RESUMEN

Juvenile hormone (JH) produced by the corpus allatum (CA) stimulates vitellogenesis and reduces the synthesis of hexamerin proteins in adult females of Pyrrhocoris apterus. At present it is unknown whether the signaling pathway involving the JH receptor gene Methoprene tolerant (Met) and its binding partner Taiman (Tai), regulates the synthesis of accessory gland proteins (ACPs) and hexamerin proteins or effects male survival. Knockdown of genes by injecting Met dsRNA or Tai dsRNA, reduced the amount of ACPs whilst enhancing the amount of hexamerin mRNA in the fat body and the release of hexamerin proteins into haemolymph, as occurs after the ablation of CA. Lifespan was enhanced by injecting Met but not Tai dsRNA. Diapause associated with the natural absence of JH had a stronger effect on all these parameters than the ablation of CA or the knockdown of genes. This indicates there is an additional regulating agent. Both Met and Tai dsRNA induced a several fold increase in JH (JH III skiped bisepoxide) but a concurrent loss of Met or Tai disabled its function. This supports the view that the Met/Tai complex functions as a JH receptor in the regulation of ACPs and hexamerins.

Asunto(s)

Corpora Allata/fisiología , Heterópteros/fisiología , Hormonas Juveniles/genética , Transducción de Señal , Animales , Corpora Allata/cirugía , Técnicas de Silenciamiento del Gen , Hemolinfa/química , Heterópteros/genética , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Hormonas Juveniles/metabolismo , Masculino , Interferencia de ARN , Reproducción

RESUMEN

Juvenile hormone (JH) is a key insect growth regulator frequently involved in modulating phenotypically plastic traits such as caste determination in eusocial species, wing polymorphisms in aphids, and mandible size in stag beetles. The jaw morphology of stag beetles is sexually-dimorphic and condition-dependent; males have larger jaws than females and those developing under optimum conditions are larger in overall body size and have disproportionately larger jaws than males raised under poor conditions. We have previously shown that large males have higher JH titers than small males during development, and ectopic application of fenoxycarb (JH analog) to small males can induce mandibular growth similar to that of larger males. What remains unknown is whether JH regulates condition-dependent trait growth in other insects with extreme sexually selected structures. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that JH mediates the condition-dependent expression of the elaborate horns of the Asian rhinoceros beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus. The sexually dimorphic head horn of this beetle is sensitive to nutritional state during larval development. Like stag beetles, male rhinoceros beetles receiving copious food produce disproportionately large horns for their body size compared with males under restricted diets. We show that JH titers are correlated with body size during the late feeding and early prepupal periods, but this correlation disappears by the late prepupal period, the period of maximum horn growth. While ectopic application of fenoxycarb during the third larval instar significantly delayed pupation, it had no effect on adult horn size relative to body size. Fenoxycarb application to late prepupae also had at most a marginal effect on relative horn size. We discuss our results in context of other endocrine signals of condition-dependent trait exaggeration and suggest that different beetle lineages may have co-opted different physiological signaling mechanisms to achieve heightened nutrient-sensitive weapon growth.

Asunto(s)

Escarabajos/anatomía & histología , Escarabajos/efectos de los fármacos , Hormonas Juveniles/farmacología , Fenilcarbamatos/farmacología , Animales , Escarabajos/crecimiento & desarrollo , Femenino , Hemolinfa/química , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Larva/efectos de los fármacos , Larva/crecimiento & desarrollo , Masculino , Fenotipo , Fenilcarbamatos/sangre , Pupa/efectos de los fármacos , Pupa/crecimiento & desarrollo , Caracteres Sexuales

RESUMEN

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is a member of the ATP-binding cassette transporter family. It actively transports a wide variety of compounds out of cells to protect humans from xenobiotics. Thus, determining whether chemicals are substrates and/or inhibitors of P-gp is important in risk assessments of pharmacokinetic interactions among chemicals because P-gp-mediated transport processes play a significant role in their absorption and disposition. We previously reported that dibenzoylhydrazines (DBHs) such as tebufenozide and methoxyfenozide (agrochemicals) stimulated P-gp ATPase activity. However, it currently remains unclear whether these derivatives are transport substrates of P-gp and inhibit transport of other chemicals by P-gp. In the present study, in order to evaluate the interactions of DBHs with other chemicals in humans, we determined whether DBHs are P-gp transport substrates using both the in vitro bidirectional transport assay and the in vivo study of rats. In the in vivo study, we investigated the influence of P-gp inhibitors on the brain to plasma ratio of methoxyfenozide in rats. We also examined the inhibitory effects of DBHs on quinidine (a P-gp substrate) transport by P-gp in order to ascertain whether these derivatives are inhibitors of P-gp. Based on the results, DBHs were concluded to be weak P-gp transport substrates and moderate P-gp inhibitors. However, the risk of DBHs caused by interaction with other chemicals including drugs was considered to be low by considering the DBHs' potential as the substrates and inhibitors of P-gp as well as their plasma concentrations as long as DBHs are properly used.

