Beetle Tribolium Castaneum Research Articles

Enhancing wheat-flour safety by detecting and controlling red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Enhancing wheat-flour safety by detecting and controlling red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Persistent Parental RNAi in the Beetle Tribolium castaneum Involves Maternal Transmission of Long Double-Stranded RNA.

Parental RNA interference (pRNAi) is a powerful and widely used method for gene-specific knockdown. Yet in insects its efficacy varies between species, and how the systemic response is transmitted from mother to offspring remains elusive. Using the beetle Tribolium castaneum, an RT-qPCR strategy to distinguish the presence of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) from endogenous mRNA is reported. It is found that injected dsRNA is directly transmitted into the egg and persists throughout embryogenesis. Despite this depletion of dsRNA from the mother, it is shown that strong pRNAi can persist for months before waning at strain-specific rates. In seeking the receptor proteins for cellular uptake of long dsRNA into the egg, a phylogenomics profiling approach of candidate proteins is also presented. A visualization strategy based on taxonomically hierarchical assessment of orthology clustering data to rapidly assess gene age and copy number changes, refined by sequence-based evidence, is demonstrated. Repeated losses of SID-1-like channel proteins in the arthropods, including wholesale loss in the Heteroptera (true bugs), which are nonetheless highly sensitive to pRNAi, are thereby documented. Overall, practical considerations for insect pRNAi against a backdrop of outstanding questions on the molecular mechanism of dsRNA transmission for long-term, systemic knockdown are elucidated.

Genome-Wide Identification of the Long Noncoding RNAs of Tribolium castaneum in Response to Terpinen-4-ol Fumigation.

Simple SummaryLong noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulatory factors in multiple biological processes, including genomic imprinting, cancer, RNA interference, and protein translation. Several lncRNAs can respond to insecticides. However, lncRNA functions associated with terpinen-4-ol resistance in the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) have not yet been identified. In previous work, we found terpinen-4-ol to have strong fumigation activity against store-product pests. As a pesticide from plants, terpinen-4-ol shows nearly no residual danger to the environment; however, resistance is inevitable if people use terpinen-4-ol immoderately. To avoid resistance to terpinen-4-ol occurring in the red flour beetle, we deeply sequenced and tried to find some lncRNAs that can regulate target mRNA expression to reduce terpinen-4-ol.Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulatory factors in multiple biological processes, and several lncRNAs are known to respond to insecticides. However, the lncRNA functions that are associated with terpinen-4-ol resistance in the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) have not yet been identified. In this study, we determined the differentially transcribed lncRNAs between fumigated and control experimental groups. In the six libraries that underwent RNA sequencing, 34,546 transcripts were identified, including 8267 novel lncRNAs, 4155 novel mRNAs, 1151 known lncRNAs, and 20,973 known mRNAs. Among these, we found that the expression of 1858 mRNAs and 1663 lncRNAs was significantly different in the fumigated group compared with the control group. Among the differentially transcribed lncRNAs, 453 were up-regulated and 1210 were down-regulated lncRNAs. In addition, we identified the regulatory function targets of the lncRNAs. Functionally, all lncRNAs and target genes associated with terpinen-4-ol metabolism were enriched in several metabolic pathways, like the ATP-binding cassette transporter, pentose interconversion, and glucuronate interconversion. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first global identification of lncRNAs and their potential association with terpinen-4-ol metabolism in the red flour beetle. These results will provide reference information for studies on the resistance to terpinen-4-ol and other essential oil compounds and chemical pesticides, as well as an understanding of other biological processes in T. castaneum.

Study the effectiveness of marijuana and rosemary alchoholic extracts in control of red rusty flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Col-eoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the effectiveness of plant extracts of vitex and rosemary in red rust flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) control. Results showed a significant effect of extracts oncentrations in the percentage of larval stage mortality . concentration of 5%, caused the highest mortality rates in the larval stage reached to 71.11, 76.66, 83.33 % insects / plate after 24, 48 and 72 hours, respectively. The mortality rates were equal for both concentrations 2.5 and 5%, which amounted to 90 % after 72 hours. Vitex plant extarct was significantly superior to the rosemary plant Rosmarinus officinalis in the mortality rates for all concentrations and periods post application in this study.

