在转基因植物中利用植物凝集素防治害虫的研究

植物凝集素对包括同翅目在内的害虫具有有效抗性作用。本文就同翅目害虫的危害性、植物凝集素定义的不断深入认识、植物凝集素在植物体内的生理作用、对害虫的作用机理、并对人工饲喂害虫实验及转凝集素的抗虫基因工程研究进展、存在问题等方面作一阐述。     

植物凝集素与抗虫基因工程

植物凝集素是一类结合特异糖类的蛋白质,在农业,医学等领域要有应用前景。本文概述了植物凝集素的定义,分类,作为抗性蛋白质的证据,以及其杀虫机理,并对几个较为重要的植物凝集素及其对同翅目害虫防治方面作一阐述。     

闽台番石榴树冠害虫发生情况比较

2006～2007年对福建省番石榴树冠上的主要害虫种类、危害部位及程度进行调查,发现番石榴树冠主要害虫有8个目46个科72个种,其中害螨1种,以同翅目害虫种类最多,达32种.棉蚜、桃蚜、乌盔蚧、花蓟马等害虫的发生量最大,桔小实蝇对番石榴果实的为害最重.闺台两地番石榴共有的害虫有59种,隶属于6个目20个科,主要为同翅目害虫,占共有种类的69%;台湾特有的害虫有11种,隶属于4个目7个科,主要为同翅目和缨翅目害虫,比例达36%.     

蚂蚁在同翅目害虫综合治理中的应用前景

<正> 同翅目昆虫很多是熟知的主要经济作物的重要害虫和多种病害的传播媒介。蚂蚁则与同翅目昆虫及植物间有着极其密切的依存和制约关系,使得各种群间保持着极高的稳定性。这样,我们可以通过控制蚂蚁群体,在干扰种群间的相对平衡基础上,间接地达到控制同翅目害虫的目的。这在同翅目害虫综合治理中将蕴藏着极大的潜力。事实上,早在公元300年左右,我国就有用控制蚂蚁群体来治理热带园艺作物     

植物性杀虫剂印楝对同翅目害虫的防治研究

近年来,由于人们对农药使用引起的害虫抗药性、农药残留和环境毒性等问题的认识,植物性杀虫剂的研究越来越受到重视,是传统农药的理想替代品之一。本以植物性杀虫剂印楝为研究对象,综述了其对同翅目叶蝉、蚜虫、飞虱和粉虱等主要类群中,农业重要害虫的防治作用研究结果,展望了印楝应用于害虫综合防治中的前景。     

植物杀虫剂印楝对同翅目害虫的防治研究

近年来,由于人们对农药使用引起的害虫抗药性、农药残留和环境毒性等问题的认识,植物性杀虫剂的研究越来越受到重视,是传统农芭的理想替代品之一.本文以植物性杀虫剂印楝为研究对象,综述了其对同翅目叶蝉、蚜虫、飞虱和粉虱等主要类群中,农业重要害虫的防治作用研究结果,展望了印楝应用于害虫综合防治中的前景.     

蚂蚁与排泄蜜露的同翅目昆虫的相互作用及其生态学效应

同翅目昆虫多为植食性害虫,但有些种类也是重要的经济昆虫。以蜜露为纽带,蚂蚁与排泄蜜露的同翅目昆虫在漫长的进化过程中逐渐形成了复杂而密切的关系。研究蚂蚁-同翅目昆虫之间的相互作用,有选择的防治或保护某些同翅目昆虫,并控制其在寄主植物上的数量,可提高经济效益。本文介绍蚂蚁与排泄蜜露的同翅目昆虫的相互作用,以及相互作用对节肢动物群落和寄主植物产生的生态学效益,提出研究过程中的不足,并探讨蚂蚁-同翅目昆虫之间的相互作用在生物防治、生物多样性及生态系统功能方面的重要意义,以促进种间关系研究的进一步发展。     

报告一种蔬菜新害虫

本文在国内首次记录了蔬菜上一种新害虫——洋葱线角个木虱Bactericera sp.,属同翅目木虱科(Psy-llidae),是洋葱等百合科蔬菜苗期的重要害虫。并对它在河北省的分布、寄主范围以及发生为害等进行了初步观察。     

植物凝集素在植物体内的生理作用

现有研究表明,植物种子中的凝集素是植物体内的储存蛋白;扁豆和稻胚凝集素对胚胎的分裂和分化有促进作用;在豆科植物和根瘤菌之间的共生作用中,凝集素起着高度专一的识别作用;麦胚凝集素在种胚萌发时,起着抗真菌的作用;体外实验也证明凝集素对危害玉米的主要害虫的发育有阻碍作用;还发现植物凝集素具有酶的活性和酶抑制剂的作用,从而调节植物体的生理活动。     

水稻主要害虫的病原微生物考查

自1977年以来我们对稻田主要害虫疾病的病原种类及其优势种群进行了较为系统的普查工作。分离材料取自全省各地,包括害虫各个时期的不同虫态。寄主昆虫包括鳞翅目、同翅目、半翅目、直翅目及其它目的害虫。所分离的病原物有真菌、细菌、线虫等。对一些病原真菌和细菌的优势种还作了性状培养、生物检测及田间防治试验。现将结果简要报道如下。     

Advances in Transgenic Research for Insect Resistance in Sugarcane

The first phase of transgenic research in sugarcane concentrated on the development and evaluation of transgenic lines transformed for resistance to biotic stresses, particularly diseases and insect pests. Sugarcane is attacked by a range of insects including tissue borers, sucking pests and canegrubs. Losses due to these pests are estimated to be around 10%. Although chemical control and integrated pest management are regularly practiced for the control of insect pests, success is often limited due to practical difficulties. The genetic complexity of sugarcane coupled with the non-availability of resistance genes in the germplasm has made conventional breeding for insect resistance difficult. In this context, transgenic technology has become a handy tool for imparting insect resistance to an elite variety which is otherwise superior for most other agronomic traits. A number of transgenic sugarcane lines have been developed with genes expressing Cry proteins, proteinase inhibitors or lectins resistant to borers, sucking insects or grubs. While commercializing transgenic lines, issues such as higher and stable transgene expression, preparedness for resistance management and non-target effects need to be addressed. To manage the constant threat of resistance development in target insects, it is imperative to deploy field-level strategies taking clues from other crops coupled with the search for new potent replacement molecules for transformation.     

抗虫植物基因工程研究进展

虫害是造成农业减产的主要原因之一。据不完全统计,全世界每年因虫害引起的作物减产达总产量的15％,损失高达数千亿美元。在我国,因虫害水稻减产在lO％以上;小麦减产近20％;棉花减产在     

Receptors of Garlic (Allium sativum) Lectins and Their Role in Insecticidal Action

Garlic (Allium sativum) lectins are promising candidate molecules for the protection against chewing (lepidopteran) as well as sap sucking (homopteran) insect pests. Molecular mechanism of toxicity and interaction of lectins with midgut receptor proteins has been described in many reports. Lectins show its effect right from sensory receptors of mouth parts by disrupting the membrane integrity and food detection ability. Subsequently, enter into the gut lumen and interact with midgut glycosylated proteins like alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aminopeptidase-N (APN), cadherin-like proteins, polycalins, sucrase, symbionin and others. These proteins play critical role in life cycle of insect directly or indirectly. Lectins interfere with the activity of these proteins and causes physiological disorders leading to the death of insects. Lectins further transported across the insect gut, accumulated in various body parts (like haemolymph and ovary) and interact with intracellular proteins like symbionin and cytochrome p450. Binding with cytochrome p450 (which involve in ecdysone synthesis) might interfere in the development of insects, which results in growth retardation and pre-mature death.     

Controlling Myzus persicae with recombinant endophytic fungi Chaetomium globosum expressing Pinellia ternata agglutinin: using recombinant endophytic fungi to control aphids

Aims: Sap‐sucking insect pests have become the major threats to many crops in recent years; however, only a few biopesticides have been developed for controlling those pests. Here, we developed a novel pest management strategy, which uses endophytes to express anti‐pest plant lectins. Methods and Results: The fungal endophyte of Chaetomium globosum YY‐11 with anti‐fungal activities was isolated from rape seedlings. Pinellia ternata agglutinin (pta) gene was cloned into YY‐11 mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The positive transformants, as selected by antibiotic resistance, were evaluated using PCR and Western blot assay. We found that the recombinant endophytes colonized most of the crops, and the resistance of rape inoculated with recombinant endophytic fungi significantly inhibited the growth and reproduction of Myzus persicae. Conclusions: Our results showed that the recombinant endophytes expressing Pinellia ernata agglutinin (PTA) may endow hosts with resistance against sap‐sucking pests. Significance and Impact of the Study: This research may have important implications for using endophytes to deliver insecticidal plant lectin proteins to control sap‐sucking pests for crop protection.     

DNA barcode library and its efficacy for identifying food‐associated insect pests in Korea

Food‐associated insect pests are of great economic and hygienic importance. However, their identification requires expert knowledge and excessive time. Such pests are discovered in food as body parts or immature stages, which further complicates the identification process. In this study, we constructed a DNA barcode dataset of insect pests that can be detected in food. We also tested the efficacy of these DNA barcode sequences for identifying food‐associated insect pests. A 658 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was analyzed from 55 species of food‐associated insect pests in Korea. The results indicated that this portion of the COI gene effectively discriminated >90% of the food‐associated insect pests. Mean genetic divergences among individuals belonging to one species/between species belonging to one genus of the five orders, Blattaria, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera, were 0.59%/13.18%, 0.84%/20.10%, 0.02%/22.61%, 0.24%/3.48% and 0.17%/15.90%, respectively. In conclusion, we established the first DNA barcode dataset and confirmed its efficiency for identifying food‐associated insect pests in Korea.     

Characterization and comparative analysis of small RNAs in three small RNA libraries of the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens)

Background

The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stå;l), which belongs to Homopteran, Delphacidae, is one of the most serious and destructive pests of rice. Feeding BPH with homologous dsRNA in vitro can lead to the death of BPH, which gives a valuable clue to the prevention and control of this pest, however, we know little about its small RNA world.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Small RNA libraries for three developmental stages of BPH (CX-male adult, CC-female adult, CY-last instar female nymph) had been constructed and sequenced. It revealed a prolific small RNA world of BPH. We obtained a final list of 452 (CX), 430 (CC), and 381 (CY) conserved microRNAs (miRNAs), respectively, as well as a total of 71 new miRNAs in the three libraries. All the miRNAs had their own expression profiles in the three libraries. The phylogenic evolution of the miRNA families in BPH was consistent with other species. The new miRNA sequences demonstrated some base biases.

Conclusion

Our study discovered a large number of small RNAs through deep sequencing of three small RNA libraries of BPH. Many animal-conserved miRNA families as well as some novel miRNAs have been detected in our libraries. This is the first achievement to discover the small RNA world of BPH. A lot of new valuable information about BPH small RNAs has been revealed which was helpful for studying insect molecular biology and insect resistant research.     

RNAi technology: a new platform for crop pest control

The insect pests are big threat in meeting the food demands for future generation. The present pest control strategies, including the existing transgenic approaches show certain limitations and are not completely successful in limiting the insect pests. However, the sequence-specific gene silencing via RNA interference (RNAi) holds a great promise for effective management of agricultural pests. RNAi is naturally occurring conserved process responsible for gene regulation and defense against pathogens. The efficacy of RNAi varies among different insect orders and also depends upon various factors, including the target gene selection, method of dsRNAs delivery, expression of dsRNAs and presence of off-target effects. RNAi-mediated silencing of different insect genes involved in various physiological processes was found to be detrimental to insects growth, development and survival. In this article, we have reviewed the potential of RNAi-based strategies for effective management of insect pests. We have also discussed the various parameters, which are to be considered for host-induced RNAi-mediated control of insect pests without producing any effect on non-target organisms and environment.     

Insect secretions determine habitat use patterns by a female lesser mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus)

The lesser mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) is one of six sympatric nocturnal primates found in the Kirindy forest, west-Madagascar. Each of these species is reported to consume a secretion produced during the austral winter by the Homopteran insect Flatidia coccinea. In July and August 1993 a study was conducted to determine the importance of this food resource in the ecology of female M. murinus. At this study site, animals were distributed only along the forest edge where insect secretions are significantly more abundant than in the forest interior. Abundances of arboreal and nocturnal flying insects do not differ between the forest edge and interior. Experimental resource removal from a 25 × 25 m plot in one female's home range caused a significant shift in the animals' pattern of habitat use while no change occurred in a control plot. Thus, at this study site and time of year, the ranging behavior of a female M. murinus was strongly influenced by the presence of Homopteran secretions. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Isolation of insecticidal lectin-enriched extracts from African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) and other legume species

Insecticidal lectins were isolated from 20 resistant Vigna and non-Vigna legumes and tested againstn 3 pests of cowpea namely: Maruca vitrata, Callosobruchus maculatus and Clavigralla tomentosicollis. Crude lectins were separated from seeds using sodium chloride extraction, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and dialysis. SDS-PAGE indicated the molecular size of ca. 30 kDa for the most intense (and presumably active) band. Haemagglutination assays using trypsin-treated rabbit erythrocytes suggested that lectins were among the extracted proteins. Extracts from Lablab purpureus and Sphenostylis stenocarpa both non-Vigna spp., caused greater agglutination than those from the wild Vigna species. Bioassays on all three insect species using the lectin extracts incorporated in either artificial cowpea seeds (5% w/w) or in modified Vanderzant legume pod borer diet (1% w/v) indicated that the non-Vigna extracts were highly toxic to the insects. Mortality after 10 days was >80% in the most toxic extracts. The extract from one of the accessions of Sphenostylis stenocarpa, an edible legume, was singled out for lectin purification and future gene cloning with the view of using it for engineering resistance to cowpea pests.