Article
Biology
Yifan Wang, Gregor Belusic, Ido Pen, Leo W. Beukeboom, Bregje Wertheim, Doekele G. Stavenga, Roelof A. Hut
Summary: The circadian light entrainment mechanism in some insects involves a blue-light-sensitive cryptochrome (CRY) protein, but this is not the case in hymenopterans. The jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis uses retinal photoreceptors, including three classes in the compound eyes and an additional class in the ocelli, to entrain its circadian activity. The action spectrum of phase shifts in the wasp's circadian activity suggests antagonistic interactions between pairs of spectral photoreceptors.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Jiangjie Li, Melissa Deveux, Olivier Christiaens, Guy Smagghe, Clauvis N. T. Taning
Summary: RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising method for pest control that can be used alongside beneficial insects. However, safety assessment studies are needed to evaluate potential adverse effects to beneficial insects. This study evaluates the unintended effects of dsRNA exposure on the jewel wasp, Nasonia vitripennis, and confirms the compatibility of RNAi-based pest control with biological control using parasitoid wasps under laboratory conditions.
ENTOMOLOGIA GENERALIS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Haena Lee, Pooreum Seo, Salina Teklay, Emily Yuguchi, Elena Dalla Benetta, John H. Werren, Patrick M. Ferree
Summary: B chromosomes are non-essential extra chromosomes that exhibit transmission-enhancing behaviors in plants and animals. The paternal sex ratio (PSR) B chromosome in jewel wasps causes genome elimination in fertilized embryos, resulting in the development of haploid males. This study found that PSR does not escape the histone-to-protamine transition or the chromatin-altering activity, and it appears to target euchromatin rather than heterochromatin for genome elimination.
Article
Entomology
Jan Buellesbach, Wenwen Diao, Thomas Schmitt, Leo W. Beukeboom
Summary: This study investigates the role of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) in desiccation protection and sexual communication in the parasitoid jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis. Surprisingly, the results show unexpected environmental correlations of intermediate chain-length CHCs (C31) exclusively in females, potentially due to the different life histories of the sexes. It also demonstrates the stability of female sexual attractiveness across populations, likely due to the consistent presence of specific CHCs.
ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Yifan Wang, Lijing Jin, Gregor Belusic, Leo W. Beukeboom, Bregje Wertheim, Roelof A. Hut
Summary: This study investigated the possibility of Nasonia's circadian light entrainment under red LED light-dark cycles and characterized the strength of red light as a potential Zeitgeber. The findings demonstrate that Nasonia can entrain under red light dark cycles, and the sensory pathway underlying the red-light Zeitgeber response may reside in the ocelli.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Jian-Qiu Cheng, Yu-Mei Tao, Jing Li, Yong-Zhuo Chen, Hao-Yuan Hu
Summary: In Nasonia vitripennis, linoleic acid, the material for biosynthesis of sex attracting and blocking pheromones, is synthesized from oleic acid by a male-biased fatty acid desaturase (SCD5a). This study found that SCD5a is mainly expressed in male heads and increases with age and mating. The expression patterns of genes responsible for attracting pheromone biosynthesis differ between head and abdomen, suggesting that linoleic acid for biosynthesis may also originate from the head.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Garima Prazapati, Ankit Yadav, Anoop Ambili, Abhilasha Sharma, Rhitoban Raychoudhury
Summary: The study reveals a previously unknown reproductive strategy in Nasonia parasitoid wasps, where N. vitripennis can distinguish hosts with adult females using female-signature cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) as chemical cues.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kimberly C. Olney, Joshua D. Gibson, Heini M. Natri, Avery Underwood, Juergen Gadau, Melissa A. Wilson
Summary: This study replicated the previous report of no parent-of-origin effects in haplodiploid Nasonia, showing a species-of-origin effect instead of a parent-of-origin effect. Reproducible workflow was presented for replicating the results using different individuals and sequencing technology.
Article
Entomology
Z. G. Holditch, K. N. Ochoa, S. Greene, S. Allred, J. Baranowski, S. M. Shuster
Summary: Haplo-diploid sex determination in the parasitoid wasp Nasonia vitripennis allows females to adjust their brood sex ratios in order to minimize local mate competition. Previous studies have shown that sperm depletion affects sex allocation in this species.
JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jonas L. Andresen, Deborah H. Oughton, Tone Birkemoe, Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
Summary: The role of insects in the transfer of radionuclides has been overlooked. This study investigated the transfer of radiocaesium from reindeer meat to blowfly larvae and further to parasitoid wasps. Results showed that blowfly larvae absorb radiocaesium during their feeding stage, with the highest concentration ratios found in actively feeding third instar larvae. The concentration ratios significantly decreased in later developmental stages and in adult flies. The data suggested that a large proportion of radiocaesium was removed prior to pupariation and that radiocaesium is biodiluted in insect food chains.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Pol Nadal-Jimenez, Crystal L. Frost, Ana Claudia Norte, Jorge Garrido-Bautista, Timothy E. Wilkes, Rowan Connell, Annabel Rice, Indrikis Krams, Tapio Eeva, Philippe Christe, Gregorio Moreno-Rueda, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: This paper examines the distribution of a parasitic bacterium in the population of a wasp host in Europe. The study finds that this bacterium is widely present in bee populations in Germany, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, and Portugal, but with varying frequencies. A new screening method using ethanol-preserved fly pupae is effective in detecting both wasp and bacterium infection. Future research should investigate the causes of frequency variation.