Preference of Red Flour Beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) Towards Colour Cues

Behavioural response of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum towards various colour cues was evaluated and preference was assessed. Among the coloured surfaces, dark pink was observed to be the most preferred one (27.78, 28.39 and 29.33% at 24, 48 and 72 hrs after release, respectively). Blue, black and yellow revealed moderate preference. Influence of coloured lights on T. castaneum revealed that violet coloured LEDs had superior effect on attraction. The trend on preference of colour cues did not vary with increase in time period and red was the most avoided colour indicating its repellency nature.

Effects of individual differences in the locomotor activity of assassin bugs on predator–prey interactions

AbstractPredator–prey interactions affect ecological communities. Consistent individual differences in the behavior, or animal personality, of predators and/or prey can influence inter‐specific interactions. For example, high activity predators may have increased foraging success on low activity prey (i.e., the locomotor crossover hypothesis). On the other hand, the foraging style of predators can be categorized as “active hunting” or “sit‐and‐wait”; this difference impacts the selection pressure on prey and may thus also affect predator–prey interactions. Although some studies have evaluated the joint effect of the personality types of both active hunting predators and prey, few studies have focused on sit‐and‐wait predators with respect to the locomotor crossover hypothesis. Here we tested the locomotor crossover hypothesis using assassin bugs (Amphibolus venator) as a sit‐and‐wait predator and red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) as prey. There was no relationship between the personalities of A. venator and T. castaneum with respect to foraging rate; therefore, the present study did not support the locomotor crossover hypothesis. This result suggests that the locomotor crossover hypothesis may be supported in active hunting predators, but not in sit‐and‐wait predators. This study highlights the importance of focusing on predator foraging styles in predator–prey interactions when studying the evolution of animal personality.

Screens in fly and beetle reveal vastly divergent gene sets required for developmental processes

BackgroundMost of the known genes required for developmental processes have been identified by genetic screens in a few well-studied model organisms, which have been considered representative of related species, and informative—to some degree—for human biology. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a prime model for insect genetics, and while conservation of many gene functions has been observed among bilaterian animals, a plethora of data show evolutionary divergence of gene function among more closely-related groups, such as within the insects. A quantification of conservation versus divergence of gene functions has been missing, without which it is unclear how representative data from model systems actually are.ResultsHere, we systematically compare the gene sets required for a number of homologous but divergent developmental processes between fly and beetle in order to quantify the difference of the gene sets. To that end, we expanded our RNAi screen in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum to cover more than half of the protein-coding genes. Then we compared the gene sets required for four different developmental processes between beetle and fly. We found that around 50% of the gene functions were identified in the screens of both species while for the rest, phenotypes were revealed only in fly (~ 10%) or beetle (~ 40%) reflecting both technical and biological differences. Accordingly, we were able to annotate novel developmental GO terms for 96 genes studied in this work. With this work, we publish the final dataset for the pupal injection screen of the iBeetle screen reaching a coverage of 87% (13,020 genes).ConclusionsWe conclude that the gene sets required for a homologous process diverge more than widely believed. Hence, the insights gained in flies may be less representative for insects or protostomes than previously thought, and work in complementary model systems is required to gain a comprehensive picture. The RNAi screening resources developed in this project, the expanding transgenic toolkit, and our large-scale functional data make T. castaneum an excellent model system in that endeavor.

Comparative analyses of six cytochrome P450 genes and their roles in differential insecticide susceptibilities between the red flour beetle and the confused flour beetle

