scholarly journals Maleness-on-the-Y (MoY) orchestrates male sex determination in major agricultural fruit fly pests

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 365 (6460) ◽  
pp. 1457-1460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Meccariello ◽  
Marco Salvemini ◽  
Pasquale Primo ◽  
Brantley Hall ◽  
Panagiota Koskinioti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pests ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Linked Gene ◽  
Regulatory Module ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Male Sex ◽  
Xx Males ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient

In insects, rapidly evolving primary sex-determining signals are transduced by a conserved regulatory module controlling sexual differentiation. In the agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean fruit fly, or Medfly), we identified a Y-linked gene, Maleness-on-the-Y (MoY), encoding a small protein that is necessary and sufficient for male development. Silencing or disruption of MoY in XY embryos causes feminization, whereas overexpression of MoY in XX embryos induces masculinization. Crosses between transformed XY females and XX males give rise to males and females, indicating that a Y chromosome can be transmitted by XY females. MoY is Y-linked and functionally conserved in other species of the Tephritidae family, highlighting its potential to serve as a tool for developing more effective control strategies against these major agricultural insect pests.

scholarly journals Maleness-on-the-Y (MoY) orchestrates male sex determination in major agricultural fruit fly pests

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Meccariello ◽  
Marco Salvemini ◽  
Pasquale Primo ◽  
Brantley Hall ◽  
Panagiota Koskinioti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Fruit Fly ◽  
Bactrocera Dorsalis ◽  
Agricultural Pests ◽  
Tephritid Species ◽  
Regulatory Module ◽  
Specific Proteins ◽  
Male Sex ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient

AbstractIn insects, rapidly evolving primary sex-determining signals are transduced by a conserved regulatory module producing sex-specific proteins that direct sex determination and sexual differentiation1-4. In the agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata (medfly), a Y-linked maleness factor (M) is thought to repress the autoregulatory splicing of transformer (Cctra), which is required in XX individuals to establish and maintain female sex determination5,6. Despite previous attempts of isolating Y-linked genes using the medfly whole genome, the M factor has remained elusive7. Here, we report the identification of a Y-linked gene, Maleness-on the-Y (MoY), and show that it encodes a small novel protein which is both necessary and sufficient for medfly male sex determination. Transient silencing of MoY in XY individuals leads to the development of fertile females while transient expression of MoY in XX individuals results in fertile males. Notably, a cross between these sex reverted individuals gives rise to both fertile males and females indicating that a functional MoY can be maternally transmitted. In contrast to the diversity of M factors found in dipteran species8-11, we discovered MoY orthologues in seven other Tephritid species spanning ∼111 millions of years of evolution (Mya). We confirmed their male determining function in the olive fly (Bactrocera oleae) and the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis). This unexpected conservation of the primary MoY signal in a large number of important agricultural pests12 will facilitate the development of transferable genetic control strategies in these species, for example sterile male releases or sex-ratio-distorting gene drives.

Behavior-based control of insect crop pests

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra A. Allan
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pests ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Insect Behavior ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Mass Trapping ◽  
Ecological Traits ◽  
Crop Pests ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Crop Development

Manipulation of insect behavior can provide the foundation for effective strategies for control of insect crop pests. A detailed understanding of life cycles and the behavioral repertoires of insect pests is essential for development of this approach. A variety of strategies have been developed based on behavioral manipulation and include mass trapping, attract-and-kill, auto-dissemination, mating and host plant location disruption, and push-pull. Insight into application of these strategies for insect pests within Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera/Thysanoptera are provided, but first with an overview of economic damage and traditional control approaches, and overview of relevant behavioral/ecological traits. Then examples are provided of how these different control strategies are applied for each taxonomic group. The future of these approaches in the context of altered crop development for repellency or as anti-feedants, the effects of climate change and the risks of behaviorally-based methods are discussed.

scholarly journals Boll Weevil Control Strategies: Regional Benefits and Costs

1977 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Robert Taylor ◽  
Ronald D. Lacewell
Keyword(s):  
Insect Pests ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Boll Weevil ◽  
Early Season ◽  
Trap Crops ◽  
Southern States ◽  
Baited Traps ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Benefits And Costs ◽  
The U.S

Throughout the southern states and at the federal level, much attention is being focused on the appropriate strategy for controlling cotton insect pests, particularly the boll weevil. This paper presents estimated economic impacts to farmers, regions and consumers of implementing three alternative boll weevil control strategies. One strategy evaluated is a proposed boll weevil eradication program which involves integrating many controls including insecticides, reproduction-diapause control by early season stalk destruction, pheromone-baited traps, trap crops, early season control with insecticide, and massive releases of sterile boll weevils. The plan is to eradicate the boll weevil in the U.S., and then indefinitely maintain a barrier at the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent future weevil immigration to the U.S.

