Aspectos biológicos de Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biótipo B e parasitismo por Encarsia formosa (Gahan) em couve, soja e tomateiro

The silverleaf whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) B-biotype (= B. argentifolii) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a polyphagous insect attacking many plant species of economic importance. A comparison study was conducted on the duration of the egg-to-adult period, and the percentage of hatching eggs of Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) B-biotype on collard (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala D.C.), soybean(Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants, as well as the egg-to-adult period of Encarsia formosa (Gahan) on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th whitefly nymphal instars on these three plant species. The experiments were conducted in a laboratory (25ºC, 70 ± 10% RH, 14-hour photophase). The duration of the egg-to-adult period of B. tabaci was 19.8 days on collard, 21.2 days on soybean and 22.0 days on tomato. The number of hatched eggs was higher on collard when compared to soybean and tomato plants. Concerning E. formosa regardless of plant species, the duration for the egg-to-adult period was shorter for the 3rd and 4th instar nymphs as compared with the other instars.A mosca branca Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biótipo B é uma praga polífaga que ataca muitas culturas de importância econômica. O controle químico pode causar problemas como o aparecimento de resistência nesse inseto, resíduos nos produtos das culturas, ou mesmo poluição ambiental. Um método alternativo seria o controle biológico, com o parasitóide Encarsia formosa (Gahan), o mais usado contra moscas brancas a nível mundial. Avaliaram-se o tempo de desenvolvimento de ovo a adulto e a porcentagem de ninfas eclodidas de B. tabaci (Genn.) biótipo B em couve (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala D.C.), soja (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) e tomateiro (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), bem como o desenvolvimento de ovo a adulto de E. formosa em ninfas de 1º, 2º, 3º e 4º ínstares dessa mosca-branca nessas três espécies vegetais. Os experimentos foram desenvolvidos em laboratório, a 25ºC, 70 ± 10% UR e 14 h de fotofase. O tempo de duração ovo-adulto de B. tabaci biótipo B foi mais curto em couve (19,8 dias) e mais longo em tomateiro (22,0 dias), ficando a soja (21,2 dias) em posição intermediária. A couve mostrou também a maior porcentagem de ninfas eclodidas comparativamente à soja e ao tomateiro. Com relação a E. formosa, independentemente da planta, o período ovo-adulto foi menor em ninfas de 3º e 4º ínstares, demonstrando que esse parasitóide se desenvolve melhor em ninfas mais desenvolvidas.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Aspectos biológicos de Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biótipo B e parasitismo por Encarsia formosa (Gahan) em couve, soja e tomateiro

The silverleaf whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) B-biotype (= B. argentifolii) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a polyphagous insect attacking many plant species of economic importance. A comparison study was conducted on the duration of the egg-to-adult period, and the percentage of hatching eggs of Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) B-biotype on collard (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala D.C.), soybean(Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants, as well as the egg-to-adult period of Encarsia formosa (Gahan) on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th whitefly nymphal instars on these three plant species. The experiments were conducted in a laboratory (25ºC, 70 ± 10% RH, 14-hour photophase). The duration of the egg-to-adult period of B. tabaci was 19.8 days on collard, 21.2 days on soybean and 22.0 days on tomato. The number of hatched eggs was higher on collard when compared to soybean and tomato plants. Concerning E. formosa regardless of plant species, the duration for the egg-to-adult period was shorter for the 3rd and 4th instar nymphs as compared with the other instars.A mosca branca Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) biótipo B é uma praga polífaga que ataca muitas culturas de importância econômica. O controle químico pode causar problemas como o aparecimento de resistência nesse inseto, resíduos nos produtos das culturas, ou mesmo poluição ambiental. Um método alternativo seria o controle biológico, com o parasitóide Encarsia formosa (Gahan), o mais usado contra moscas brancas a nível mundial. Avaliaram-se o tempo de desenvolvimento de ovo a adulto e a porcentagem de ninfas eclodidas de B. tabaci (Genn.) biótipo B em couve (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala D.C.), soja (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) e tomateiro (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), bem como o desenvolvimento de ovo a adulto de E. formosa em ninfas de 1º, 2º, 3º e 4º ínstares dessa mosca-branca nessas três espécies vegetais. Os experimentos foram desenvolvidos em laboratório, a 25ºC, 70 ± 10% UR e 14 h de fotofase. O tempo de duração ovo-adulto de B. tabaci biótipo B foi mais curto em couve (19,8 dias) e mais longo em tomateiro (22,0 dias), ficando a soja (21,2 dias) em posição intermediária. A couve mostrou também a maior porcentagem de ninfas eclodidas comparativamente à soja e ao tomateiro. Com relação a E. formosa, independentemente da planta, o período ovo-adulto foi menor em ninfas de 3º e 4º ínstares, demonstrando que esse parasitóide se desenvolve melhor em ninfas mais desenvolvidas

Distribution of intraperitoneally administered deuterium-labeled water in aquaporin-4-knockout mouse brain after middle cerebral artery occlusion

