No abstract

The orange wheat blossom midge (Sitodiplosis mosellana Gehin) is an insect pest that feeds on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The resistance mechanisms of wheat to S. mosellana infestation are largely unknown. In this study, the wheat varieties LX99 and 6218 were identified as highly resistant and susceptible, respectively, via field investigations conducted over two consecutive years. Morphological and microstructural observations of mature wheat kernels following S. mosellana infestation revealed that the degree of cell structure damage in resistant LX99 grains was less than that in susceptible 6218 grains. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of seeds following S. mosellana feeding showed that the differentially expressed genes and differentially accumulated metabolites from LX99 were mostly enriched in several primary and secondary metabolic pathways, including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and phenylalanine biosynthesis. Additionally, phenylpropanoid-and flavonoid-related gene expression was significantly upregulated following S. mosellana infestation in LX99 relative to that in 6218. Some metabolites involved in phenylpropanoid/flavonoid pathways, such as cinnamic acid, coumarin, epigallocatechin, and naringenin, were only induced in infested LX99 kernels. These results suggest that phenylpropanoid/flavonoid pathways play important roles in wheat kernel resistance to S. mosellana attack and provide useful insights for the breeding and utilization of resistant varieties.

The grain aphid Sitobion miscanthi is a serious pest of wheat that causes severe economic damage by sucking phloem sap and transmitting plant viruses. Here, two putative salivary effector homologs from S. miscanthi (Sm10 and SmC002) were selected based on sequence similarity to other characterized aphid candidate effectors. These effectors were then delivered into wheat cells separately via the type III secretion system of Pseudomonas fluorescens to elucidate their functions in the regulation of plant defenses and host fitness. The results showed that the delivery of either Sm10 or SmC002 into wheat plants significantly suppressed callose deposition and affected the transcript levels of callose synthase genes. The expression levels of salicylic acid (SA)-associated defense genes were upregulated significantly in wheat leaves carrying either Sm10 or SmC002. Moreover, LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that wheat SA levels significantly increased after the delivery of the two effectors. The results of aphid bioassays conducted on the wheat plants carrying Sm10 or SmC002 showed significant increases in the survival and fecundity of S. miscanthi. This study demonstrated that the Sm10 and SmC002 salivary effectors of S. miscanthi enhanced host plant susceptibility and benefited S. miscanthi performance by regulating wheat defense signaling pathways.

Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), which attacked China in 2019, remains a significant threat to wheat production. Wheat–faba bean intercropping systems prevent damage caused by wheat aphids; however, the potential role in S. frugiperda control remains unclear. Here, the adaptability and preferences of S. frugiperda to wheat and its common intercropped plant, faba bean, were evaluated to implement an eco-friendly approach for S. frugiperda management. Their adaptability showed that both hosts could support S. frugiperda to complete their life cycle; however, the larvae performed worse on faba bean compared with on wheat. The biochemical analysis revealed that faba bean plants had lower contents of soluble sugars and total proteins but higher levels of phenolics and tannins than in wheat leaves. The gravid S. frugiperda preferred (during the preference assays) to oviposit on wheat rather than on faba bean plants in cage tests. The wheat odor was preferred over the faba bean odor in the Y-tube olfactometer bioassays. The morphological scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed increased trichome density on wheat leaves. Therefore, the faba bean plants displayed antibiosis on larvae and were repellent to female moths, thus, suggesting that faba bean plants could serve as a push crop to be intercropped with wheat for S. frugiperda control for wheat fields.

No abstract

Oedaleus decorus asiaticus is one of the most harmful locusts in agricultural and pastoral areas in China. Plagues of this grasshopper can aggravate grassland degradation and cause huge damage to the livestock industry. Fungal biopesticides are seen as a suitable means of controlling grasshoppers and locusts. However, the efficiency of fungal biopesticides is dependent on temperature. Currently, there is limited knowledge on the thermal biology of this grasshopper in natural habitats. In this study, ground temperature measurements were made in conjunction with measurements of internal body temperatures using thermocouples and hand-held thermometers. The grasshoppers were randomly caught during the daytime in 2017 and 2018 in eight different locations in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. Our results indicated that the average internal body temperature of nymphs as well as adults of O. d. asiaticusis was higher than the ground temperature and that it increases/decreases with increases/decreases in ground temperature, respectively, during the daytime. Moreover, the adult internal body temperature is significantly higher than that of the nymphs at different times of the day, specifically around 6:00, 10:00, 13:00, and 18:00. Female internal body temperatures were significantly higher than those of the males by an average of 0.90 °C. Additionally, the average internal body temperature of the brown morphs was higher than that of the green morphs by approximately 1.17 °C. These findings demonstrate that brown morph insects might be more tolerant of fungal biopesticides and hence the biopesticides may take longer to kill them. Hence, ecophysiological adaptations to climate change may affect how fungal biopesticides could be used in the future.

