294 research outputs found
Protocols for the delivery of small molecules to the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae
The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, is a chelicerate herbivore with an extremely wide host range and an extraordinary ability to develop pesticide resistance. Due to its responsiveness to natural and synthetic xenobiotics, the spider mite is becoming a prime pest herbivore model for studies of the evolution of host range, plant-herbivore interactions and mechanisms of xenobiotic resistance. The spider mite genome has been sequenced and its transcriptional responses to developmental and various biotic and abiotic cues have been documented. However, to identify biological and evolutionary roles of T. urticae genes and proteins, it is necessary to develop methods for the efficient manipulation of mite gene function or protein activity. Here, we describe protocols developed for the delivery of small molecules into spider mites. Starting with mite maintenance and the preparation of the experimental mite populations of developmentally synchronized larvae and adults, we describe 3 methods for delivery of small molecules including artificial diet, leaf coating, and soaking. The presented results define critical steps in these methods and demonstrate that they can successfully deliver tracer dyes into mites. Described protocols provide guidelines for high-throughput setups for delivery of experimental compounds that could be used in reverse genetics platforms to modulate gene expression or protein activity, or for screens focused on discovery of new molecules for mite control. In addition, described protocols could be adapted for other Tetranychidae and related species of economic importance such as Varroa, dust and poultry mites. © 2017 Suzuki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Reciprocal responses in the interaction between Arabidopsis and the cell-content feeding chelicerate herbivore spider mite
Most molecular-genetic studies of plant defense responses to arthropod herbivores have focused on insects. However, plant-feeding mites are also pests of diverse plants, and mites induce different patterns of damage to plant tissues than do well-studied insects (e.g. lepidopteran larvae or aphids). The two-spotted spidermite (Tetranychus urticae) is among the most significant mite pests in agriculture, feeding on a staggering number of plant hosts. To understand the interactions between spider mite and a plant at the molecular level, we examined reciprocal genome-wide responses of mites and its host Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Despite differences in feeding guilds, we found that transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis to mite herbivory resembled those observed for lepidopteran herbivores. Mutant analysis of induced plant defense pathways showed functionally that only a subset of induced programs, including jasmonic acid signaling and biosynthesis of indole glucosinolates, are central to Arabidopsis's defense to mite herbivory. On the herbivore side, indole glucosinolates dramatically increased mite mortality and development times. We identified an indole glucosinolate dose-dependent increase in the number of differentially expressedmite genes belonging to pathways associated with detoxification of xenobiotics. This demonstrates that spider mite is sensitive to Arabidopsis defenses that have also been associated with the deterrence of insect herbivores that are very distantly related to chelicerates. Our findings provide molecular insights into the nature of, and response to, herbivory for a representative of a major class of arthropod herbivores
Near-field examination of perovskite-based superlenses and superlens-enhanced probe-object coupling
A planar slab of negative index material works as a superlens with
sub-diffraction-limited imaging resolution, since propagating waves are focused
and, moreover, evanescent waves are reconstructed in the image plane. Here, we
demonstrate a superlens for electric evanescent fields with low losses using
perovskites in the mid-infrared regime. The combination of near-field
microscopy with a tunable free-electron laser allows us to address precisely
the polariton modes, which are critical for super-resolution imaging. We
spectrally study the lateral and vertical distributions of evanescent waves
around the image plane of such a lens, and achieve imaging resolution of
wavelength/14 at the superlensing wavelength. Interestingly, at certain
distances between the probe and sample surface, we observe a maximum of these
evanescent fields. Comparisons with numerical simulations indicate that this
maximum originates from an enhanced coupling between probe and object, which
might be applicable for multifunctional circuits, infrared spectroscopy, and
thermal sensors.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, published as open access article in Nature
Communications (see http://www.nature.com/ncomms/
Electromagnetic-field quantization and spontaneous decay in left-handed media
We present a quantization scheme for the electromagnetic field interacting
with atomic systems in the presence of dispersing and absorbing
magnetodielectric media, including left-handed material having negative real
part of the refractive index. The theory is applied to the spontaneous decay of
