The first teratological case for the Australian Omorgus Erichson, 1847 species (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Trogidae)

BackgroundJuvenile hormones (JH) and ecdysteroids control postembryonic development in insects. They serve as valuable targets for pest management. Hence, understanding the molecular mechanisms of their action is of crucial importance. CREB-binding protein (CBP) is a universal transcriptional co-regulator. It controls the expression of several genes including those from hormone signaling pathways through co-activation of many transcription factors. However, the role of CBP during postembryonic development in insects is not well understood. Therefore, we have studied the role of CBP in postembryonic development in Tribolium, a model coleopteran insect.ResultsCBP is ubiquitously expressed in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. RNA interference (RNAi) mediated knockdown of CBP resulted in a decrease in JH induction of Kr-h1 gene expression in Tribolium larvae and led to a block in their development. Moreover, the injection of CBP double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) showed lethal phenotypes within 8 days of injection. RNA-seq and subsequent differential gene expression analysis identified CBP target genes in Tribolium. Knockdown of CBP caused a decrease in the expression of 1306 genes coding for transcription factors and other proteins associated with growth and development. Depletion of CBP impaired the expression of several JH response genes (e.g., Kr-h1, Hairy, early trypsin) and ecdysone response genes (EcR, E74, E75, and broad complex). Further, GO enrichment analyses of the downregulated genes showed enrichment in different functions including developmental processes, pigmentation, anatomical structure development, regulation of biological and cellular processes, etc.ConclusionThese data suggest diverse but crucial roles for CBP during postembryonic development in the coleopteran model insect, Tribolium. It can serve as a target for RNAi mediated pest management of this stored product pest.

Teratological specimens of Coleoptera are rarely observed. The anomalous morphology of such specimens presumably reduces their chances of survival, making them uncommon in the environment. A classification and suggested terminology for describing teratological specimens of Coleoptera were published by Balazuc (1948). Publications by Dallas in Argentina (1927) and Cappe de Baillon in Europe (1927) are also noteworthy. Prior to this publication, Ferreira (1966, 1967) reported on several anomalies when he was affiliated with the Zoological Museum, University of Coimbra (Portugal). The carabid reported here was identified as Calosoma sycophanta (L.) (Fig. 1). The right hind leg has a reduced tibia ending in a 45 degree angle with a thicker tibial spine, and a tarsus with only three reduced tarsomeres (Fig. 2). The tip of the last deformed tarsomere is rounded and without tarsal claws. The left hind leg is normal (Fig. 3). The teratological specimen was collected in Pawcatuck (New London County), Connecticut, in a lot close to the Elm Ridge golf course. Other individuals of Calosoma sycophanta (L.) were seen running in the area and climbing small trees. Balazuc (1948) describes anomalies such as the one reported here as meiomelies, involving either the loss (ectromelie) or reduction (atrophy) of an appendage or part of an appendage. The specimen reported here has both a loss of part of an appendage as well as a reduction in the existing parts of the appendage (tarsus). Such an anomaly is usually considered the result of a purely physical problem, which may be related to physiological or environmental influences during development (Balazuc, 1948). However the anomaly may also have a genetic basis as in similar anomalies reported by Arendsen Hein (1920, 1924). The report of an identical anomaly in the front leg of a Carabus intricatus L. by Mocquerys (1880) adds weight to the latter possibility.

Honeybees are an important component of modern agricultural systems, and a fascinating and scientifically engrossing insect. Honeybees are not commonly used as model systems for understanding development in insects despite their importance in agriculture. Honeybee embryogenesis, while being superficially similar to Drosophila, is molecularly very different, especially in axis formation and sex determination. In later development, much of honeybee biology is modified by caste development, an as yet poorly understood, but excellent, system to study developmental plasticity. In adult stages, developmental plasticity of the ovaries, related to reproductive constraint exhibits another aspect of plasticity. Here they review the tools, current knowledge and opportunities in honeybee developmental biology, and provide an updated embryonic staging scheme to support future studies.

All organisms are exposed to changes in their environment throughout their life cycle. When confronted with these changes, they adjust their development and physiology to ensure that they can produce the functional structures necessary for survival and reproduction. While some traits are remarkably invariant, or robust, across environmental conditions, others show high degrees of variation, known as plasticity. Generally, developmental processes that establish cell identity are thought to be robust to environmental perturbation, while those relating to body and organ growth show greater degrees of plasticity. However, examples of plastic patterning and robust organ growth demonstrate that this is not a hard-and-fast rule.In this review, we explore how the developmental context and the gene regulatory mechanisms underlying trait formation determine the impacts of the environment on development in insects. Furthermore, we outline future issues that need to be resolved to understand how the structure of signaling networks defines whether a trait displays plasticity or robustness.