JOURNAL OF INVERTEBRATE PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nils Schoefer, Julian Ackermann, Julian Hoheneder, John Hofferberth, Joachim Ruther
Summary: The lethal and sublethal effects of pesticides on nontarget organisms, such as parasitic wasps, can lead to the decline of insect species. This study investigated the sublethal effects of four insecticides on the pheromone-mediated sexual communication and olfactory host finding of Nasonia vitripennis. The results showed that all insecticides targeting cholinergic neurons disrupted the pheromone response and olfactory host finding of the wasps, reducing their effectiveness as natural enemies.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Jan Buellesbach, Mark Lammers, Jose van de Belt, Bart A. Pannebakker
Summary: This study investigates the differentiation of Nasonia vitripennis into two distinct ecotypes, based on chemical profiles and population genetic divergence. The results show no evidence for the postulated two ecotypes, suggesting free interbreeding and no gene flow interruption between the two host patches. The findings challenge previous assumptions and highlight the importance of chemical ecological assessment and population genetics in studying ecological differentiation and incipient speciation mechanisms in parasitoid wasps.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhi-Xian Gong, Fu-Ping Cheng, Jia-Ning Xu, Wei-Yu Yan, Zi-Long Wang
Summary: This study reveals the role of the gene AmKr-h1 in honey bee caste differentiation, showing that AmKr-h1 acts as a JH-responsive gene and regulates the developmental fate of honey bee larvae.
Article
Microbiology
Runbiao Wu, Zhengyu Zhu, Guan-Hong Wang
Summary: This study presents the draft genome sequence of Providencia stuartii prov-sta1, a prevalent Gram-negative bacterium dominant in the wasp Nasonia vitripennis, with a genome size of 4,380,152 bp and a G+C content of 41.34%.
MICROBIOLOGY RESOURCE ANNOUNCEMENTS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lauren Des Marteaux, Jili Xi, Genyu Mano, Shin G. Goto
Summary: Many insects survive winter by entering diapause in response to short autumnal day lengths. Glutamate signaling has been found to be involved in insect photoperiodism in Hemiptera, marking the first report of its functional involvement in this process.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lauren Des Marteaux, Jili Xi, Genyu Mano, Shin G. Goto
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Lukas Kucera, Martin Moos, Tomas Stetina, Jaroslava Korbelova, Petr Vodrazka, Lauren Des Marteaux, Robert Grgac, Petr Hula, Jan Rozsypal, Milos Faltus, Petr Simek, Radislav Sedlacek, Vladimir Kostal
Summary: This study identifies and quantifies multiple cryoprotectants in larval tissues of a subarctic fly, which could inspire the development of laboratory cryoprotectant formulations for cryopreservation. The artificial mixtures of cryoprotectants mimic the concentrations in hemolymph of freeze-tolerant larvae and exhibit cryoprotective effects. The study also suggests that trehalose stimulates the transition to the amorphous glass phase, while proline forms a layer of dense viscoelastic liquid, both protecting macromolecules and cells from thermomechanical shocks associated with freezing.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Entomology
Shin G. Goto
Summary: This article reviews our current understanding of the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying insect photoperiodism, with a special emphasis on photoperiodic time measurement models.
APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Petr Hula, Martin Moos, Lauren Des Marteaux, Petr Simek, Vladimir Kostal
Summary: This study reveals that exposing diapausing larvae of the drosophilid fly to dry conditions significantly improves their freeze tolerance. The metabolomics analysis shows that environmental drought, decreasing ambient temperatures, and short days trigger similar metabolic rearrangement and improved larval freeze tolerance. Transition to metabolic suppression represents a common axis of metabolic pathway reorganization towards accumulation of cytoprotective compounds and stimulation of freeze tolerance.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Genyu Mano, Shin G. Goto
Summary: This study found that the circadian clock controls the photoperiodic response by altering the expression of key elements in two independent endocrine pathways.
APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Robert Grgac, Jan Rozsypal, Lauren Des Marteaux, Tomas Stetinab, Vladimir Kostal
Summary: This study provides evidence for the molecular mechanisms of protein denaturation and membrane integrity loss in freeze-sensitive insects, and demonstrates the protective effects of cryoprotective molecules in stabilizing proteins and membranes against freezing injury.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Aya Kodama, Keiji Matsumoto, Tetsuro Shinada, Shin G. Goto
Summary: The juvenile hormone (JH) found in Eurydema rugosa, known as a pest for crucifers, was identified as juvenile hormone III skipped bisepoxide (JHSB(3)), a bisepoxyfarnesoate compound. Topical application of JHSB(3) inhibited nymphal metamorphosis and induced nymphal-type coloration, and also effectively terminated summer and winter diapauses in females.
BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mizuki Yoshida, Shin G. Goto
Summary: This study investigates the thermal tolerance of embryos and newly hatched larvae of the Antarctic midge. The results show that the embryos have both cold and heat tolerance, successfully hatching at temperatures ranging from -4.7 to 15 degrees C. However, the larvae only develop into the fourth instar stage at 4 degrees C, indicating their susceptibility to environmental changes.
Article
Entomology
Yuta Shimizu, Shin G. Goto
Summary: Diapause is a programmed stage-specific arrest or delay in reproduction or development and is commonly used to circumvent an adverse season. In the band-legged ground cricket Dianemobius nigrofasciatus, embryonic diapause is maternally determined, but the involvement of juvenile hormone III (JH III) and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) in maternal decisions and diapause entry is not supported by the study.
APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Hiroki Takekata, Shin-Ichiro Tachibana, Daisuke Motooka, Shota Nakamura, Shin G. Goto
Summary: Intertidal dwellers exhibit circatidal rhythms corresponding to tidal cycles, and the molecular mechanism behind this phenomenon is largely unknown. In this study, whole-transcriptome analysis of the mangrove cricket Apteronemobius asahinai revealed a potential link between circatidal and circadian rhythms, suggesting that physiological events in the cuticle may be controlled by the circatidal clock.
BIOLOGICAL RHYTHM RESEARCH
(2022)