a two-level atom at the center of a spherical free-space cavity surrounded by
magnetodielectric matter of overlapping band-gap zones. Results for both big
and small cavities are presented, and the problem of local-field corrections
within the real-cavity model is addressed.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, RevTe
Superconducting Fluctuation investigated by THz Conductivity of LaSrCuO Thin Films
Frequency-dependent terahertz conductivities of LaSrCuO thin
films with various carrier concentrations were investigated. The imaginary part
of the complex conductivity considerably increased from far above a
zero-resistance superconducting transition temperature,
, because of the existence of the fluctuating
superfluid density with a short lifetime. The onset temperature of the
superconducting fluctuation is at most for
underdoped samples, which is consistent with the previously reported analysis
of microwave conductivity. The superconducting fluctuation was not enhanced
under a 0.5 T magnetic field. We also found that the temperature dependence of
the superconducting fluctuation was sensitive to the carrier concentration of
LaSrCuO, which reflects the difference in the nature of the
critical dynamics near the superconducting transition temperature. Our results
suggest that the onset temperature of the Nernst signal is not related to the
superconducting fluctuation we argued in this paper.Comment: J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. in pres
Designing perturbative metamaterials from discrete models
Identifying material geometries that lead to metamaterials with desired functionalities presents a challenge for the field. Discrete, or reduced-order, models provide a concise description of complex phenomena, such as negative refraction, or topological surface states; therefore, the combination of geometric building blocks to replicate discrete models presenting the desired features represents a promising approach. However, there is no reliable way to solve such an inverse problem. Here, we introduce ‘perturbative metamaterials’, a class of metamaterials consisting of weakly interacting unit cells. The weak interaction allows us to associate each element of the discrete model with individual geometric features of the metamaterial, thereby enabling a systematic design process. We demonstrate our approach by designing two-dimensional elastic metamaterials that realize Veselago lenses, zero-dispersion bands and topological surface phonons. While our selected examples are within the mechanical domain, the same design principle can be applied to acoustic, thermal and photonic metamaterials composed of weakly interacting unit cells
Accessory gland as a site for prothoracicotropic hormone controlled ecdysone synthesis in adult male insects
Insect steroid hormones (ecdysteroids) are important for female reproduction in many insect species and are required for the initiation and coordination of vital developmental processes. Ecdysteroids are also important for adult male physiology and behavior, but their exact function and site of synthesis remains unclear, although previous studies suggest that the reproductive system may be their source. We have examined expression profiles of the ecdysteroidogenic Halloween genes, during development and in adults of the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Genes required for the biosynthesis of ecdysone (E), the precursor of the molting hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), are expressed in the tubular accessory glands (TAGs) of adult males. In contrast, expression of the gene encoding the enzyme mediating 20E synthesis was detected in the ovaries of females. Further, Spookiest (Spot), an enzyme presumably required for endowing tissues with competence to produce ecdysteroids, is male specific and predominantly expressed in the TAGs. We also show that prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH), a regulator of E synthesis during larval development, regulates ecdysteroid levels in the adult stage in Drosophila melanogaster and the gene for its receptor Torso seems to be expressed specifically in the accessory glands of males. The composite results suggest strongly that the accessory glands of adult male insects are the main source of E, but not 20E. The finding of a possible male-specific source of E raises the possibility that E and 20E have sex-specific roles analogous to the vertebrate sex steroids, where males produce primarily testosterone, the precursor of estradiol. Furthermore this study provides the first evidence that PTTH regulates ecdysteroid synthesis in the adult stage and could explain the original finding that some adult insects are a rich source of PTTH
Draft genome assembly of the false spider mite.
The false spider mite Brevipalpus yothersi infests a broad host plant range and has become one of the most economically important species within the genus Brevipalpus. This phytophagous mite inflicts damage by both feeding on plants and transmitting plant viruses. Here, we report the first draft genome sequence of the false spider mite, which is also the first plant virus mite vector to be sequenced. The similar to 72 Mb genome (sequenced at 42x coverage) encodes similar to 16,000 predicted protein-coding genes
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