IntroductionAs the movement of water in the brain is known to be involved in neural activity and various brain pathologies, the ability to assess water dynamics in the brain will be important for the understanding of brain function and the diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases. Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a membrane channel protein that is highly expressed in brain astrocytes and is important for the movement of water molecules in the brain.MethodsIn this study, we investigated the contribution of AQP4 to brain water dynamics by administering deuterium-labeled water (D2O) intraperitoneally to wild-type and AQP4 knockout (AQP4-ko) mice that had undergone surgical occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Water dynamics in the infarct region and on either side of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) was monitored with proton-density-weighted imaging (PDWI) performed on a 7T animal MRI.ResultsD2O caused a negative signal change quickly after administration. The AQP4-ko mice showed a delay of the time-to-minimum in both the contralateral and ipsilateral ACA regions compared to wild-type mice. Also, only the AQP4- ko mice showed a delay of the time-to-minimum in the ipsilateral ACA region compared to the contralateral side. In only the wild-type mice, the signal minimum in the ipsilateral ACA region was higher than that in the contralateral ACA region. In the infarct region, the signal attenuation was slower for the AQP4-ko mice in comparison to the wild-type mice.DiscussionThese results suggest that AQP4 loss affects water dynamics in the ACA region not only in the infarct region. Dynamic PDWI after D2O administration may be a useful tool for showing the effects of AQP4 in vivo

Transcriptome Modifications in Porcine Adipocytes via Toll-Like Receptors Activation

Adipocytes are the most important cell type in adipose tissue playing key roles in immunometabolism. We previously reported that nine members of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family are expressed in an originally established porcine intramuscular pre-adipocyte (PPI) cell line. However, the ability of TLR ligands to modulate immunometabolic transcriptome modifications in porcine adipocytes has not been elucidated. Herein, we characterized the global transcriptome modifications in porcine intramuscular mature adipocytes (pMA), differentiated from PPI, following stimulation with Pam3csk4, Poly(I:C) or LPS which are ligands for TLR2, TLR3, and TLR4, respectively. Analysis of microarray data identified 530 (218 up, 312 down), 520 (245 up, 275 down), and 525 (239 up, 286 down) differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in pMA following the stimulation with Pam3csk4, Poly(I:C), and LPS, respectively. Gene ontology classification revealed that DEGs are involved in several biological processes including those belonging to immune response and lipid metabolism pathways. Functionally annotated genes were organized into two groups for downstream analysis: immune response related genes (cytokines, chemokines, complement factors, adhesion molecules, and signal transduction), and genes involved with metabolic and endocrine functions (hormones and receptors, growth factors, and lipid biosynthesis). Differential expression analysis revealed that EGR1, NOTCH1, NOS2, TNFAIP3, TRAF3IP1, INSR, CXCR4, PPARA, MAPK10, and C3 are the top 10 commonly altered genes of TLRs induced transcriptional modification of pMA. However, the protein-protein interaction network of DEGs identified EPOR, C3, STAR, CCL2, and SAA2 as the major hub genes, which were also exhibited higher centrality estimates in the Gene-Transcription factor interaction network. Our results provide new insights of transcriptome modifications associated with TLRs activation in porcine adipocytes and identified key regulatory genes that could be used as biomarkers for the evaluation of treatments having immunomodularoty and/or metabolic functional beneficial effects in porcine adipocytes.Fil: Igata, Manami. Tohoku University; JapónFil: Islam, M. Aminul. Tohoku University; Japón. Bangladesh Agricultural University; BangladeshFil: Tada, Asuka. Tohoku University; JapónFil: Takagi, Michihiro. Tohoku University; JapónFil: Humayun Kober, AKM. Tohoku University; Japón. Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University; BangladeshFil: Albarracín, Leonardo Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentina. Tohoku University; Japón. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnología. Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación; ArgentinaFil: Aso, Hisashi. Tohoku University; JapónFil: Ikeda-Ohtsubo, Wakako. Tohoku University; JapónFil: Miyazawa, Kenji. Takanashi Milk Products Co.; JapónFil: Yoda, Kazutoyo. Takanashi Milk Products Co.; JapónFil: He, Fang. Takanashi Milk Products Co.; JapónFil: Takahashi, Hideki. Tohoku University; JapónFil: Villena, Julio Cesar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; Argentina. Tohoku University; JapónFil: Kitazawa, Haruki. Tohoku University; Japó