"ZABYTKI – BIOLOGIA – KONSERWACJA” ("MONUMENTS – BIOLOGY – CONSERVATION") is an interdisciplinary collective study, which includes 14 articles on various issues related to the protection of monuments against damage of biological origin, i.e. biodeterioration. The focus was primarily on objects made on paper (including photographs), parchment, leather or fabric. The authors are specialists in the fields of biology, chemistry and medicine, as well as art conservators who, in their professional practice, solve problems resulting from the development of microorganisms or insects in collections. The publication presents contemporary views on, among others: testing methods of harmful microorganisms using the achievements of molecular biology; the use of biocides for disinfection of monuments, taking into account the legal aspects of their use; and monitoring library, archival and museum collections in order to protect them against insects. Attention was also paid to health hazards in the workplace caused by contact with infected crops or biocides. The study is intended mainly for conservators of works of art who have the opportunity to update their knowledge of biology in conservation, as well as for conservation students as a supplement to the basic knowledge acquired during classes

Cuticular proteins (CPs) are known to play important roles in insect development and defence responses. The loss of CP genes can lead to changes in insect morphology and sensitivity to the external environment. In this study, we identified the AccCPR2 gene, which belongs to the CPR family (including the R&R consensus motif) of CPs, and explored its function in the response of Apis cerana cerana to adverse external stresses. Our results demonstrated that AccCPR2 was highly expressed in the late pupal stage and epidermis, and the expression of AccCPR2 may be induced or inhibited under different stressors. RNA interference experiments showed that knockdown of AccCPR2 reduced the activity of antioxidant enzymes, led to the accumulation of oxidative damage and suppressed the expression of several antioxidant genes. In addition, knockdown of AccCPR2 also reduced the pesticide resistance of A. cerana cerana. The overexpression of AccCPR2 in a prokaryotic system further confirmed its role in resistance to various stresses. In summary, AccCPR2 may play pivotal roles in the normal development and environmental stress response of A. cerana cerana. This study also enriched the theoretical knowledge of the resistance biology of bees.

The homeotic gene studies of Ed Lewis [1] and the embryonic patterning studies of Christiane Nüsslein- Volhard and Eric Wieschaus [2-4] are landmarks of insect developmental genetics that continue to inspire the work of developmental geneticists today. The genes they discovered were subsequently shown to be evolutionarily conserved and are now considered to be basic components of the genetic toolkit that is deployed during development in virtually all metazoans, albeit with specific roles that vary between animal groups. Their systematic approach, which combined the power of genetics with molecular and experimental biology, established Drosophila as a premier model organism for developmental studies. Pioneering work in the field of evo-devo (evolution of development) extended the Drosophila studies to other insect and arthropod groups to determine the extent to which these genes and their regulatory networks have general applications to insect development or reflect the unique phylogenetic history of the Diptera. The systematic approach that has been so successful in Drosophila has been applied in other insects that are amenable to genetic manipulation, perhaps most successfully in the genetic analysis of homeotic genes in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. However, most non-drosophilid insects are difficult to rear in the lab or are not candidates for facile genetic analysis. As a result, comparative studies are often limited to inferring function from the expression patterns of candidate genes. There is hope, however, of narrowing the gap in technical sophistication that separates Drosophila from other insects. Recently, the reverse genetics technique of RNA interference (RNAi) has made it possible to determine gene function even in the absence of mutants. Moreover, the genomic sequence of several insects, including Tribolium, will soon be available. Here we review recent advances in the study of insect development made possible by RNAi analysis, which have whetted our appetites for the large-scale comparative genomic approaches that will soon be possible. Keywords: Insect development, segmentation, homeotic genes, RNAi

Last year, the editors of Development decided to initiate an 'Outstanding paper prize' to recognise some of the most exciting work published in the journal in each calendar year. To select the winner(s), we agreed that each editor would look over all the published papers they handled over the year and choose their favourite; based on these choices, we (J.B., K.B. and S.W.) would then select a handful of finalists and an overall winner, the first author(s) of which would be awarded a £1000 prize. This has not been an easy taskin 2022, we published 350 research papers across the whole breadth of developmental and stem cell biology, and selecting the 'best' is always going to be a somewhat subjective process. So before announcing the finalists and winner, we'd like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the authors of all our 2022 papers for their valuable contributions to the journal, and particularly to congratulate all those shortlisted by our editorsthese papers are listed at the end of this editorial, along with a brief summary from the relevant editor as to why they chose that paper. These 21 papers include experimental, theoretical and technical papers, feature well-loved model organisms like Drosophila, zebrafish and Arabidopsis, as well as non-traditional models such as the silkworm and the dunnart, and address a wide range of developmental topicsfrom the evolution of chromatin landscapes to the mechanical control of tissue growth. Many of these papers make use of cutting-edge techniques like single-cell sequencing, high-resolution imaging or in vitro organoid culture, while others have used more classical approaches to uncover exciting new biology.

