) Under Exposure to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields at 5.4 GHz.
Purpose - Exposure of insects to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) can have developmental effects. However, there is currently no clear understanding of the exposure level that can lead to such effects. Therefore, the goal of this study was to, for the first time, study the development of the Blue Bottle Fly ([START]Calliphora vomitoria[END], CV) under exposure to RF-EMFs at 5.4 GHz, using both numerical RF-EMF dosimetry with anatomically accurate 3D models of insects and an RF-EMF exposure experiment. Materials and Methods - CV was chosen as a model organism in this study because CV's development can be influenced thermally and CV's pupal stage presents a window of several days in which immobile pupae can be exposed to RF-EMFs. The 5.4 GHz frequency was used because it allowed us licence-free operation of the exposure setup. Numerical, EM simulations with 3D anatomically accurate models of CV, obtained using micro-CT scanning, were used in this study. These simulations enable the estimation of the absorbed power and the whole-body averaged specific absorption rate in CV during RF exposure experiments. An experiment with three exposure conditions was designed and executed in which 400 pupae were split into an exposed group that was placed inside the TEM cell for 48 h and a concurrent control. Two exposure conditions used RF-EMF input power into the TEM cell at 5.4 GHz on two different levels. One exposure condition was a sham exposure. Electric field strength measurements were used to validate the proper functioning of the exposure setups and to quantify the RF-EMF exposure of the control groups. Results and Conclusions - All studied groups of pupae - exposed to RF-EMFs, sham, and control groups- showed similar (evolutions of) masses, lengths and diameters during their development. The total rate of pupal emergence was reduced in one of the studied RF-EMF exposures in comparison to its concurrent control, while the other RF-EMF exposure and the sham exposure did not alter the total rate of pupal emergence. The sham exposure and the lowest of the two studied RF-EMF exposure conditions (19.4 V/m) caused a median delay in pupal emergence of 4 and 8 hours, respectively, in comparison to concurrent control groups. The higher studied exposure of 55 V/m caused a median relative acceleration in development of 8 h.
",35976063
0,27454,"Effects of cocaine and heroin, and their combination, on the development rate of [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END] (Diptera: Calliphoridae).
Insects present on or near decomposing bodies are collected by forensic entomologists and used to estimate the post-mortem interval. Drugs metabolized by a person before death may affect the rate of development of insects feeding on the corpse. This study aimed to determine the effects of cocaine and heroin main metabolites on the development rate of the [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END] (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and their implications on minimum post-mortem interval determination. Groups of 250 eggs each were placed into four separate pots of 150 g of minced pork meat being either un-spiked, or spiked with benzoylecgonine, morphine, or a combination of both. Larval length (mm) and weight (mg) measurements were taken twice daily and the rate of development of the insects' life cycle was monitored until eclosion. Results show that cocaine-fed larvae developed less in length and weight than the control group. Heroin-fed larvae showed a more fluctuating pattern, being smaller and lighter than the control group for most of their larval cycle, but overtaking them in both parameters towards pupation. Combination-fed larvae seemed to favour the effects of cocaine. The three conditions also had a significant impact on the length of the insects' life cycle. Cocaine and drug combination treatments increased the length of the second and third instar stages, but led to the shortening of pupation and accelerated eclosion. Conversely, heroin treatment led to lengthier pupation. Interestingly, the effects of the drug combination seemed to mirror more precisely those of cocaine. These findings indicate that both cocaine and heroin, singularly and in combination, have sizable effects on blowflies' development rates, potentially biasing post-mortem interval estimations.
",35931453
0,27454,"Development of a GC-MS method for methamphetamine detection in Calliphora vomitoria L. (Diptera: Calliphoridae).