Trichogramma and Trichogrammatoidea strains to control Stenoma catenifer

O objetivo deste trabalho foi selecionar espécies e linhagens de Trichogramma e Trichogrammatoidea, com potencial para controle da broca-do-abacate Stenoma catenifer, considerada a principal praga do abacateiro (Persea americana Mill.). Experimentos em laboratório foram realizados com 12 linhagens das seguintes espécies, sendo: oito de Trichogramma pretiosum; uma de Trichogramma atopovirilia; duas de Trichogramma bruni; e uma de Trichogrammatoidea annulata. Em telado, determinou-se o número de parasitóides a ser liberado por ovo de S. catenifer. Os parâmetros biológicos avaliados em laboratório foram: duração do período ovo-adulto, emergência, parasitismo, razão sexual, número de parasitóides emergidos por ovo de S. catenifer e longevidade de fêmeas e machos. Em telado, avaliou-se o número de ovos parasitados. As espécies Trichogrammatoidea annulata e Trichogramma atopovirilia e suas linhagens foram selecionadas por parasitar maior número de ovos de S. catenifer. Nessas condições, o maior parasitismo foi obtido com uma proporção estimada de 28 e 30 parasitóides, por ovo da praga, respectivamente, para Trichogrammatoidea annulata e Trichogramma atopovirilia.The objective of this work was to select Trichogramma and Trichogrammatoidea species and strains with potential to control the avocado fruit borer Stenoma catenifer, considered the main avocado (Persea americana Mill.) pest. Laboratory experiments were carried out with the following strains and species, which comprised eight Trichogramma pretiosum; one Trichogramma atopovirilia; two Trichogramma bruni; and one Trichogrammatoidea annulata. The number of parasitoids to be released per S. catenifer egg under semi-field conditions was studied. Biological parameters evaluated in laboratory were egg-adult development time, survivorship, parasitism, sex ratio, number of parasitoids emerged per S. catenifer egg, and adult longevity. In semi-field experiment, the number of parasitized eggs was evaluated. The species Trichogrammatoidea annulata, Trichogramma atopovirilia and their strains were selected for the largest number of S. catenifer eggs parasitized. Under semi-field conditions, the highest parasitism was achieved with an estimated ratio of 28 and 30 parasitoids per pest egg, respectively, for Trichogrammatoidea annulata and Trichogramma atopovirilia

Intratumoral peptide injection enhances tumor cell antigenicity recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes: a potential option for improvement in antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy

Antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy is a promising strategy for improving cancer treatment. Recently, many tumor-associated antigens and their epitopes recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) have been identified. However, the density of endogenously presented antigen-derived peptides on tumor cells is generally sparse, resulting in the inability of antigen-specific CTLs to work effectively. We hypothesize that increasing the density of an antigen-derived peptide would enhance antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy. Here, we demonstrated that intratumoral peptide injection leads to additional peptide loading onto major histocompatibility complex class I molecules of tumor cells, enhancing tumor cell recognition by antigen-specific CTLs. In in vitro studies, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*02:01-restricted glypican-3(144-152) (FVGEFFTDV) and cytomegalovirus(495-503) (NLVPMVATV) peptide-specific CTLs showed strong activity against all peptide-pulsed cell lines, regardless of whether the tumor cells expressed the antigen. In in vivo studies using immunodeficient mice, glypican-3(144-152) and cytomegalovirus(495-503) peptides injected into a solid mass were loaded onto HLA class I molecules of tumor cells. In a peptide vaccine model and an adoptive cell transfer model using C57BL/6 mice, intratumoral injection of ovalbumin(257-264) peptide (SIINFEKL) was effective for tumor growth inhibition and survival against ovalbumin-negative tumors without adverse reactions. Moreover, we demonstrated an antigen-spreading effect that occurred after intratumoral peptide injection. Intratumoral peptide injection enhances tumor cell antigenicity and may be a useful option for improvement in antigen-specific cancer immunotherapy against solid tumors

Evaluation of the reactivity and receptor competition of HLA-G isoforms toward available antibodies: Implications of structural characteristics of HLA-G isoforms

金沢大学医薬保健研究域薬学系The human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-G, which consists of seven splice variants, is a tolerogenic immune checkpoint molecule. It plays an important role in the protection of the fetus from the maternal immune response by binding to inhibitory receptors, including leukocyte Ig-like receptors (LILRs). Recent studies have also revealed that HLA-G is involved in the progression of cancer cells and the protection from autoimmune diseases. In contrast to its well characterized isoform, HLA-G1, the binding activities of other major HLA-G isoforms, such as HLA-G2, toward available anti-HLA-G antibodies are only partially understood. Here, we investigate the binding specificities of anti-HLA-G antibodies by using surface plasmon resonance. MEM-G9 and G233 showed strong affinities to HLA-G1, with a nM range for their dissociation constants, but did not show affinities to HLA-G2. The disulfide-linker HLA-G1 dimer further exhibited significant avidity effects. On the other hand, 4H84 and MEM-G1, which can be used for the Western blotting of HLA-G isoforms, can bind to native HLA-G2, while MEM-G9 and G233 cannot. These results reveal that HLA-G2 has a partially intrinsically disordered structure. Furthermore, MEM-G1, but not 4H84, competes with the LILRB2 binding of HLA-G2. These results provide novel insight into the functional characterization of HLA-G isoforms and their detection systems. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland