斑蝥素在细纹豆芫菁成虫体内的变化和配偶间的运转

将采自野外的同一批细纹豆芫菁成虫用半人工饲料饲养,取刚结束交配（A组）、交配结束后单养4天（B组）和未交配（C组）的两性成虫的血淋巴和各器官,分别测其斑蝥素含量。结果显示,斑蝥素含量在两性个体内和配偶间的器官间呈规律性地起伏。探讨了规律发生的过程和起因。     

芫菁科不同种类成虫体内斑蝥素的含量

芫菁体内含有斑蝥素,是一种重要的药用昆虫。近年来我国对斑蝥素的临床应用研究表明：斑蝥素及其衍生物对治疗原发性肝癌疗效显著。为了摸清我国芫菁科昆虫的自然资源和虫体内斑蝥素的含量,作者调查了不同地区、不同寄主植物上芫菁科昆虫的种类分布,并利用气相色谱内标法测定了不同性别以及交尾高峰前后的芫菁成虫体内斑蝥素的含量。发现雄性成虫体内斑蝥素的含量均高于雌性成虫。交配高峰后的芫菁雌性成虫体内斑蝥素含量高于交配高峰前的芫菁雌性成虫体内斑蝥素含量。     

人工饲养条件下眼斑芫菁不同发育阶段斑蝥素含量的变化

【目的】分析人工饲养条件下眼斑芫菁Mylabris cichorii Linnaeus不同发育阶段体内斑蝥素含量的变化。【方法】收集不同发育阶段的眼斑芫菁,通过热碱浸提法提取斑蝥素,而后以气相色谱法检测含量。【结果】在幼虫期,1龄幼虫斑蝥素相对含量最高,2龄幼虫斑蝥素相对含量降到最低点;以后随着虫体的发育,幼虫体重和斑蝥素含量都逐渐增加。羽化后的成虫经隔离饲养,雄虫在羽化后5～30天大量合成斑蝥素,而雌虫体内斑蝥素含量则极低,具有典型的性二型现象;雌雄混合饲养组中,20～30天雌虫体内可以检测到大量斑蝥素,而同期雄虫斑蝥素含量远低于隔离饲养组。【结论】幼虫期斑蝥素含量随虫体发育而增加;成虫期主要由雄虫合成斑蝥素。混合饲养组成虫平均单头斑蝥素含量高于隔离饲养组雌雄虫平均斑蝥素含量。成虫身体各部位的斑蝥素含量以腹部最高,胸部次之。     

红头豆芫菁成虫芫菁素含量的研究

芫菁素在红头豆芫菁体内主要贮存在雄虫的生殖腺和卵内。与野生群体两性芫菁素的平均含量相比较,刚交配过的雄虫失去体内７０％的芫菁素,其雌配偶体内芫菁素含量相应升高４３％。红头豆芫菁可用作中药材。经１１０℃烘干后的雄虫,用酸水解后提取的芫菁素含量比直接提取的含量增高４倍。     

芫菁体内斑蝥素的含量及存在形式

【目的】测定芫菁体内斑蝥素的含量及其存在形式。【方法】利用气相色谱法测定了8种芫菁和作为对照的黑翅红蝉体内总斑蝥素和游离斑蝥素的含量,总斑蝥素含量是通过酸水解法测得的,游离斑蝥素含量是通过直接浸提法测得的,以总斑蝥素与游离斑蝥素含量之差作为结合斑蝥素含量; 并比较了结合斑蝥素与钙、镁含量之间的相关性。【结果】芫菁体内总斑蝥素的含量为游离斑蝥素含量的1～9倍,总斑蝥素的含量一般多于虫体干重的2.0%,而游离斑蝥素的含量均低于虫体干重的1.7%。黑翅红蝉体内不含任何形式的斑蝥素。斑芫菁属和豆芫菁属昆虫中的结合斑蝥素含量与钙元素呈正相关,斑芫菁属中结合斑蝥素含量与镁元素呈正相关,而豆芫菁属中结合斑蝥素含量与镁元素呈负相关。斑芫菁属昆虫体内钙元素的摩尔量要低于结合斑蝥素的摩尔量。【结论】芫菁体内总斑蝥素含量远高于游离斑蝥素的含量;结合斑蝥素可能是以斑蝥素酸钙和斑蝥素酸镁形式存在。     