The red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum Herbst) and the confused flour beetle (Tribolium confusum Jacquelin du Val) are closely related species commonly infesting stored grains and milled grain products. Although the same insecticides are used to control both species, their susceptibilities to those insecticides often vary considerably. To explore possible contributions of cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes to the differential insecticide susceptibilities between T. castaneum and T. confusum, we selected six CYP orthologous genes to explore their possible contributions to differential insecticide susceptibilities to each of three commonly used insecticides (dichlorvos, pyrethrins, and esfenvalerate). After the expression of each CYP gene was suppressed by RNA interference (RNAi) in late larvae, we examined larval susceptibility to each insecticide. Our results showed that although T. castaneum were more susceptible to dichlorvos than T. confusum, none of these CYP genes appeared to play any significant role in differential dichlorvos susceptibility between the two species. In contrast, there were no significant differences in larval susceptibility to pyrethrins between the two species. However, suppression of CYP4BR3 expression increased larval susceptibility to pyrethrins in T. castaneum at 24 and 72 h after the insecticide exposure, but not in T. confusum. Furthermore, RNAi-mediated suppression of CYP4G7, CYP9Z5, CYP4BR3, and CYP345A1/6 significantly increased larval susceptibility to esfenvalerate in T. castaneum but not in T. confusum at 72 h. In addition, the suppression of CYP4G7 expression increased larval susceptibility to esfenvalerate at 96 h in both species. These results suggest that although CYP4G7 may play some role in esfenvalerate susceptibility in T. confusum, CYP4G7, CYP9Z5, CYP4BR3, and CYP345A1 significantly contribute to differential esfenvalerate susceptibilities between two Tribolium species. This study represents the first study to reveal molecular mechanisms causing differential insecticide susceptibilities between the two Tribolium species.

RNA interference-based characterization of Caspar, DREDD and FADD genes in immune signaling pathways of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

We previously demonstrated that two immune signaling pathways, Toll and IMD, were concomitantly activated in the model beetle Tribolium castaneum by challenges to their immune system by several species of microbes, including Gram-positive and -negative bacteria as well as yeast. This contrasts with the Drosophila immune system in which more specific pathway activation depending on the type of microbe is well established. We suggest that the activation of an indiscriminate immune pathway in T. castaneum is due in part to an unselective recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns by the extracellular sensing modules of the two pathways. In order to obtain a more detailed understanding of the T. castaneum immune pathway, we investigated whether potential components of the T. castaneum IMD pathway, Caspar, DREDD and FADD, are involved in immune reactions triggered by microbial challenges. A sequence analysis of these three genes with the orthologues of other species, including insects, mouse and human, indicated that T. castaneum Caspar, DREDD and FADD functioned as immune signal transducers, which are usually induced by microbial challenges. However, these genes were not induced by microbial challenges. To establish whether these genes are involved in immune reactions, we used RNA interference-mediated knockdown of these genes to assess the microbial induction levels of the representative read-out antimicrobial peptide genes of the respective classes. The results indicated that these genes encode the canonical constituents of the IMD pathway of this beetle. DREDD and FADD influenced the induction of Toll-dependent antimicrobial peptide genes, providing novel crosstalk points between the two immune pathways, which appears to support indiscriminate pathway activation in T. castaneum. Furthermore, the phenotypes of DREDD or FADD knockdown pupae challenged by the two model bacterial pathogens correlated with AMP gene induction in the respective knockdowns, indicating that these intracellular factors contributed to antibacterial host defenses.

Serial passage in an insect host indicates genetic stability of the human probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917.

Background and objectivesThe probiotic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 (EcN) has been shown to effectively prevent and alleviate intestinal diseases. Despite the widespread medical application of EcN, we still lack basic knowledge about persistence and evolution of EcN outside the human body. Such knowledge is important also for public health aspects, as in contrast to abiotic therapeutics, probiotics are living organisms that have the potential to evolve. This study made use of experimental evolution of EcN in an insect host, the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, and its flour environment.MethodologyUsing a serial passage approach, we orally introduced EcN to larvae of T.castaneum as a new host, and also propagated it in the flour environment. After eight propagation cycles, we analyzed phenotypic attributes of the passaged replicate EcN lines, their effects on the host in the context of immunity and infection with the entomopathogen Bacillus thuringiensis, and potential genomic changes using WGS of three of the evolved lines.ResultsWe observed weak phenotypic differences between the ancestral EcN and both, beetle and flour passaged EcN lines, in motility and growth at 30°C, but neither any genetic changes, nor the expected increased persistence of the beetle-passaged lines. One of these lines displayed distinct morphological and physiological characteristics.Conclusions and implicationsOur findings suggest that EcN remains rather stable during serial passage in an insect. Weak phenotypic changes in growth and motility combined with a lack of genetic changes indicate a certain degree of phenotypic plasticity of EcN.Lay SummaryFor studying adaptation of the human probiotic Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917, we introduced it to a novel insect host system and its environment using a serial passage approach. After passage, we observed weak phenotypic changes in growth and motility but no mutations or changes in persistence inside the host.