scholarly journals Marine Organisms for the Sustainable Management of Plant Parasitic Nematodes

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 369
Author(s):  
Pasqua Veronico ◽  
Maria Teresa Melillo
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Marine Organisms ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Parasitic Nematodes ◽  
Plant Parasitic Nematodes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Plant Growth Stimulants ◽  
Plant Parasitic

Plant parasitic nematodes are annually responsible for the loss of 10%–25% of worldwide crop production, most of which is attributable to root-knot nematodes (RKNs) that infest a wide range of agricultural crops throughout the world. Current nematode control tools are not enough to ensure the effective management of these parasites, mainly due to the severe restrictions imposed on the use of chemical pesticides. Therefore, it is important to discover new potential nematicidal sources that are suitable for the development of additional safe and effective control strategies. In the last few decades, there has been an explosion of information about the use of seaweeds as plant growth stimulants and potential nematicides. Novel bioactive compounds have been isolated from marine cyanobacteria and sponges in an effort to find their application outside marine ecosystems and in the discovery of new drugs. Their potential as antihelmintics could also be exploited to find applicability against plant parasitic nematodes. The present review focuses on the activity of marine organisms on RKNs and their potential application as safe nematicidal agents.

scholarly journals Label-Free Comparative Proteomics of Differentially Expressed Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protein in Rifampicin-Related Drug-Resistant Strains

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 607
Author(s):  
Nadeem Ullah ◽  
Ling Hao ◽  
Jo-Lewis Banga Ndzouboukou ◽  
Shiyun Chen ◽  
Yaqi Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Differentially Expressed Proteins ◽  
Label Free ◽  
Candidate Target

Rifampicin (RIF) is one of the most important first-line anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs, and more than 90% of RIF-resistant (RR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates belong to multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB. In order to identify specific candidate target proteins as diagnostic markers or drug targets, differential protein expression between drug-sensitive (DS) and drug-resistant (DR) strains remains to be investigated. In the present study, a label-free, quantitative proteomics technique was performed to compare the proteome of DS, RR, MDR, and XDR clinical strains. We found iniC, Rv2141c, folB, and Rv2561 were up-regulated in both RR and MDR strains, while fadE9, espB, espL, esxK, and Rv3175 were down-regulated in the three DR strains when compared to the DS strain. In addition, lprF, mce2R, mce2B, and Rv2627c were specifically expressed in the three DR strains, and 41 proteins were not detected in the DS strain. Functional category showed that these differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in the cell wall and cell processes. When compared to the RR strain, Rv2272, smtB, lpqB, icd1, and folK were up-regulated, while esxK, PPE19, Rv1534, rpmI, ureA, tpx, mpt64, frr, Rv3678c, esxB, esxA, and espL were down-regulated in both MDR and XDR strains. Additionally, nrp, PPE3, mntH, Rv1188, Rv1473, nadB, PPE36, and sseA were specifically expressed in both MDR and XDR strains, whereas 292 proteins were not identified when compared to the RR strain. When compared between MDR and XDR strains, 52 proteins were up-regulated, while 45 proteins were down-regulated in the XDR strain. 316 proteins were especially expressed in the XDR strain, while 92 proteins were especially detected in the MDR strain. Protein interaction networks further revealed the mechanism of their involvement in virulence and drug resistance. Therefore, these differentially expressed proteins are of great significance for exploring effective control strategies of DR-TB.

scholarly journals Could Gnomoniopsis castaneae Be Used as a Biological Control Agent against Insect Pests?

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4066
Author(s):  
Spiridon Mantzoukas ◽  
Ioannis Lagogiannis ◽  
Aristeidis Ntoukas ◽  
George T. Tziros ◽  
Konstantinos Poulas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biocontrol Agent ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Brown Rot ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Mortality Factor ◽  
Perennial Crop ◽  
Gall Wasp ◽  
Pathogenic Potential

Gnomoniopsis castaneae is the cause of the chestnut brown rot but has been also regarded as an important mortality factor for the chestnut gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus. The question to whether G. castaneae could serve as a natural biocontrol agent against insect pests is investigated in the present study. We used three serious insect pests as experimental model insects: Plodia interpuctella and Trogoderma granarium, which are important pests of stored products, and Myzus persicae, a cosmopolitan, serious pest of annual and perennial crop plants. Although chemical pesticides represent effective control means, they are also related to several environmental and health risks. In search for alternative pest management methods, scientific interest has been focused, inter alia, on the use of entomopathogenic fungi. While Isaria fumosorosea has long been recognized as an effective control agent against several pests, G.castaneae has been very little studied. The present study examined whether and to what extent G. castaneae and I. fumosorosea exhibit insecticidal activity against fourth-instar larvae of P. interpunctella and T. granarium and adults of M. persicae. Mortality was examined in interrelation with dosage and time exposure intervals. Both fungi exhibited pesticidal action. However, G. castaneae induced noteworthy mortality only at very high doses. In general, we concluded that G. castaneae failed to cause high insect pathogenicity at normal doses and may not be an efficient biocontrol agent compared with other entomopathogens. On the other hand, our study reiterates the pathogenic potential of I. fumosorosea. More studies are needed to further our insight into the potential of EF species as a component of IPM.