芫菁体内斑蟊素的合成、 转移和生物学功能

斑蟊素是芫菁科昆虫合成的一种防御物质, 已经被证实对多种癌症和其他疾病有着特殊的疗效。芫菁体内存在不同结合态的斑蟊素或斑蟊素衍生物, 包括斑蟊素酸镁、斑蟊素酸钙、羟基斑蟊素、甲基斑蟊胺和脱甲斑蟊素等。不同芫菁种类、不同发育阶段其斑蝥素合成量有显著的差异, 并且有着典型的性二型现象, 性成熟的雄成虫斑蝥素含量最高可达10%。关于斑蝥素的生物合成途径以及斑蝥素在虫体内的分布, 尽管有一些研究, 但仍然没有定论。本文从斑蟊素在芫菁体内的含量、分布、生物合成、代谢及生物学功能等方面对国内外的研究进行概括, 以期为充分发掘芫菁科昆虫资源、指导芫菁的人工养殖、合理的利用资源以及人工合成斑蟊素提供参考。     

芫菁科昆虫体内斑蝥素的气相色谱法测定

分别采用酸水解法和直接浸提法处理不同种芫菁样品、短翅豆芫菁Epicauta aptera Kaszab的卵和大斑芫菁Mylabris phalerata Pallas的不同虫体部位,后用气相色谱仪测定斑蝥素含量。结果表明:用酸水解法处理后的芫菁体内斑蝥素含量较之用直接浸提法处理后有显著提高,增高幅度在1~9倍之间,其中以豆芫菁属Epicauta昆虫的增高幅度最大,一般在7倍以上,而斑芫菁属Mylabris的斑蝥素含量增幅不高,芫菁卵中斑蝥素含量变化不显著;斑蝥素主要富集于大斑芫菁的腹部。     

细纹豆芫菁交配与繁殖力的关系

将采自野外的细纹豆芫菁EpicautamannerhimiMkl的雌雄成虫各50头在室内进行人工随机配对,共发生75次交配,平均交配1.5次。雄虫1生可交配0～4次,雌虫0～2次。交配持续时间为(188±55)min,交配持续时间与交配次数之间、交配持续时间与繁殖力之间均无相关性。交配次数与两性的繁殖力呈负相关。交配后有36头雌虫43次产卵,其中有35次产卵发生在本次交配后,有8次产卵发生在连续2次交配后。作者认为雌虫在性感受性上的差异,与不育雄虫参与雌虫的前次交配有关。雄虫能否产生足够数量的交配因子来抑制雌虫的性感受性,是决定雌虫在产卵前交配次数的重要因素。     

斑蝥素合成期的芫菁蛋白质表达差异分析

研究斑蝥素大量合成期的芫菁体内可溶性蛋白,有助于阐明斑蝥素合成相关酶蛋白的种类和合成机理.本研究采用SDS-PAGE、双向电泳技术,分析了苹斑芫菁Mylabris calida Palla在斑蝥素合成前期、大量合成早期和末期的蛋白质组成的变化.SDS-PAGE电泳分析显示,芫菁从羽化1 h到25 d过程中分子量约为80 kDa,45 kDa,30 kDa的蛋白组分存在着显著地表达差异.进而通过双向电泳分析,发现合成前期蛋白质与其它时期有明显差异:蛋白质大多分布在Pl值4～7,分子量20～80 kDa的区域,其中20～45 kDa蛋白质差异明显.芫菁羽化后1h、2d、4d的蛋白质点数目分别为471个、569个、645个;大量合成早期和合成末期为827个和999个,增长25%以上.研究结果显示:3个时期蛋白质组成的变化趋势恰好与芫菁合成斑蝥素含量显著峰值变化相吻合,表明芫菁体内斑蝥素的合成是多种蛋白参与的复杂过程,这些蛋白分子量范围在20～45 kDa.     

芫菁寄生菌降解斑蝥素

选用2种芫菁的寄生菌——球孢白僵菌Beauveria bassiana和曲霉Aspergillus sp.,进行斑蝥素的抑菌试验和对斑蝥素的降解试验。结果表明:斑蝥素对这2种真菌没有抑制作用,球孢白僵菌可以有效地降解斑蝥素,降解率为90.45%,而曲霉不能降解斑蝥素。     

