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Cotesia Congregata
''Cotesia congregata'' is a parasitoid wasp of the genus ''Cotesia''. The genus is particularly noted for its use of polydnaviruses. Parasitoids are distinct from true parasites in that a parasitoid will ultimately kill its host or otherwise sterilize it. Life cycle Adult wasps lay their eggs in tobacco hornworm (''Manduca sexta'') larvae in their 2nd or 3rd instar (each instar is a stage between moltings, i.e. the second instar is the life stage after the first molt and before the second molting) and at the same time injects symbiotic viruses into the hemocoel of the host along with some venom. The viruses knock down the internal defensive responses of the hornworm. The eggs hatch in the host hemocoel within two to three days and simultaneously release special cells from the egg's serosa. These special cells, called teratocytes, grow to become giant cells visible to the naked eye. The teratocytes secrete hormones which work in tandem with the virus and the wasp venom to arrest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manduca Sexta
''Manduca sexta'' is a moth of the family Sphingidae present through much of the Americas. The species was Species description, first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 ''Centuria Insectorum''. Commonly known as the Carolina sphinx moth and the tobacco hawk moth (as adults) and the tobacco hornworm and the Goliath worm (as larvae), it is closely related to and often confused with the very similar tomato hornworm (''Manduca quinquemaculata''); the larvae of both feed on the foliage of various plants of the family Solanaceae. The tobacco hornworm is sometimes kept as a pet by children throughout its range. The larvae of these species can be distinguished by their lateral markings: Tomato hornworms have eight V-shaped white markings with no borders; tobacco hornworms have seven white diagonal lines with a black border. Additionally, tobacco hornworms have red horns, while tomato hornworms have dark blue or black horns. A mnemonic to remember the markings is tobacco hornworms hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity and the molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protein-coding genes and noncoding genes. During gene expression, the DNA is first copied into RNA. The RNA can be directly functional or be the intermediate template for a protein that performs a function. The transmission of genes to an organism's offspring is the basis of the inheritance of phenotypic traits. These genes make up different DNA sequences called genotypes. Genotypes along with environmental and developmental factors determine what the phenotypes will be. Most biological traits are under the influence of polygenes (many different genes) as well as gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proctolin
Proctolin is a neuropeptide present in insects and crustaceans. It was first found in ''Periplaneta americana'', a species of cockroach in 1975. Proctolin was extracted from 125,000 cockroaches and the Edman degradation was carried out on the sample to determine the amino acid sequence, which is Arg-Tyr-Leu-Pro-Thr. Proctolin was the first insect neuropeptide to be sequenced. Starratt and Brown identified it as a visceral muscle neurotransmitter. However, it now appears that there are many more functions of proctolin, and it is present in many more species. Localisation Proctolin is found in the following insect orders: * Orthoptera * Hemiptera * Diptera * Coleoptera Proctolin may also be present in molluscs, annelids, decapod crustaceans, and possibly even some mammals. Structure The proctolin structure is very highly conserved between species. Proctolin analogs have been synthesised in order to find out more about the structure of the molecule. It was found that eac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
FMRFamide
FMRFamide (H-Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2) is a neuropeptide from a broad family of FMRFamide-related peptides (FaRPs) all sharing an -RFamide sequence at their C-terminus. First identified in Hard clam (''Mercenaria mercenaria''), it is thought to play an important role in cardiac activity regulation. Several FMRFamide related peptides are known, regulating various cellular functions and possessing pharmacological actions, such as anti-opiate effects. In ''Mercenaria mercenaria'', FMRFamide has been isolated and demonstrated to increase both the force and frequency of the heartbeat through a biochemical pathway that is thought to involve the increase of cytoplasmic cAMP in the ventricular region. FMRFamide is an important neuropeptide in several phyla such as Insecta, Nematoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. It is the most abundant neuropeptide in endocrine cells of insect alimentary tracts along with allatostatin and tachykinin families, however the neuropeptide’s function is not known. G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Insect Diuretic Hormones
{{More footnotes, date=October 2022 Insect diuretic hormones are hormones that regulate water balance through diuretic action. The insect excretory system, responsible for regulating water balance in the insect, comprises the Malpighian tubules and the hindgut (the ileum and rectum). Malpighian tubules secrete primary urine, most of which is passed into the hindgut where water, ions and essential metabolites are reabsorbed before the fluid is excreted. Excretion is under the control of diuretic and anti-diuretic factors, or hormones, comprehensively reviewed by Coast et al. (2002). These factors are produced in neurosecretory cells in the insect nervous system, and stored and released from neurohaemal sites, such as the corpora cardiaca in the brain. Before a factor can be attributed with the role of hormone, it needs to meet certain criteria. While there is evidence that some diuretic and antidiuretic factors are indeed circulating neurohormones, this has not been demonstrated f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allatostatin