By-product Utilization of Eri Silkworm Host Plant Tapioca (Manihot esculenta Crantz.): A Review

Manihot esculenta Crantz., cassava also called tapioca, is a woody tuberous shrub, native to South America. It belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. The leaves of tapioca plant serve as a secondary host plant in eri culture, i.e. rearing of eri silkworm, Samia ricini Donovan, particularly practiced in the north-eastern region of India. Besides the utilization of tapioca tubers for human consumption and as feed for animals, the leaves and tubers of this wonder plant can be used for diversified purposes as in food industry, pharmaceuticals, textile industry, cosmetic industry, explosive industry, paper industry, etc. The ethyl acetate extract of cassava can be used as a potential grain protectant against red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae). Tapioca is not only of low cost but also serves as a wonder plant for sustainable future. The use and exploration of tapioca has much more vivid scope besides its utilization in eri silkworm rearing. In tapioca producing regions of India, tapioca can be utilized for dual purpose of eri silkworm rearing and for other industrial products which will help to grow tapioca based industry. It will also help for the sustainable development of eri silkworm rearers. Indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK) strongly proves that tapioca plants are endowed with pesticidal properties that can be widely explored in agriculture and related fields. Therefore, this article strongly supports and highlights the use and exploration of tapioca in various agricultural and industrial practices.

UV-C radiation-induced changes in the legs and trichoid sensilla of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Since various kind of receptors in insects are mainly located on their legs. We estimate the influence of ultraviolet-C on the leg morphology and trichoid sensilla of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), zero-day-old pupae were irradiated with UV-C at a distance of 35 cm for 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 min. Changes in leg morphologies and trichoid sensilla were determined using light and scanning electron microscopes. UV-C radiation caused the abnormalities of an adult’s legs that were classified into three levels; mild, moderate, and strong. Legs of the resulting adults were developed into malformed structures that lacked clear segmental identity. The severity of leg abnormalities was recorded in a dose-dependent manner. UV-C significantly decreased the length and width of the femur, tibia, and tarsus. In the strongly affected level, the femur was reduced in size while the tibia and tarsus were completely deleted, and there was no evidence of claws. Scanning electron microscopy showed the wrinkled cuticle on the leg segment, and the sensilla of the resulting adults appeared less in number. After UV-C radiation, the trichoid sensilla on the femur became longer and wider, but the trichoid sensilla on the tibia were shorter and narrower. Taken together, UV-C irradiation during pupal stage interfered development of legs and brought about specific malformation features.

The effectiveness of clove oil, its fractions, and clove oil-based fumigant tablet formulations, against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)

Indonesia has seen an increase and widespread reports of resistance among stored-product insect pests to phosphine. The use of Syzigium aromaticum (clove oil) as an alternative fumigant may be a useful strategy to control infestation by phosphine-resistant varieties of stored-product insects. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of whole (unfractionated) clove oil as well as its component fractions as a fumigant and repellent against the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)), and to develop a simple fumigant formulation for this purpose. The experimental design used to test the effectiveness of clove oil and its fractionation was a completely randomized design (CRD). Meanwhile, testing the effectiveness of tablet formulations was carried out by factorial CRD. Fumigation test results gave LD50 and LD95 values of 0.234 and 1.142 ml/l respectively, for crude clove oil used in a fumigation chamber against T. castaneum. An n-hexane fraction of clove oil tested under the same conditions was more lethal, causing 95% mortality of T. castaneum at the dose of 0.801 ml/l during fumigation. Finally, tablets containing a set proportion of clove oil and naphthalene (1:1) reached LD91 against T. castaneum after 7 days’ fumigation.