BackgroundACYP1 plays important physiological and metabolic roles in glycolysis and membrane ion pump activity by catalyzing acyl phosphate hydrolysis. ACYP1 is related to tumorigenesis and progression and poor prognosis in gastrointestinal cancer. However, its pancancer roles and mechanisms are unclear. Our study aimed to understand the ACYP1 expression signature and prognostic value across cancers and investigate immune infiltration patterns in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) and verify them in LIHC samples.MethodsTranscriptional expression profiles of ACYP1 across cancers were analyzed using Oncomine and TIMER. The prognostic value of ACYP1 was assessed across PrognoScan, Kaplan—Meier Plotter, and GEPIA. Significant pathways associated with ACYP1 in LIHC were obtained via Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. The correlation between ACYP1 expression and immune infiltration in LIHC was investigated using TIMER. We validated ACYP1 expression, prognostic value, and association with immune cells in tumor tissues by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry.ResultsACYP1 was overexpressed across cancers. High expression of ACYP1 correlated with a poor prognosis in most tumor types, especially in LIHC. ACYP1 was significantly implicated in immune and metabolic related pathways. High ACYP1 expression showed significant correlations with the abundances of Th2 cells, Tregs, macrophages, dendritic cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in LIHC. LIHC patients with high ACYP1 expression showed significantly shorter overall survival and relapse-free survival rates concomitant with increased infiltration of CD4+ T cells. Mouse subcutaneous tumors with ACYP1 overexpression exhibited significantly accelerated tumor progression with increased aggregation of CD4+ T cells.ConclusionOverall, ACYP1 may serve as a vital prognostic biomarker and play an immunoregulatory role in LIHC.

BackgroundThere has been no systematic review and meta‐analysis to analyze and summarize the predictive factors of successful sperm extraction in salvage microdissection testicular sperm extraction.ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the factors predicting the result of salvage microdissection testicular sperm extraction in patients with non‐obstructive azoospermia who failed the initial microdissection testicular sperm extraction or conventional testicular sperm extraction.Materials and methodsWe conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for literature that described the characteristics of patients with non‐obstructive azoospermia who underwent salvage microdissection testicular sperm extraction after failing the initial microdissection testicular sperm extraction or conventional testicular sperm extraction published prior to June 2022.ResultsThis meta‑analysis included four retrospective studies with 332 patients with non‐obstructive azoospermia who underwent a failed initial microdissection testicular sperm extraction and three retrospective studies with 177 non‐obstructive azoospermia patients who underwent a failed conventional testicular sperm extraction. The results were as follows: among non‐obstructive azoospermia patients whose first surgery was microdissection testicular sperm extraction, younger patients (standard mean difference: −0.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.55 to −0.01) and those with smaller bilateral testicular volume (standard mean difference: −0.55, 95% CI: −0.95 to −0.15), lower levels of follicle‐stimulating hormone (standard mean difference: −0.86, 95% CI: −1.18 to −0.54) and luteinizing hormone (standard mean difference: −0.68, 95% CI: −1.16 to −0.19), and whose testicular histological type was hypospermatogenesis (odds ratio: 3.52, 95% CI: 1.30–9.53) were more likely to retrieve spermatozoa successfully, while patients with Sertoli‐cell‐only syndrome (odds ratio: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.24–0.73) were more likely to fail again in salvage microdissection testicular sperm extraction. Additionally, in patients who underwent salvage microdissection testicular sperm extraction after a failed initial conventional testicular sperm extraction, those with testicular histological type of hypospermatogenesis (odds ratio: 30.35, 95% CI: 8.27–111.34) were more likely to be successful, while those with maturation arrest (odds ratio: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.18–0.83) rarely benefited.ConclusionWe found that age, testicular volume, follicle‐stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, hypospermatogenesis, Sertoli‐cell‐only syndrome, and maturation arrest were valuable predictors of salvage microdissection testicular sperm extraction, which will assist andrologists in clinical decision‐making and minimize unnecessary injury to patients.