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Bi H, Xu X, Li X, Wang Y, Zhou S, Huang Y. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Serine protease 2 disruption induces male sterility in Spodoptera litura. Front Physiol 2022; 13:931824. [PMID: 35991171 PMCID: PMC9382020 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.931824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Male fertility is essential for reproduction and population growth in animals. Many factors affect male fertility, such as courtship behavior, sperm quantity, and sperm motility, among others. Seminal Fluid Proteins (SFPs) are vital components of seminal fluid in the male ejaculate, which affect male fertility, sperm activation, and female ovulation. However, the knowledge of SFPs is insufficient; the function of many SFPs remains unknown, and most described functions were mainly characterized in Drosophila or other laboratory models. Here, we focus on the Serine protease 2 (Ser2) gene in the lepidopteran pest Spodoptera litura. The Ser2 gene was specifically expressed in male adults. Disruption of the Ser2 gene mediated by CRISPR/Cas9 induced male sterility but females remained fertile. PCR-based detection of the next-generation mutants showed that male sterility was stably inherited. The qRT-PCR analysis of SlSer2 mutants showed that motor protein family genes and structural protein family genes were down-regulated, while protein modification family genes were up-regulated, suggesting that SlSer2 may be involved in sperm movement and activity. These results demonstrate that Ser2 is an important component of SFPs in seminal fluid and was identified for a useful sterile gene for pest control that may lead to new control strategies for lepidopteran insect pests such as S. litura.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglun Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Xia Xu
- Institute of Sericulture and Tea Research, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaowei Li
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences/Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaohui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences/Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai, China
| | - Shutang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, School of Life Sciences, College of Agriculture, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
- *Correspondence: Shutang Zhou, ; Yongping Huang,
| | - Yongping Huang
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences/Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Shutang Zhou, ; Yongping Huang,
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2
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Finch G, Nandyal S, Perretta C, Davies B, Rosendale AJ, Holmes CJ, Gantz JD, Spacht DE, Bailey ST, Chen X, Oyen K, Didion EM, Chakraborty S, Lee RE, Denlinger DL, Matter SF, Attardo GM, Weirauch MT, Benoit JB. Multi-level analysis of reproduction in an Antarctic midge identifies female and male accessory gland products that are altered by larval stress and impact progeny viability. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19791. [PMID: 33188214 PMCID: PMC7666147 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76139-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Antarctic midge, Belgica antarctica, is a wingless, non-biting midge endemic to Antarctica. Larval development requires at least 2 years, but adults live only 2 weeks. The nonfeeding adults mate in swarms and females die shortly after oviposition. Eggs are suspended in a gel of unknown composition that is expressed from the female accessory gland. This project characterizes molecular mechanisms underlying reproduction in this midge by examining differential gene expression in whole males, females, and larvae, as well as in male and female accessory glands. Functional studies were used to assess the role of the gel encasing the eggs, as well as the impact of stress on reproductive biology. RNA-seq analyses revealed sex- and development-specific gene sets along with those associated with the accessory glands. Proteomic analyses were used to define the composition of the egg-containing gel, which is generated during multiple developmental stages and derived from both the accessory gland and other female organs. Functional studies indicate the gel provides a larval food source as well as a buffer for thermal and dehydration stress. All of these function are critical to juvenile survival. Larval dehydration stress directly reduces production of storage proteins and key accessory gland components, a feature that impacts adult reproductive success. Modeling reveals that bouts of dehydration may have a significant impact on population growth. This work lays a foundation for further examination of reproduction in midges and provides new information related to general reproduction in dipterans. A key aspect of this work is that reproduction and stress dynamics, currently understudied in polar organisms, are likely to prove critical in determining how climate change will alter their survivability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Finch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Sonya Nandyal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Carlie Perretta
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Benjamin Davies
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Andrew J Rosendale
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Biology, Mount St. Joseph University, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Christopher J Holmes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - J D Gantz
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
- Department of Biology and Health Science, Hendrix College, Conway, AR, USA
| | - Drew E Spacht
- Departments of Entomology and Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Samuel T Bailey
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Xiaoting Chen
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Kennan Oyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Elise M Didion
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Souvik Chakraborty
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Richard E Lee
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - David L Denlinger
- Departments of Entomology and Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Stephen F Matter
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Geoffrey M Attardo
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Matthew T Weirauch
- Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
- Divisions of Biomedical Informatics and Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, USA
| | - Joshua B Benoit
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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Bi J, Wang Y. The effect of the endosymbiont Wolbachia on the behavior of insect hosts. INSECT SCIENCE 2020; 27:846-858. [PMID: 31631529 PMCID: PMC7496987 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