Males of a Strongly Polygynous Species Consume More Poisonous Food than Females

We present evidence of a possible case of self-medication in a lekking bird, the great bustard Otis tarda. Great bustards consumed blister beetles (Meloidae), in spite of the fact that they contain cantharidin, a highly toxic compound that is lethal in moderate doses. In addition to anthelminthic properties, cantharidin was effective against gastrointestinal bacteria that cause sexually-transmitted diseases. Although both sexes consumed blister beetles during the mating season, only males selected them among all available insects, and ingested more and larger beetles than females. The male-biased consumption suggests that males could use cantharidin to reduce their parasite load and increase their sexual attractiveness. This plausibly explains the intense cloaca display males perform to approaching females, and the meticulous inspection females conduct of the male''s cloaca, a behaviour only observed in this and another similar species of the bustard family. A white, clean cloaca with no infection symptoms (e.g., diarrhoea) is an honest signal of both, resistance to cantharidin and absence of parasites, and represents a reliable indicator of the male quality to the extremely choosy females. Our results do not definitely prove, but certainly strongly suggest that cantharidin, obtained by consumption of blister beetles, acts in great bustards as an oral anti-microbial and pathogen-limiting compound, and that males ingest these poisonous insects to increase their mating success, pointing out that self-medication might have been overlooked as a sexually-selected mechanism enhancing male fitness.     

Laboratory study of conspecific avoidance by host-colonizingDendroctonus frontalis Zimm. (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Bark/phloem disk sandwiches (100 cm²) were colonized with one to six mating pairs of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimm., to observe gallery construction and evaluate if avoidance behavior occurs between beetles. Frequencies of turn aways, touches, and crosses (three characteristics used to describe conspecific interaction) all increased significantly with beetle density. A threshold of three mating pairs within the 100- cm² phloem area was the density at which avoidance behavior became evident. At a threshold of five mating pairs the number of gallery crossings was significantly greater than at lower densities. Single and paired female beetles introduced into artificial galleries crossed empty neighboring galleries significantly more often than when neighboring galleries were occupied with other D. frontalis. The data suggest that D. frontalis females can regulate gallery spacing within the host through their ability to detect nearby beetles and their galleries. Possible spacing mechanisms are discussed.     

Role of Contests in the Scramble Competition Mating System of a Leaf Beetle

Male competition for mates can occur through contests or a scramble to locate females. We examined the significance of contests for mates in the leaf beetle Chrysomela aeneicollis, which experiences a short breeding season. During peak mating season, 18–52% of beetles are found in male-female pairs, and nearly half of these are copulating. Sex ratios do not differ from parity, females are larger than males, and positive size-assortative mating occurs. Males fight (2–4% of beetles) over access to females, and disruption of mating usually follows these contests. In the laboratory, we compared mating and fighting frequencies for males found in mating pairs (field-paired) and single males placed into an arena with a field-paired female. Mating pairs were switched in half of arenas (new male-female pairs) and maintained in the other half. For 2 days, each male was free to move about and fight; thereafter males were tethered to prevent contests. Mating frequencies were significantly greater for field-paired than single males in both situations. Male size was not related to mating frequency; however, large females received more matings than small ones. These data suggest that males fight for high quality females, but otherwise search for as many matings as possible.     

Quantifying rates of random mating in western corn rootworm emerging from Cry3Bb1‐expressing and refuge maize in field cages

The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is the most significant pest of field maize, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), in the USA. Maize plants expressing Bt toxins targeting the corn rootworm complex have been widely adopted and are the primary insecticidal control measure for this pest in North America. Insect resistance management tactics using various refuge structures have been adopted to ensure Bt products will retain durability. An assumption of the refuge strategy is that males and females emerging from Bt and refuge plantings mate randomly; this has not been tested in the field. We conducted cage studies using field populations of WCR in Indiana, USA, to generate empirical field data on mating rates between beetles emerging from Cry3Bb1‐expressing Bt and refuge maize plants. Two refuge configurations were tested; all refuge plants were labeled using the stable isotope ¹⁵N. This mark persists in adult beetles after eclosion, allowing for collection and analysis of isotopic ratios of all beetles. Additional data collected included adult emergence rates, timing and sex ratios for each of the treatments, and head capsule size and dry weights of beetles collected. Treatment had a significant effect on dry weight; mean dry weight decreased in Bt‐only treatments. Fisher's exact test of proportions of mating pairs of refuge and Bt insects indicated that mating was not random in 20% strip refuges and 5% seed blend treatments. We found high percentages of beetles that fed on Bt‐expressing plants as larvae, suggesting that mating between resistant beetles may not be rare even if random mating did occur.