Entomotoxicology is the study of using insects for the detection of drugs and other chemical substances in decomposing tissues. One research aspect in particular is the effects of these substances on arthropod development and morphology, and their consequences on the post mortem interval estimation. Since methamphetamine (MA) is becoming commonplace as an illegal recreational drug, a GC-MS method for the detection of MA in Calliphora vomitoria L. (Diptera: Calliphoridae) was developed and validated. Furthermore, the effect of MA on the development, growth rates and survival of the blowfly was investigated. Larvae were reared on liver substrates homogeneously spiked with measured amounts of MA (5 ng/g and 10 ng/g) based on typical concentrations found in human tissue in cases of death caused by MA overdose. The experimental results demonstrated that (i) MA produced a significant increase in the developmental time from egg to adult in [START]C. vomitoria[END], (ii) approximately 60% of larvae exposed to either dose of MA died during the pupation period and (iii) the resultant lengths of larvae and pupae were on average significantly larger than the controls.
",24905151
0,27454,"An X-ray micro-computer tomography study of the Malpighian tubules of the Blue Bottle Blow Fly ([START]Calliphora vomitoria[END]) Diptera: Calliphoridae.
Malpighian tubules are the insect equivalent of mammalian kidneys and normally drain into the gut at the junction between the mid and hind gut. The Malpighian tubules of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster are increasingly being used as a model for studying human renal tract development, histology, nephrolithiasis and urolithiasis. In the present study we report when using X-ray micro-computer tomography techniques, the larval, intrapuparial and adult stages of the larger [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END] can contain large amounts of calcium-rich concretions which are tightly packed in the lumen of both anterior Malpighian tubules. We show that it is feasible to utilise these calcium-rich concretions as a form of marking agent to delineate the various developmental stages of the Malpighian tubules including the crucial phase when the Malpighian tubules reconnect with the hind gut. In the majority of cases during the intrapuparial period the ureters of the Malpighian tubules did not start to re-canalise and thus reconnect with the developing hind gut until the 7th day of the 10-11 day. Just prior to ecdysis, virtually all the radio-opaque concretions in the Malpighian tubules had emptied into the hind gut and had then been completely excreted by the time the imago emerged from its puparium. In contrast, we show that in flies developing from larvae previously stained by ingesting Rhodamine B, a known substrate for both the Multi Xenobiotic Resistance and Multi Drug Resistant membrane transport systems, the efficiency with which these calcium-rich concretions are excreted by the imago as it emerges from its intrapuparial period can be significantly impaired. Therefore, it might be useful to include [START]C. vomitoria[END] as a model when studying renal tract development and urolithiasis using X-ray micro-computer tomography.
",34757291
0,27454,"Morphological characterization using scanning electron microscopy of fly artifacts deposited by [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END] (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on household materials.
Insects found at a crime scene can produce traces referred to as fly artifacts (FA) due to their movement over the corpse and the manner in which they feed upon it. These can be detrimental for carrying out criminal investigations. Confusing a FA with a genuine bloodspot can lead to misinterpretations, also taking into consideration that FA may contain a human DNA profile. The aim of the present study was to employ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the analysis of FA produced by [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END] on hard surfaces and fabrics that are commonly present at crime scenes. FA and control bloodstains were produced under experimental conditions on metal, glass, plaster, cotton, and polyester. After macroscopic analysis, FA were examined at standard low (20-40 x), medium low (300-600 x), and high ultrastructural (1200 x) magnification through a SEM Stereoscan 360, Leica, Cambridge. SEM analysis enabled the identification of distinctive features of FA on hard surfaces, namely, amorphous crystals, micro-crystals with a morphology similar to those of uric or micro-crystals with a comparable morphology to cholesterol, absent in controls. Moreover, red blood cells (RBC) were absent in FA but were always present in controls. On cotton, for both FA and controls, the drop was almost completely absorbed and thus indistinguishable from the underlying fabric texture. On polyester, FA showed amorphous/crystal-like deposits and no RBC, as observed on hard surfaces, except for those showing a completely flat surface. SEM analysis appeared to be suitable for differential diagnosis between FA and genuine bloodstains on hard surfaces, although the results may be inconclusive on tested fabrics.
",34196786
0,27454,"Synomones in necrophagous larvae of the blow flies Lucilia sericata and [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END].
