Efficacy of Wheat Insecticide Seed Treatments on Bird Cherry-Oat Aphids

Bird Cherry-Oat Aphids, Rhopalosiphumpadi (Linnaeus), (BCOA) are a major agricultural pest for wheat due to their ability to transferBarley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV), which can stunt growth when introduced to seedlings (Wegulo, 2013). These aphids, which will remain infective throughout their lives, are capable of asexual reproduction thus populations can grow exponentially and BYDV can spread rapidly throughout a field (Whitworth & Ahmad, 2008) ”). However, seed treatments, the application of pesticides to “seeds or vegetative propagation materials,” are an effective way to defend crops from pests like BCOA during their most vulnerable life cycle stages. (Paulsrudet al, 2001). Chemical companies are always seeking to develop ever more effective treatments. This research compared the effectiveness of an experimental treatment to that of Poncho®, a proven aphid pesticide. The results showed that the BCOA populations on the plants treated with the experimental pesticide did not decline. In fact, they increased at a faster rate than the untreated control. This indicates that the experimental treatment is not suitable for the control of aphids

Efficacy of Selected Insecticide Seed Treatments on Bird Cherry-Oat Aphids in Wheat

Bird Cherry-Oat Aphids, Rhopalosiphumpadi (Linnaeus) (BCOA) are common in Kansas wheat fields and may vector Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus, causing awidevariety of problems including stunted and non-reproductive wheat (Whitworth and Ahmad, 2008). This experiment consisted of an experimental seed treatment and compared it to a control and a seed treatment already commercially available.Results showed that although the experimental treatment didn't provide control; seeds with CruiserMaxx® seed treatment were protected until 22 days after planting.The results indicate that the aphids these common seed treatments are fighting against were not as effective as previously determined

Intrinsic, Pro-Apoptotic Effects of IGFBP-3 on Breast Cancer Cells are Reversible: Involvement of PKA, Rho, and Ceramide

We established previously that IGFBP-3 could exert positive or negative effects on cell function depending upon the extracellular matrix composition and by interacting with integrin signaling. To elicit its pro-apoptotic effects IGFBP-3 bound to caveolin-1 and the beta 1 integrin receptor and increased their association culminating in MAPK activation. Disruption of these complexes or blocking the beta 1 integrin receptor reversed these intrinsic actions of IGFBP-3. In this study we have examined the signaling pathway between integrin receptor binding and MAPK activation that mediates the intrinsic, pro-apoptotic actions of IGFBP-3. We found on inhibiting protein kinase A (PKA), Rho associated kinase (ROCK), and ceramide, the accentuating effects of IGFBP-3 on apoptotic triggers were reversed, such that IGFBP-3 then conferred cell survival. We established that IGFBP-3 activated Rho, the upstream regulator of ROCK and that beta1 integrin and PKA were upstream of Rho activation, whereas the involvement of ceramide was downstream. The beta 1 integrin, PKA, Rho, and ceramide were all upstream of MAPK activation. These data highlight key components involved in the pro-apoptotic effects of IGFBP-3 and that inhibiting them leads to a reversal in the action of IGFBP-3

Glucose Concentration in Cell Culture Medium Influences the BRCA1-Mediated Regulation of the Lipogenic Action of IGF-I in Breast Cancer Cells

Hyperglycaemia is a common metabolic alteration associated with breast cancer risk and progression. We have previously reported that BRCA1 restrains metabolic activity and proliferative response to IGF-I anabolic actions in breast cancer cells cultured in high glucose. Here, we evaluated the impact of normal physiological glucose on these tumour suppressive roles of BRCA1. Human breast cancer cells cultured in normal physiological and high glucose were treated with IGF-I (0–500 ng/mL). Cellular responses were evaluated using immunoblotting, co-immunoprecipitation, and cell viability assay. As we previously reported, IGF-I induced ACCA dephosphorylation by reducing the association between BRCA1 and phosphorylated ACCA in high glucose, and upregulated FASN abundance downstream of ACCA. However, these effects were not observed in normal glucose. Normal physiological glucose conditions completely blocked IGF-I-induced ACCA dephosphorylation and FASN upregulation. Co-immunoprecipitation studies showed that normal physiological glucose blocked ACCA dephosphorylation by increasing the association between BRCA1 and phosphorylated ACCA. Compared to high glucose, the proliferative response of breast cancer cells to IGF-I was reduced in normal glucose, whereas no difference was observed in normal mammary epithelial cells. Considering these results collectively, we conclude that normal physiological glucose promotes the novel function of BRCA1 as a metabolic restraint of IGF-I actions. These data suggest that maintaining normal glucose levels may improve BRCA1 function in breast cancer and slow down cancer progression

New Chemistry Insecticide Seed Treatments to Control Hessian Fly, Mayetiola destructor

The Hessian fly (HF), Mayetiola destructor (Say), has been a periodical pest in Kansas for the past 100+ years (Dean and McCulloch, 1915). Plant resistance and insecticide seed treatments are the best and most consistent grower-controlled management tools and conventional insecticide seed treatments have been very effective (Wilde et al. 2001). However, new chemistries are periodically needed to retard resistance and it must be determined if these new chemistries are as effective as those that are commercially available. The treatments tested in this experiment did not provide effective or acceptable control of HF larvae. Because the HF is an important pest of wheat worldwide, the development and screening of these new insecticides will help Kansas wheat producers as well as wheat producers in all wheat producing regions of the world (Stuart et al., 2012)