As one of the most successful intracellular symbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia can infect many arthropods and nematodes. Wolbachia infection usually affects the reproduction of their hosts to promote their own proliferation and transmission. Currently, most of the studies focus on the mechanisms of Wolbachia interactions with host reproduction. However, in addition to distribution in the reproductive tissues, Wolbachia also infect various somatic tissues of their hosts, including the brain. This raises the potential that Wolbachia may influence some somatic processes, such as behaviors in their hosts. So far, information about the effects of Wolbachia infection on host behavior is still very limited. The present review presents the current literature on different aspects of the influence of Wolbachia on various behaviors, including sleep, learning and memory, mating, feeding and aggression in their insect hosts. We then highlight ongoing scientific efforts in the field that need addressing to advance this field, which can have significant implications for further developing Wolbachia as environmentally friendly biocontrol agents to control insect-borne diseases and agricultural pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Bi
- School of Life Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative BiologyCentral China Normal UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Yu‐Feng Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative BiologyCentral China Normal UniversityWuhanChina
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De Loof A, Schoofs L. Mode of Action of Farnesol, the "Noble Unknown" in Particular in Ca 2+ Homeostasis, and Its Juvenile Hormone-Esters in Evolutionary Retrospect. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:141. [PMID: 30858798 PMCID: PMC6397838 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Farnesol, the sesquiterpenoid precursor of insect juvenile hormones (JH) that itself has JH activity, existed already long before animals and their hormones came into being. Although it is omnipresent in all eukaryotes, this molecule remains a "noble unknown" in cell physiology. It is neither documented as a hormone nor as another type of signaling molecule. To date, its function as an intermediate in the synthesis of squalene-cholesterol-steroids in chordates/vertebrates, and of the insect/arthropod JHs, esters of farnesol, in the mevalonate biosynthetic pathway is assumed to be the only one. This assumption neglects that already two decades ago, farnesol has been shown to be a potent endogenous inhibitor of N-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in some mammalian cell types. The tandem mevalonate pathway and Ca2+ channels originated early in eukaryotic evolution, and has since been well conserved, "promoting" it as a ubiquitous player in Ca2+ homeostasis in all eukaryotes. This paper accentuates how this drastic change in thinking gained momentum after the discovery by Paroulek and Sláma that the huge amounts of JH I in male accessory glands of the Cecropia moth, are actually synthesized in these glands themselves and not in the corpora allata, the hitherto assumed unique synthesis site of such compounds. In addition, MAG-JHs have no hormonal- but an exocrine function. Here we hypothesize that MAG-JHs may function in protecting the spermatozoa against toxic Ca2+ concentrations, and in enabling their flagellum to undulate. They may do so by acting through membrane receptors. Our novel paradigm assigns to farnesol/JHs a function of flexible hydrophobic molecular valves for restricting untimely Ca2+-passage through some types of canonical Ca2+channels, using covalently bound farnesyl- or geranyl-geranyl group attachment as well as GPCRs-G proteins all containing a prenyl group. The high rotatable bond count, and their horseshoe-shape are instrumental to their valve function. In our paradigm, Met/Tai and Gce, to date generally thought to be the (only) functional (nuclear) receptors for JHs, are classified as probable Ca2+-sensitive transcription factors. Some theoretical and practical considerations for possible applications in a medical context will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnold De Loof
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics Group, Department of Biology, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Liliane Schoofs
- Functional Genomics and Proteomics Group, Department of Biology, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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5
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Singh A, Buehner NA, Lin H, Baranowski KJ, Findlay GD, Wolfner MF. Long-term interaction between Drosophila sperm and sex peptide is mediated by other seminal proteins that bind only transiently to sperm. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 102:43-51. [PMID: 30217614 PMCID: PMC6249070 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Seminal fluid proteins elicit several post-mating physiological changes in mated Drosophila melanogaster females. Some of these changes persist for over a week after mating because the seminal protein that causes these changes, the Sex Peptide (SP), binds to sperm that are stored in the female reproductive tract. SP's sperm binding is mediated by a network of at least eight seminal proteins. We show here that some of these network proteins (CG1656, CG1652, CG9997 and Antares) bind to sperm within 2 h of mating, like SP. However, while SP remains bound to sperm at 4 days post-mating, none of the other network proteins are detectable at this time. We also observed that the same network proteins are detectable at 2 h post-mating in seminal receptacle tissue from which sperm have been removed, but are no longer detectable there by 4 days post-mating, suggesting short-term retention of these proteins in this female sperm storage organ. Our results suggest that these network proteins act transiently to facilitate the conditions for SP's binding to sperm, perhaps by modifying SP or the sperm surface, but are not part of a long-acting complex that stably attaches SP to sperm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akanksha Singh
- Dept. of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Norene A Buehner
- Dept. of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - He Lin
- Dept. of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA; East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Geoffrey D Findlay
- Dept. of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA; Dept. of Biology, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, 01610, USA
| | - Mariana F Wolfner
- Dept. of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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6
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He Z, Zhang HB, Li ST, Yu WJ, Biwot J, Yu XQ, Peng Y, Wang YF. Effects of Wolbachia infection on the postmating response in Drosophila melanogaster. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2561-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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7
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Keiser CN, Rudolf VHW, Sartain E, Every ER, Saltz JB. Social context alters host behavior and infection risk. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Carl N Keiser
- Rice University Academy of Fellows, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | - Emma R Every
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Julia B Saltz
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
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