Chemical signals are widespread in insects, but those resulting in interspecific communication (i.e., synomones) remain understudied. Here, we analysed chemicals left on substrates by two species of blow fly larvae, Lucilia sericata (Meigen) and [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END] (Linneaus) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), which can aggregate together on carrion. Using solid-phase microextraction and dynamic headspace analysis, we identified six compounds common to both species: the decanoic, tetradecanoic, pentadecanoic, hexadecanoic and octadecanoic acids, and the 2-ethylhexyl salicylate. We then tested the behavioural effects of the decanoic and pentadecanoic acids using binary-choice experiments, along with the (Z)-9-tricosene, a pheromone found in many arthropods. The time spent by a larva and its average crawling speed were measured in two sides of an arena, where only one contained a compound at 0.25 or 25 mug/mul. No effect was observed when testing the decanoic acid. The pentadecanoic acid only reduced the speed of [START]C. vomitoria[END] larvae at 25 mug/mul. Finally, L. sericata larvae spent less time in the side containing the (Z)-9-tricosene at 0.25 mug/mul, whereas [START]C. vomitoria[END] spent more time and crawled faster in this side at 25 mug/mul. Although these results did not directly evidence synomones, they suggest that the (Z)-9-tricosene could regulate larval aggregations on carrion.
",36196866
0,27454,"The use of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) to differentiate two UK blowfly species -- Calliphora vicina and Calliphora vomitoria.
Traditionally identification of forensically important insects has been carried out based upon morphological differences between species. However insect evidence found at a crime scene may on occasion be difficult to distinguish by morphological techniques and under these circumstances another method of accurate identification is required. This work utilises a cytochrome oxidase I partial mitochondrial gene region (COI) to distinguish the two of the main UK blowfly species -- Calliphora vicina (Robineau Desvoidy) and [START]Calliphora vomitoria[END] (Linnaeus) (Diptera:Calliphoridae). Seventeen interspecific differences in COI sequence were located. Use of the restriction enzyme SfcI on this gene region provides a simple method for distinguishing between C. vicina and [START]C. vomitoria[END].
",16504435
0,6978,"Periplanosides A-C: new insect-derived dihydroisocoumarin glucosides from [START]Periplaneta americana[END] stimulating collagen production in human dermal fibroblasts.
Three new dihydroisocoumarin glucosides, termed periplanosides A-C (1-3), a known analog, pericanaside (4), and the other twenty known compounds were isolated from the insect [START]Periplaneta americana[END]. Their structures including absolute configurations were determined by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses and computational methods. Biological evaluation showed that compound 2 could stimulate collagen production by 31.2% in human dermal fibroblasts-adult (HDFa) at the concentration of 30 muM, indicating its significance in skin repair and ulcer. 
",26499169
0,6978,"The molting gland of the cockroach [START]Periplaneta americana[END]: secretory activity and its regulation.
1. The prothoracic gland is the main source of ecdysteroids in larvae of the cockroach [START]Periplaneta americana[END]. 2. Besides ecdysone the molting gland of [START]Periplaneta[END] secretes 3-dehydroecdysone and proteins. 3. The molting gland of [START]Periplaneta[END] is regulated in different successive steps of cooperation of nervous and neuroendocrine activity. 4. Neurogenic effects on the molting gland via the prothoracic gland nerves are concentrated on the period of prepeak production of ecdysteroids. 5. Prior to the 17th day, the glands secretory activity is inhibited by GABA-ergic neuronal pathways from the subesophageal ganglion. 6. Neurogenic disinhibition by a peptidergic brain factor elicits the competence of the gland for prepeak activity, completed by the glandotropic effect of PTTH. 7. The 17th day of the larval stage is characterized as the head critical period, i.e., after this period the ecdysteroid secretion of the gland is independent of the prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) from the brain. 8. The main peak of ecdysteroid production is regulated by prothoracicotropic neuropeptids from the brain.
",9195189
0,6978,"The cockroach [START]Periplaneta americana[END] as a potential paratenic host of the lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus.