The T-box gene optomotor-blind organizes proximodistal leg patterning in the beetle Tribolium castaneum by repressing dorsal Dpp pathway activity

Leg axis formation in Drosophila is organized by Wingless (Wg) and Decapentaplegic (Dpp) that control a number of downstream factors to pattern the dorsoventral (DV) and proximodistal (PD) axis. The T-box genes are important downstream factors mainly involved in dorsoventral leg axis formation. The ventral side is specified by H15 and midline, whereas optomotor-blind (omb) and Dorsocross (Doc1) are factors to specify dorsal cell fates. We show here that omb also organizes PD leg axis patterning in the beetle Tribolium castaneum. In the legs, Tc-omb is expressed along the dorsal side and represses ventral factors like wg and H15. Intriguingly, removing Tc-omb function leads to the activation of the Dpp pathway along the dorsal side of the legs, thus mimicking normal dpp expression in Drosophila. Dpp activity along the dorsal side leads to altered expression of proximal-distal patterning genes such as Distal-less (Dll) and dachshund (dac). Our results indicate a cell-autonomous activation of Dll and repression of dac by dpp. These findings are compatible with the cross-regulatory “cascade model“ of proximal-distal leg imaginal disc patterning of Drosophila.

EFFICIENCY OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC PESTICIDES AGAINST STORED GRAIN INSECT PESTS

The insect pests cause substantial loss of grains in the field and during storage of food grains that worth millions of rupees. Hence, in order to manage stored grain insect pests a combination of organic and inorganic pesticide control materials was selected to check the efficiency against red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and pulse beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis). Total 10 treatments were used, eight different organic bio-pesticides (neem seed, neem leaves, naswar, tobacco, eucalyptus, citrus, dhatura and mint) and one inorganic (naphthalene balls) and control used at 32 ± 2°C and 70 ± 5% RH. The results indicated that three doses of all treatments were used as 5, 10 and 20gm in 50gm grains. Overall, maximum (4.33 ± 1.00%) mortality of red flour beetle was observed using neem seed powder and no (0.0 0 ± 00%) mortality was observed in minte leaves powder. In case of pulse beetle, the maximum (5.07 ± 0.87%) mortality was observed using neem seed powder and minimum (0.66±0.22%) using citrus leaves powder. Maximum (16.26 ± 0.03) antifeedant efficiency of red flour beetle was observed in control group and minimum (6.46±0.65) antifeedant efficiency of red flour beetle was found in dhatura leaves powder at all tested concentrations. Maximum (14.23 ± 0.13) antifeedant efficiency of pulse beetle was determined in control group and and minimum (1.00 ± 0.04) was observed for naphthalene balls at all tested concentrations. Maximum (94.67%) repellency against red flour beetle was observed using neem seed powder and minimum (62.00%) was found in naphathalene balls as compared with their controls. Maximum (81.32%) repellency against pulse beetle was observed using naswar powder and minimum (63.34%) repellency was determined using neem leaves powder as compared with their control group. We concluded that 20% of neem seed powder concentration proved effective to suppress the population of both red flour beetle and pulse beetle.

Fumigant Effect of Essential Oils from Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus) and Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) against pest Red Flour Beetle (Tribolium castaneum)

This study aims to determine the fumigant effect of citronella (Cymbopogon nardus) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oils against the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum). This research was carried out at the Basic Laboratory of Samudra University and the Agrotechnology Laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture, Samudra University, Langsa City, Aceh Province, which took place from February to March 2021. Using a non-factorial Completely Randomized Design (RAL). The results showed that the fumigant effect of citronella essential oil, treatment S5 (3.2% v/v) caused T. castaneum mortality of 93.75%, fumigant effect of lemongrass essential oil in treatment D5 (5.4% v/v). ) caused T. castaneum mortality of 92.5%. In the repellency test of citronella and lemongrass essential oils, treatments S5 and D5 (25%) were effective as repellents for T. castaneum at 24 hours after treatments.