scholarly journals Development and reproduction of Podisus distinctus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) fed on larva of Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)

2004 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Lacerda ◽  
A. M. R. M. Ferreira ◽  
T. V. Zanuncio ◽  
J. C. Zanuncio ◽  
A. S. Bernardino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Bombyx Mori ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Heteroptera Pentatomidae ◽  
Bombyx Mori L ◽  
Chemical Products ◽  
Coleoptera Tenebrionidae

Biological control has been reducing the use of chemical products against insect pests, specially predatory Pentatomidae. Species of this group can present high variations in their life cycle as a result of their diet. Thus, the objective of this research was to study nymph development and reproduction of Podisus distinctus (Stäl, 1860) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) fed on Bombyx mori L., 1758 (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) larvae (T1), compared to those fed on Tenebrio molitor L., 1758 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) (T2) and Musca domestica L., 1758 (Diptera: Muscidae) larvae (T3) at a temperature of 25 ± 0.5ºC, relative humidity of 70 ± 2%, and photophase of 12 h. Predators fed on B. mori showed duration of the nymph phase (18.68 ± 1.02) similar to those fed on T. molitor (18.32 ± 1.49). Pre-oviposition and oviposition periods and number of egg masses, besides eggs and nymphs per female, were higher with B. mori (5.83 ± 2.02; 15.00 ± 7.40; 8.42 ± 1.84; 296.69 ± 154.75; and 228.55 ± 141.04, respectively) while longevity of males and females of P. distinctus was 25.76 ± 16.15 and 35.00 ± 16.15 days with T. molitor, and 20.57 ± 13.60 and 23.46 ± 12.35 days with B. mori, respectively.

scholarly journals The use of light spectrum blocking films to reduce populations of Drosophila suzukii Matsumura in fruit crops

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle T. Fountain ◽  
Amir Badiee ◽  
Sebastian Hemer ◽  
Alvaro Delgado ◽  
Michael Mangan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategies ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Insect Vision ◽  
Invasive Pest ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Fruit Crops ◽  
Light Spectrum ◽  
Drosophila Suzukii ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is a serious invasive pest impacting the production of multiple fruit crops, including soft and stone fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and cherries. Effective control is challenging and reliant on integrated pest management which includes the use of an ever decreasing number of approved insecticides. New means to reduce the impact of this pest that can be integrated into control strategies are urgently required. In many production regions, including the UK, soft fruit are typically grown inside tunnels clad with polyethylene based materials. These can be modified to filter specific wavebands of light. We investigated whether targeted spectral modifications to cladding materials that disrupt insect vision could reduce the incidence of D. suzukii. We present a novel approach that starts from a neuroscientific investigation of insect sensory systems and ends with infield testing of new cladding materials inspired by the biological data. We show D. suzukii are predominantly sensitive to wavelengths below 405 nm (ultraviolet) and above 565 nm (orange & red) and that targeted blocking of lower wavebands (up to 430 nm) using light restricting materials reduces pest populations up to 73% in field trials.

scholarly journals Common Spontaneous Sex-Reversed XX males of the Medaka Oryzias latipes

Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 163 (1) ◽  
pp. 245-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indrajit Nanda ◽  
Ute Hornung ◽  
Mariko Kondo ◽  
Michael Schmid ◽  
Manfred Schartl
Keyword(s):  
Y Chromosome ◽  
Oryzias Latipes ◽  
Fish Analysis ◽  
Normal Phenotype ◽  
Dmrt1 Gene ◽  
Male Development ◽  
Female Bias ◽  
Male Sex ◽  
Xx Males ◽  
Number Of Males

Abstract In the medaka, a duplicated version of the dmrt1 gene, dmrt1bY, has been identified as a candidate for the master male sex-determining gene on the Y chromosome. By screening several strains of Northern and Southern medaka we identified a considerable number of males with normal phenotype and uncompromised fertility, but lacking dmrt1bY. The frequency of such males was >10% in some strains and zero in others. Analysis for the presence of other Y-linked markers by FISH analysis, PCR, and phenotype indicated that their genotype is XX. Crossing such males with XX females led to a strong female bias in the offspring and also to a reappearance of XX males in the following generations. This indicated that the candidate male sex-determining gene dmrt1bY may not be necessary for male development in every case, but that its function can be taken over by so far unidentified autosomal modifiers.

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