INTRODUCTION: Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is a well-known nematode affecting the respiratory system of felids worldwide. Snails and slugs act as intermediate hosts of this parasite, whereas rodents, birds and reptiles may serve as paratenic hosts. [START]Periplaneta americana[END], the American brown cockroach, shares the same habitat and ecological features (e.g. nocturnal activity) with both snails and cats. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capability of [START]P. americana[END] to maintain alive A. abstrusus third stage larvae (L3s) after artificial inoculation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-five specimens of [START]P. americana[END] were infected with 100 A. abstrusus L3s collected from experimentally infected Cornu aspersum snails, whereas five specimens were used as control group. After the infection, cockroaches were maintained in individual plastic boxes until dissection for the presence of L3s at 1 (T1), 5 (T5), 10 (T10), 15 (T15), and 20 (T20) days post-infection. RESULTS: Except for T15, alive A. abstrusus L3s (n = 63) were found at all time-points, being 26, 19, 16 and 2 L3s retrieved at T1, T5, T10 and T20, respectively. Eleven (17.4%) L3s were found within the digestive tract, 10 (15.9%) in other-than-digestive organs and 42 (66.7%) in the exoskeleton and associated tissues. Nine out of the twenty-five experimentally inoculated cockroaches (36%) died soon after the artificial infection (T1), while in the control group, two out of the five (40%) died before the end of the study (T15) with no difference in the mortality rate between groups. DISCUSSION: Results of this study suggest that [START]P. americana[END] could act as a paratenic host of A. abstrusus. [START]Periplaneta americana[END] cockroaches, have a ubiquitous distribution and may be preyed by cats, representing a potential source of infection to cats living in endemic areas.
",28942048
0,6978,"Isocoumarins from [START]American cockroach[END] ([START]Periplaneta americana[END]) and their cytotoxic activities.
Four new isocoumarins (1-4), along with three known ones (5-7), were isolated from the 70% ethanol extract of the whole body of the traditional Chinese insect medicine, [START]American cockroach[END] ([START]Periplaneta americana[END]). The structures with absolute configurations of new compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods in combination with X-ray diffraction experiment and CD analyses. Compounds 3-5 showed significant cytotoxic activities in HepG2 and MCF-7 cells with IC50 values in the ranges 6.41-23.91 muM and 6.67-39.07 muM, respectively.
",24631766
0,6978,"Experimental transmission of Toxocara canis from Blattella germanica and [START]Periplaneta americana[END] cockroaches to a paratenic host.
The present study assessed the capacity of Blattella germanica and [START]Periplaneta americana[END] to disseminate and transmit infective phases of T. canis to rats, which were used as a model paratenic host. [START]P. americana[END] and B. germanica inoculated orally with T. canis larvated eggs shed eggs and larvae in their fecal matter during the first 6days post-inoculation. Larvae were recovered from the brain, lungs, kidneys and liver of rats that had been inoculated with either infected cockroaches or their feces. ELISAs of serum detected an increase of antibodies anti-T. canis excretion-secretion antigens, whereas Western Blot (WB) showed 4 bands (120, 50, 35 and 28kDa) that were similar to those found in positive control rats. Macroscopically, the liver and kidneys of infected rats had hemorrhagic areas with milk-spot-like lesions. The lungs showed diffuse grey protuberances. Histologically, hemorrhagic areas with leucocytic infiltrate were observed in the liver, lungs and kidneys. Some larvae were found within a granuloma that was surrounded by eosinophils and other leucocytic infiltrates. Larvae were found in the brain, but without inflammatory infiltrate. Both cockroach species that ingested larvated eggs of T. canis may shed viable larvae or eggs in their fecal matter. The induction of specific serum antibodies, presence of larvae in tissues and characteristic lesions associated with larval migration in the organs of rats that had ingested either whole adults or feces of B. germanica or [START]P. americana[END] demonstrate the capacity of these cockroaches to transmit toxocariosis to paratenic hosts.
",28969780
0,6978,"Myofilaments promote wing expansion and maintain genitalia morphology in the [START]American cockroach[END], [START]Periplaneta americana[END].