English

This work aimed to assess in vitro insecticidal and antifungal activities of Mentha rotundifolia and Myrtus communis essential oils against the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and three fungal species (Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium solani and Colletotrichum acutatum). Oxygenated monoterpenes presented the dominant group with 72.94 and 58.92% respectively for M. rotundifolia and M. communis essential oils. M. rotundifolia and M. communis essential oils composition was dominated by 72.94 and 58.92% of oxygenated monoterpenes, respectively. The determined lethal concentrations of mentha essential oils against T. castaneum adults revealed high toxicity respectively for fumigant and contact tests, LC50 = 0.113 μL cm-2 and LC50 = 32.71 μL L-1 air. However, common myrtle oil showed a weak fumigant activity (LC50 = 357.67 μL L-1 air) and no contact toxicity. Furthermore, M. rotundifolia essential oil showed a marked antifungal toxicity against all the fungal strains. The mycelial growth of the three fungal strains was completely inhibited at the concentrations of 0.33 μL L-1 by contact application and 8, 10 and 12 μL by fumigant application. M. communis essential oil displayed only a contact antifungal toxicity against B. cinerea at the concentration 21.33 μL L-1. Additionally, M. rotundifolia completely inhibited conidial germination of B. cinerea and F. solani, and significantly affected their morphology, with morphological modifications at the rate of 92.94 and 51.11% respectively. In light of in vitro tests results, the mentha essential oil appeared to be an excellent source of antifungal and insecticidal components and will allow the potential development of this species in the biological control of several pests and fungal diseases. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers

Carcass Scavenging Relaxes Chemical-Driven Female Interference Competition in Flour Beetles

AbstractFemale-female nonsexual interference competition is a major fitness determinant of biased sex ratio groups with high female density. What strategies can females use to overcome the negative impact of this competition? To answer this question we used flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) where competing females from female-biased groups were already known to suppress each other's fecundity by secreting toxic quinones from their stink glands, indicating a unique chemical-driven interference competition. Surprisingly, increasing resources did not alleviate these fitness costs. Females also did not disperse more from the site of interference competition. Hence, the competition was influenced by neither the total resource availability nor the lack of opportunity to avoid chemical interference. Instead, protein sequestered via scavenging of nutrient-rich carcasses relaxed female competition by increasing fecundity and reducing the quinone content. Finally, stink gland components themselves triggered carcass scavenging and increased fecundity, indicating the possibility of a novel chemical-driven feedback loop to reduce the competition. In the present work we provide the rare analyses where multiple competing hypotheses were jointly tested to establish carcass scavenging as an important potential strategy to overcome the fitness costs of intrasexual female interference competition.

Developmental O‐glycan profile analysis shows pentasaccharide mucin‐type O‐glycans are linked with pupation of Tribolium castaneum

Eukaryotic cells can decorate their proteins with carbohydrate structures or glycans, significantly affecting the properties and activities of these proteins. Despite the importance of protein glycosylation in numerous biological processes, our knowledge of this modification in insects is far from complete. While N-glycosylation is the most studied, the study of O-glycans in insects is still very fragmentary and these studies are limited to a specific developmental stage or a specific tissue. In this article, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry (MS) technology was used to analyze the O-glycan profile for the different developmental stages of egg, larva, pupa, and adult of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, an important insect model and pest worldwide. The results on the O-glycan profile showed that the mucin-type glycans dominate the O-glycome of the red flour beetle. Interestingly, some of the more complex mucin-type O-glycans, such as a tetra- (O-GalNAcGalGlcAGalNAc) and pentasaccharide O-glycan (O-GalNAc(GalGlcA)GalNAcGlcA), were highly abundant during the pupa stage, the intermediate stage between larval and adult stage in holometabolous insects, demonstrating that insect metamorphosis is accompanied with a change in the insect O-glycan profile. Together with the N-glycan profile, the current data are a foundation to better understand the role of protein glycosylation in the development of insects.

Entomotoxicity of TiO2 and ZnO Nanoparticles Against Adults Tribolium Castaneum (Herbest) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum is one of the common pests of stored grains distributed worldwide. In this study, testing the effect of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles as insecticides on adults of T. castaneum was achieved. Results showed that the high concentration of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles recorded high cumulative mortality of the adult insects after exposure time 1, 3, and 5 days from treatments 15.30, 23.57, and 29.85% respectively of TiO2 nanoparticles compared with 20.42, 27.08, and 33.96 % respectively of ZnO nanoparticles. The result showed that TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles are effective in controlling and can be introduced in the future in integrated pest management of T. castaneum.