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Insects
Special Issues
Opportunities and Challenges in Insect Functional Genomics
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Opportunities and Challenges in Insect Functional Genomics

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Molecular Biology and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 7721

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xuguo Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA
Interests: termite; insect integrative genomics; insect-plant-pathogen multitrophic interactions; risk assessment; insecticide resistance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Nicholas M. Teets

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA
Interests: insect stress physiology; polar biology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

The advent of the Genomics Era has afforded life science a powerful new tool in the 21st century. This Special Issue will focus on the mechanisms and applications of insect functional genomics. Over the past 20 years, functional genomics toolsets, such as RNA interference (RNAi) and CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing, have been broadly adopted in entomological research to decipher gene functions in insects. Further, genomic approaches such as RNA-seq and genome-wide association study (GWAS) can provide important insights into gene function, and these approaches can be used in practically any insect species. With the success of these approaches in bench-top research, attention has now shifted to potential applications in agriculture, especially for the control of arthropod pests. We would like to invite all works, original research and/or review articles, covering insect functional genomics to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Xuguo Zhou
Dr. Nicholas M. Teets
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • insect functional genomics
  • RNAi
  • CRISPR/Cas9
  • genome editing
  • RNA-seq
  • GWAS
  • function
  • application

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2614 KiB  
Article
Screening and Functional Analyses of Novel Cecropins from Insect Transcriptome
by Lizhen Guo, Min Tang, Shiqi Luo and Xin Zhou
Insects 2023, 14(10), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14100794 - 29 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1764
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a significant and growing threat to global public health. However, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown promise as they exhibit a broad spectrum of antibacterial activities with low potential for resistance development. Insects, which inhabit a wide range of environments and [...] Read more.
Antibiotic resistance is a significant and growing threat to global public health. However, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown promise as they exhibit a broad spectrum of antibacterial activities with low potential for resistance development. Insects, which inhabit a wide range of environments and are incredibly diverse, remain largely unexplored as a source of novel AMPs. To address this, we conducted a screening of the representative transcriptomes from the 1000 Insect Transcriptome Evolution (1KITE) dataset, focusing on the homologous reference genes of Cecropins, the first identified AMPs in insects known for its high efficiency. Our analysis identified 108 Cecropin genes from 105 insect transcriptomes, covering all major hexapod lineages. We validated the gene sequences and synthesized mature peptides for three identified Cecropin genes. Through minimal inhibition concentration and agar diffusion assays, we confirmed that these peptides exhibited antimicrobial activities against Gram-negative bacteria. Similar to the known Cecropin, the three Cecropins adopted an alpha-helical conformation in membrane-like environments, efficiently disrupting bacterial membranes through permeabilization. Importantly, none of the three Cecropins demonstrated cytotoxicity in erythrocyte hemolysis tests, suggesting their safety in real-world applications. Overall, this newly developed methodology provides a high-throughput bioinformatic pipeline for the discovery of AMP, taking advantage of the expanding genomic resources available for diverse organisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Opportunities and Challenges in Insect Functional Genomics)
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12 pages, 2259 KiB  
Article
Functional Characterization of the Nuclear Receptor Gene SaE75 in the Grain Aphid, Sitobion avenae
by Haixia Zheng, Yi Yan, Guohua Wei, Austin Merchant, Yaxin Gu, Xuguo Zhou, Xun Zhu, Yunhui Zhang and Xiangrui Li
Insects 2023, 14(4), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14040383 - 14 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2183
Abstract
Ecdysteroid hormones are key regulators of insect development and metamorphosis. Ecdysone-inducible E75, a major component of insect ecdysone signaling pathway, has been well characterized in holometabolous insects, however, barely in hemimetabolous species. In this study, a total of four full-length E75 cDNAs [...] Read more.
Ecdysteroid hormones are key regulators of insect development and metamorphosis. Ecdysone-inducible E75, a major component of insect ecdysone signaling pathway, has been well characterized in holometabolous insects, however, barely in hemimetabolous species. In this study, a total of four full-length E75 cDNAs from the English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae, were identified, cloned, and characterized. The four SaE75 cDNAs contained 3048, 2625, 2505, and 2179 bp open reading frames (ORF), encoding 1015, 874, 856, and 835 amino acids, respectively. Temporal expression profiles showed that SaE75 expression was low in adult stages, while high in pseudo embryo and nymphal stages. SaE75 was differentially expressed between winged and wingless morphs. RNAi-mediated suppression of SaE75 led to substantial biological impacts, including mortality and molting defects. As for the pleiotropic effects on downstream ecdysone pathway genes, SaHr3 (hormone receptor like in 46) was significantly up-regulated, while Sabr-c (broad-complex core protein gene) and Saftz-f1 (transcription factor 1) were significantly down-regulated. These combined results not only shed light on the regulatory role of E75 in the ecdysone signaling pathway, but also provide a potential novel target for the long-term sustainable management of S. avenae, a devastating global grain pest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Opportunities and Challenges in Insect Functional Genomics)
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16 pages, 5483 KiB  
Article
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Mutagenesis of Abdominal-A and Ultrabithorax in the Asian Corn Borer, Ostrinia furnacalis
by Honglun Bi, Austin Merchant, Junwen Gu, Xiaowei Li, Xuguo Zhou and Qi Zhang
Insects 2022, 13(4), 384; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13040384 - 13 Apr 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2884
Abstract
(1) Background: Abdominal-A (Abd-A) and Ultrabithorax (Ubx) are homeotic genes that determine the identity and morphology of the thorax and abdomen in insects. The Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a devastating maize pest throughout Asia, [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Abdominal-A (Abd-A) and Ultrabithorax (Ubx) are homeotic genes that determine the identity and morphology of the thorax and abdomen in insects. The Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a devastating maize pest throughout Asia, the Western Pacific, and Australia. Building on previous knowledge, we hypothesized that the knockout of Abd-A and Ubx would disrupt the abdominal body planning in O. furnacalis. (2) Methods: CRISPR/Cas9-targeted mutagenesis was employed to decipher the functions of these homeotic genes. (3) Results: Knockout insects demonstrated classical homeotic transformations. Specifically, the mutagenesis of OfAbd-A resulted in: (1) Fused segments and segmental twist during the larval stage; (2) Embryonic lethality; and (3) The pleiotropic upregulation of other homeotic genes, including Lab, Pd, Dfd, Antp, and Abd-B. The mutagenesis of OfUbx led to: (1) Severe defects in the wing pads, which limited the ability of the adults to fly and mate; (2) Female sterility; and (3) The pleiotropic upregulation of other homeotic genes, including Dfd, Abd-B, and Wnt1. (4) Conclusions: These combined results not only support our hypothesis, but they also strengthen the potential of using homeotic genes as molecular targets for the genetic control of this global insect pest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Opportunities and Challenges in Insect Functional Genomics)
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