Insects are the most widely distributed and successful animals on the planet. A large number of insects are capable of flight with functional wings. Wing expansion is an important process for insects to achieve functional wings after eclosion and healthy genital morphology is crucial for adult reproduction. Myofilaments are functional units that constitute sarcomeres and trigger muscle contraction. Here, we identified four myofilament proteins, including Myosin, Paramyosin, Tropomyosin and Troponin T, from the wing pads of nymphs in the [START]American cockroach[END], [START]Periplaneta americana[END]. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Myosin, Paramyosin, Tropomyosin and Troponin T in the early stage of final instar nymphs caused a severely curly wing phenotype in the imaginal molt, especially in the Paramyosin and Troponin T knockdown groups, indicating that these myofilament proteins are involved in controlling wing expansion behaviors during the nymph-adult transition. In addition, the knockdown resulted in abnormal external genitalia, caused ovulation failure and affected male accessory gland development. Interestingly, the expression of myofilament genes was induced by methoprene, a juvenile hormone (JH) analog, and decreased by the depletion of the JH receptor gene Met. Altogether, we have determined that myofilament genes play an important role in promoting wing expansion and maintaining adult genitalia morphology, and their expression is induced by juvenile hormone signaling. Our data reveals a novel mechanism by which wing expansion is regulated by myofilaments and the functions of myofilaments are involved in maintaining genitalia morphology. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
",36214335
0,6978,"Two glycoproteins from medicinal insect [START]Periplaneta americana[END] (L.) promote diabetic wound healing via macrophage polarization modulation.
Along with the increasing attempts to explore the wound healing effective substances of [START]Periplaneta americana[END] (L.) (PA), a medicinal insect in traditional Chinese medicine, researchers' attention turned to the endogenetic macromolecules, such as polysaccharides and peptides. Herein, we innovatively isolated two glycoproteins from PA, named PAGP-1 and PAGP-2, which were obtained by Cellulose DE-52 chromatography and purified by Sephadex G-100 gel in succession. The structural characterization of the two PAGPs were performed, including molecular weight, amino acid and monosaccharide composition, morphology analysis, FT-IR and 1H NMR analysis, CD spectroscopy, and glycosides linkage. As a result, two PAGPs belonged to O-glycopeptide bonds linked glycoproteins. The content of carbohydrate and protein of PAGP-1 was approximately 25.23% and 65.92% respectively, which of PAGP-2 was approximately 25.71% and 71.23%. Based on the remarkable anti-inflammatory effects of PAGPs on LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells, the topical administration of PAGP-1 and PAGP-2 could significantly accelerate full-thickness wound healing in diabetic mice, involving to alleviate the inflammation, increase the ratio of type I and type III collagen fibers, and promote the polarization of macrophages M1 to M2. In short, this study provides clear evidence that the glycoproteins would be the potential wound healing bioactive substances in PA.
",35500775
0,6978,"Serotonin-immunoreactive sensory neurons in the antenna of the cockroach [START]Periplaneta americana[END].
The antennae of insects contain a vast array of sensory neurons that process olfactory, gustatory, mechanosensory, hygrosensory, and thermosensory information. Except those with multimodal functions, most sensory neurons use acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter. Using immunohistochemistry combined with retrograde staining of antennal sensory neurons in the cockroach [START]Periplaneta americana[END], we found serotonin-immunoreactive sensory neurons in the antenna. These were selectively distributed in chaetic and scolopidial sensilla and in the scape, the pedicel, and first 15 segments of the flagellum. In a chaetic sensillum, A single serotonin-immunoreactive sensory neuron cohabited with up to four serotonin-negative sensory neurons. Based on their morphological features, serotonin-immunopositive and -negative sensory neurons might process mechanosensory and contact chemosensory modalities, respectively. Scolopidial sensilla constitute the chordotonal and Johnston's organs within the pedicel and process antennal vibrations. Immunoelectron microscopy clearly revealed that serotonin-immunoreactivities selectively localize to a specific type of mechanosensory neuron, called type 1 sensory neuron. In a chordotonal scolopidial sensillum, a serotonin-immunoreactive type 1 neuron always paired with a serotonin-negative type 1 neuron. Conversely, serotonin-immunopositive and -negative type 1 neurons were randomly distributed in Johnston's organ. In the deutocerebrum, serotonin-immunoreactive sensory neuron axons formed three different sensory tracts and those from distinct types of sensilla terminated in distinct brain regions. Our findings indicate that a biogenic amine, serotonin, may act as a neurotransmitter in peripheral mechanosensory neurons.