Allatostatins are neuropeptide hormones in insects and crustacea. They have a twofold function: they both inhibit the generation of juvenile hormone and reduce their food intake. They are therefore putative targets for insecticide research.{{cite journal , author=Gäde G, Goldsworthy GJ , title=Insect peptide hormones: a selective review of their physiology and potential application for pest control , journal=Pest Manag. Sci. , volume=59 , issue=10 , pages=1063–75 , year=2003 , pmid=14561063 , doi=10.1002/ps.755 Types Three biochemically distinct types of Allatostatin have been described: A, B and C. Although originally identified in different insects, all three types are found in the fruitfly, ''Drosophila''. These types of Allatostatin are not normally found in the same neurons, and so probably have different roles. Control of food intake Allatostatin is found in the cells in a small neuronal cluster, the frontal ganglion. It is also present in the axons which leave the fron ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prothoracicotropic Hormone
Prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) was the first insect hormone to be discovered.The chemical symbol for prothoracicotropic hormone is (C64H102N16O19S2). It was originally described simply as "brain hormone" by early workers such as Stefan Kopeć (1922) and Vincent Wigglesworth (1934), who realized that ligation of the head of immature insects could prevent molting or pupation of the body region excluded from the head if the ligation was performed before a critical age in the lifestage was reached. After a certain point the ligation had no effect and both sections of the insect would molt or pupate. However, implantation of a conspecific brain to a sessile ligated abdomen or an abdomen under diapause would induce molting or pupation. Thus, the brain was originally thought to be the source of the hormone that induces molting in insects. Later it was established that the insect brain produces a number of hormones, but the hormone which was the cause of the observations made by Kopeć ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hormone
A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are required for the correct development of animals, plants and fungi. Due to the broad definition of a hormone (as a signaling molecule that exerts its effects far from its site of production), numerous kinds of molecules can be classified as hormones. Among the substances that can be considered hormones, are eicosanoids (e.g. prostaglandins and thromboxanes), steroids (e.g. oestrogen and brassinosteroid), amino acid derivatives (e.g. epinephrine and auxin), protein or peptides (e.g. insulin and CLE peptides), and gases (e.g. ethylene and nitric oxide). Hormones are used to communicate between organs and tissues. In vertebrates, hormones are responsible for regulating a variety of physiological processes and behavioral activities such as diges ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Optic Lobe (arthropod)
The optic(al) lobe of arthropods is a structure of the protocerebrum that sits behind the arthropod eye (mostly compound eyes) and is responsible for the processing of the visual information. It is made up of three layers: ;Lamina (ganglionaris): responsible for contrast enhancement through lateral inhibition ;Medulla: processes movement and shows movement direction sensitivity. Possesses local motion detectors ;Lobula: integrates information from large areas of the visual field to abstract visual information and object recognition Object recognition – technology in the field of computer vision for finding and identifying objects in an image or video sequence. Humans recognize a multitude of objects in images with little effort, despite the fact that the image of the ... :;Lobula plate: wide-field motion vision References {{insect-stub Arthropod anatomy Animal nervous system ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neuropeptide
Neuropeptides are chemical messengers made up of small chains of amino acids that are synthesized and released by neurons. Neuropeptides typically bind to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to modulate neural activity and other tissues like the gut, muscles, and heart. There are over 100 known neuropeptides, representing the largest and most diverse class of signaling molecules in the nervous system. Neuropeptides are synthesized from large precursor proteins which are cleaved and post-translationally processed then packaged into dense core vesicles. Neuropeptides are often co-released with other neuropeptides and neurotransmitters in a single neuron, yielding a multitude of effects. Once released, neuropeptides can diffuse widely to affect a broad range of targets. Synthesis Neuropeptides are synthesized from large, inactive precursor proteins called prepropeptides. Prepropeptides contain sequences for a family of distinct peptides and often contain repeated copies of the sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juvenile Hormone
Juvenile hormones (JHs) are a group of acyclic sesquiterpenoids that regulate many aspects of insect physiology. The first discovery of a JH was by Vincent Wigglesworth. JHs regulate development, reproduction, diapause, and polyphenisms.The chemical formula for juvenile hormone is C_18H_30O_3. In insects, JH (formerly called neotenin) refers to a group of hormones, which ensure growth of the larva, while preventing metamorphosis. Because of their rigid exoskeleton, insects grow in their development by successively shedding their exoskeleton (a process known as molting). Juvenile hormones are secreted by a pair of endocrine glands behind the brain called the corpora allata. JHs are also important for the production of eggs in female insects. JH was isolated in 1965 by Karel Sláma and Carroll Williams and the first molecular structure of a JH was solved in 1967. Most insect species contain only juvenile growth hormone (JH) III. To date JH 0, JH I, and JH II have been identifie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