Peptide Hormones, Steroid Hormones, and Puffs: Mechanisms and Models in Insect Development

The interactions of genes and environment during development have been fascinating, controversial subjects for more than a century. One of the earliest reports of environmental effects on insect development was made by George Dorfmeister in U 1854. He demonstrated that exposure to extreme heat or cold could change the pattern on the butterfly’s wings. More recent studies on environmental effects on insect development have primarily been done in fruit flies. Drosophila is used as a model system for studying developmental genetics because of its short life cycle and small genome size. These same attributes also make it a good model system for studying environmental effects on gene expression during development. Goldschmidt was the first to extensively study environmental influences on development in Drosophila. He showed that many different developmental defects which resemble mutant defects can be induced by heating during the pupal period. Unlike mutations, however, these defects are not inherited. Some examples of heat induced defects compared to mutant defects are shown in Fig. 1. Goldschmidt coined the name “phenocopy” to describe environmentally induced developmental defects. This name was chosen in order to emphasize the resemblance of the environmentally induced defects to mutant phenotypes (Goldschmidt 1935). Goldschmidt was impressed by the fact that chemicals as well as heat induced the same types of defects if they were given during the same sensitive period. concluded that mutations, chemicals, and heat, might all affect a different initial chemical process, but the end result was the same because they diverted development from a normal path onto an abnormal path, and he felt that there are a limited number of abnormal developmental pathways which are not lethal.KeywordsHeat ShockHeat Shock ProteinPhenol OxidaseSensitive PeriodFollow Heat ShockThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Task Force on Strategic Research Direction: Basic Science Subgroup key science topics report.

Our understanding of insect development and evolution has increased greatly due to recent advances in the comparative developmental approach. Modern developmental biology techniques such as in situ hybridization and molecular analysis of developmentally important genes and gene families have greatly facilitated these advances. The role of the comparative developmental approach in insect systematics is explored in this paper and we suggest two important applications of the approach to insect systematics--character dissection and morphological landmarking. Existing morphological characters can be dissected into their genetic and molecular components in some cases and this will lead to more and richer character information in systematic studies. Character landmarking will he essential to systematic studies for clarifying structures such as shapes or convergences, which are previously hard to analyze anatomical regions. Both approaches will aid greatly in expanding our understanding of homology in particular, and insect development in general.

FisheriesVolume 40, Issue 8 p. 360-361 AFS News My Adventure Volunteering on NOAA Ships Joseph Kunkel, Joseph Kunkel Department of Marine Science, University of New England, Biddeford, ME, 04005 Joseph Kunkel is a research professor at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine, and a professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he conducted research and taught for 42 years. He grew up on a tidal salt marsh on Long Island, spent his early years collecting insects, and majored in zoology in college and continued his interest in insect development in graduate school. His research interests include developmental biology, cell physiology, biometry, and pattern formation and development. Kunkel has been a volunteer scientist since 1998, during spring and fall bottom trawl surveys, aboard the Northeast Fisheries Science Center's fisheries survey vessels Albatross IV, Delaware II, and now the Henry B. Bigelow. He completed his 25th leg as a volunteer this spring on the Bigelow.Search for more papers by this author Joseph Kunkel, Joseph Kunkel Department of Marine Science, University of New England, Biddeford, ME, 04005 Joseph Kunkel is a research professor at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine, and a professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he conducted research and taught for 42 years. He grew up on a tidal salt marsh on Long Island, spent his early years collecting insects, and majored in zoology in college and continued his interest in insect development in graduate school. His research interests include developmental biology, cell physiology, biometry, and pattern formation and development. Kunkel has been a volunteer scientist since 1998, during spring and fall bottom trawl surveys, aboard the Northeast Fisheries Science Center's fisheries survey vessels Albatross IV, Delaware II, and now the Henry B. Bigelow. He completed his 25th leg as a volunteer this spring on the Bigelow.Search for more papers by this author First published: 05 August 2015 https://doi.org/10.1080/03632415.2015.1068642 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume40, Issue8August 2015Pages 360-361 RelatedInformation

Environmental Influences on Behavioral Development in Insects

Uncovering phylogenetic patterns of cis-regulatory evolution remains a fundamental goal for evolutionary and developmental biology. Here, we characterize the evolution of regulatory loci in butterflies and moths using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) annotation of regulatory elements across three stages of head development. In the process we provide a high-quality, functionally annotated genome assembly for the butterfly, Heliconius erato. Comparing cis-regulatory element conservation across six lepidopteran genomes, we find that regulatory sequences evolve at a pace similar to that of protein-coding regions. We also observe that elements active at multiple developmental stages are markedly more conserved than elements with stage-specific activity. Surprisingly, we also find that stage-specific proximal and distal regulatory elements evolve at nearly identical rates. Our study provides a benchmark for genome-wide patterns of regulatory element evolution in insects, and it shows that developmental timing of activity strongly predicts patterns of regulatory sequence evolution.