Selected Papers from the International Symposium on Insect Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology—Presented at Shandong University, Jinan, China, September 2007. Part I

Abstract

AbstractThe papers in this Special Issue were originally presented at the International Symposium on Insect Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, held at Shandong University, Jinan, China, in September, 2007. The symposium was attended by more than 120 insect scientists, with speakers from China, Japan, and the United States. Because of its growing international stature, the entire symposium was conducted in English.Prior to the Symposium speakers were invited to submit abstracts of papers for possible publication in Archives. The abstracts were screened and over a dozen speakers were invited to submit full manuscripts. The manuscripts were subjected to the usual review scrutiny, revision and re‐review as necessary. About 14 papers from the Symposium will be published in two issues of Archives. Six papers make up the first of two issues, with the second issue forthcoming.These papers represent the broad spectrum of insect science presented at the Symposium. In this issue, Zhang, Luo and Jiang report on the regulation of migrant/resident morphs in the Oriental Armyworm, Mythimna separata. Here, they report on the effect of starvation during the first day of adult life (the sensitive period for migrant/resident determination) on the expression of the allatotropin gene in adult females. They present a model relating the influence of environmental conditions on the physiology and molecular biology of morph determination.The Cotesia vestalis polydnavirus plays a key role in suppressing the host immune system. Y‐F. Chen and colleagues report cloning the sequence of the C. vestalis CvBV‐ank2 gene, which encodes an IκB‐like protein. The gene sequence is similar to exons I and II of CvBVank1. Both genes are located on the same segment and the authors inferred that one gene arose by gene duplication. CvBV‐ank2 transcripts were expressed as early as 30 min post‐parasitization and expression continued for six days. The authors concluded that CvBV‐ank2 may act in protection of the parasitoid egg early in the process.Zhao and her colleagues report on their work with the gene encoding the Acyl‐CoA binding protein (ACBP) in the bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Ha). After obtaining a full clone, they determined that HaACBP is expressed mainly in the midgut and is probably responsible for intracellular fatty acid transport in nutrition absorption. Because fatty acids are transported within cells in most animal tissues, we expect that future work will reveal several ACBP genes.Wang and colleagues report on cloning a ubiquitin gene from the housefly, Musca domestica. This gene product may have several different biological roles, as expression of the gene was highest in the developing embryo. However, after challenge with Gram‐negative and, separately, Gram‐positive bacteria, the authors recorded up‐regulation of gene expression. This gene may also act in host immunity.Also in work with houseflies, Song and his colleagues investigated the transcriptional expression and in situ localization of bursicon α and β in the central nerve system. They identified two novel bursicon‐regulated genes. In situ localization of bursicon transcripts revealed expression in a set of neurosecretory cells (NSCs) in the thoracic‐abdominal ganglia of M. domestica. Two Drosophila melanogaster homologous genes, designated CG7985hh and CG30287hh, were up‐regulated by recombinant bursicon in a time‐dependent manner, implying their involvement in the cuticle tanning process.Finally, C‐Z. Wang and colleagues investigated the change of the glucose oxidase (GOX) activity in labial salivary glands of H. armigera larvae fed the artificial diet or host plant tobacco. After 5th instar plant‐fed caterpillars were transferred to the artificial diet, their labial salivary GOX activity increased quickly, which was closely correlated with the time spent feeding on the artificial diet. The authors hypothesized that sugars and secondary metabolites are the possible causes of induction of GOX activity.We are pleased to present this first Special Issue of Archives based on the International Symposium in Jinan. This Symposium was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30710303035), Shandong Association for Science and Technology, and Shandong University. The next Symposium will convene in a beautiful tourist city, Chengde, Hebei Province, China, in September 2009. Chengde, once the summer resort capital of the Qing Dynasty, is just 140 miles northeast of Beijing. It is our pleasure to invite all interested readers to participate.