",23852943
0,6978,"The Core Gut Microbiome of the [START]American Cockroach[END], [START]Periplaneta americana[END], Is Stable and Resilient to Dietary Shifts.
The omnivorous cockroach [START]Periplaneta americana[END] hosts a diverse hindgut microbiota encompassing hundreds of microbial species. In this study, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to examine the effect of diet on the composition of the [START]P. americana[END] hindgut microbial community. Results show that the hindgut microbiota of [START]P. americana[END] exhibit a highly stable core microbial community with low variance in compositions between individuals and minimal community change in response to dietary shifts. This core hindgut microbiome is shared between laboratory-hosted and wild-caught individuals, although wild-caught specimens exhibited a higher diversity of low-abundance microbes that were lost following extended cultivation under laboratory conditions. This taxonomic stability strongly contrasts with observations of the gut microbiota of mammals, which have been shown to be highly responsive to dietary change. A comparison of [START]P. americana[END] hindgut samples with human fecal samples indicated that the cockroach hindgut community exhibited higher alpha diversity but a substantially lower beta diversity than the human gut microbiome. This suggests that cockroaches have evolved unique mechanisms for establishing and maintaining a diverse and stable core microbiome. IMPORTANCE: The gut microbiome plays an important role in the overall health of its host. A healthy gut microbiota typically assists with defense against pathogens and the digestion and absorption of nutrients from food, while dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been associated with reduced health. In this study, we examined the composition and stability of the gut microbiota from the omnivorous cockroach [START]Periplaneta americana[END]. We found that [START]P. americana[END] hosts a diverse core gut microbiome that remains stable after drastic long-term changes in diet. While other insects, notably ant and bee species, have evolved mechanisms for maintaining a stable association with specific gut microbiota, these insects typically host low-diversity gut microbiomes and consume specialized diets. In contrast, [START]P. americana[END] hosts a gut microbiota that is highly species rich and consumes a diverse solid diet, suggesting that cockroaches have evolved unique mechanisms for developing and maintaining a stable gut microbiota.
",27590811
0,6978,"Intraspecific Signals Inducing Aggregation in [START]Periplaneta americana[END] (Insecta: Dictyoptera).
Chemical communication is necessary to induce aggregation and to maintain the cohesion of aggregates in [START]Periplaneta americana[END] (L.) cockroaches. We aimed to identify the chemical message inducing aggregation in this species. Two types of bioassays were used-binary choice tests in Petri dishes and tests in Y-olfactometer. Papers conditioned by direct contact of conspecifics induce aggregation when proposed in binary choice tests and were attractive in a Y-olfactometer. The identification of the molecules present on these conditioned papers indicated that dichloromethane extracts contained mainly cuticular hydrocarbons whereas methanol extracts contained more volatile molecules. Only a mixture of extracts in both solvents induced aggregation. High concentrations of cuticular hydrocarbons are necessary to induce aggregation when presented alone. When presented with volatile molecules present in methanol extracts, low concentrations of cuticular hydrocarbons are sufficient to induce aggregation if they are presented in contact. Among volatile molecules collected on filter paper, a mixture of three compounds-hexadecanoic acid, pentadecanoic acid, and pentaethylene glycol-induced aggregation. Our results provide evidence that aggregation processes in [START]P. americana[END] relies on a dual mechanism: attraction over long distances by three volatile molecules and maintenance on site by contact with cuticular hydrocarbons. 
",26313978