Asunto(s)

Encéfalo/efectos de los fármacos , Hidrazinas/farmacocinética , Hormonas Juveniles/farmacocinética , Plaguicidas/farmacocinética , Subfamilia B de Transportador de Casetes de Unión a ATP/antagonistas & inhibidores , Subfamilia B de Transportador de Casetes de Unión a ATP/genética , Subfamilia B de Transportador de Casetes de Unión a ATP/metabolismo , Animales , Bioensayo , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Línea Celular , Cromatografía Líquida de Alta Presión , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Humanos , Hidrazinas/sangre , Hidrazinas/toxicidad , Inyecciones Intravenosas , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Hormonas Juveniles/toxicidad , Masculino , Plaguicidas/sangre , Plaguicidas/toxicidad , Transporte de Proteínas , Quinidina/farmacocinética , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Especificidad por Sustrato , Porcinos , Espectrometría de Masas en Tándem , Transfección

RESUMEN

In the polyandric moth, Spodopterafrugiperda, juvenile hormone (JH) is transferred from the male accessory reproductive glands (AG) to the female bursa copulatrix (BC) during copulation (see Hassanien et al., 2014). Here we used the RNA interference technique to study the role of allatoregulating neuropeptides in controlling the synthesis and transfer of JH during mating. Knockdown of S. frugiperda allatostatin C (Spofr-AS type C) in freshly emerged males leads to an accumulation of JH in the AG beyond that in the control and mating results in a higher transport of JH I and JH II into the female BC. Knockdown of S. frugiperda allatotropin 2 (Spofr-AT2) significantly reduces the amount of JH in the AG as well as its transfer into the female BC during copulation. Knockdown of S. frugiperda allatostatin A (Spofr-AS type A) and S. frugiperda allatotropin (Spofr-AT; Hassanien et al., 2014) only slightly affects the accumulation of JH in the AG and its transfer from the male to the female. We conclude that Spofr-AS type C and Spofr-AT2 act as true allatostatin and true allatotropin, respectively, on the synthesis of JH I and JH II in the male AG. Moreover, both peptides seem to control the synthesis of JH III in the corpora allata of adult males and its release into the hemolymph.

Asunto(s)

Hormonas de Insectos/genética , Neuropéptidos/genética , Interferencia de ARN , Conducta Sexual Animal , Spodoptera/fisiología , Animales , Cromatografía Liquida , Femenino , Técnicas de Silenciamiento del Gen , Hormonas de Insectos/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Hormonas Juveniles/genética , Hormonas Juveniles/metabolismo , Masculino , Espectrometría de Masas , Neuropéptidos/metabolismo , ARN Bicatenario/metabolismo , Spodoptera/genética

RESUMEN

In the evolution of caste-based societies in Hymenoptera, the classical insect hormones juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysteroids were co-opted into new functions. Social wasps, which show all levels of sociality and lifestyles, are an ideal group in which to study such functional changes. Virtually all studies on the physiological mechanisms underlying reproductive division of labor and caste functions in wasps have been done on independent-founding paper wasps, and the majority of these studies have focused on species specially adapted for overwintering. The relatively little-studied tropical swarm-founding wasps of the Epiponini (Vespidae) are a diverse group of permanently social wasps, with some species maintaining caste flexibility well into the adult phase. We investigated the behavior, reproductive status, JH and ecdysteroid titers in hemolymph, ecdysteroid content of the ovary and cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles in the caste-monomorphic, epiponine wasp Polybia micans Ducke. We found that the JH titer was not elevated in competing queens from established multiple-queen nests, but increased in lone queens that lack direct competition. In queenless colonies, JH titer rose transiently in young potential reproductives upon challenge by nestmates, suggesting that JH may prime the ovaries for further development. Ovarian ecdysteroids were very low in workers but higher and correlated with the number of vitellogenic oocytes in the queens. Hemolymph ecdysteroid levels were low and variable in both workers and queens. Profiles of P. micans CHCs reflected caste, age and reproductive status, but were not tightly linked to either hormone. These findings show a significant divergence in hormone function in swarm-founding wasps compared with independently founding ones.

Asunto(s)

Ecdisteroides/sangre , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Avispas/fisiología , Animales , Femenino , Hemolinfa/química , Ovario/química , Feromonas/metabolismo , Reproducción , Conducta Social

RESUMEN

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn, Zea mays L., is highly efficient against the corn borer Sesamia nonagrioides (Lefèbvre) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) when the larvae feed only on the transgenic plants. However, when they feed on Bt leaves during only part of their development, thus ingesting sublethal amounts of Bt toxins, some larvae survive. A previous study reported a prolonged development and precocious diapause induction in larvae fed on a diet with sublethal amounts of Cry1Ab protein. To determine whether these effects were accompanied by a modification of the hormonal balance, S. nonagrioides larvae were fed on sublethal amounts of Bt protein provided in Bt leaves or in the diet. The larvae that survived had higher levels of juvenile hormone (JH), whereas their level of ecdysteroids did not increase sufficiently to allow pupation, leading to a longer larval development and more larval molts. This response may be considered a defense mechanism that allows some larvae to survive toxin ingestion; it is similar the response to insecticidal toxins or viruses observed in other larvae. Changes in the hormone levels in diapausing larvae were undetectable, probably because these changes were masked by the higher level of JH in the hemolymph of diapausing larvae and because of lack of ecdysteroid titer increase, a phenomenon that is usually observed a few days before pupation in nondiapausing larvae. These results should be taken into account in the establishment of non-Bt refuges to prevent development of Bt-resistance in S. non-agrioides populations.

Asunto(s)

Mariposas Nocturnas/crecimiento & desarrollo , Plantas Modificadas Genéticamente/toxicidad , Zea mays/genética , Animales , Bacillus thuringiensis/patogenicidad , Toxinas de Bacillus thuringiensis , Proteínas Bacterianas/toxicidad , Dieta/veterinaria , Ecdisterona/sangre , Endotoxinas/toxicidad , Proteínas Hemolisinas/toxicidad , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Larva/crecimiento & desarrollo , Metamorfosis Biológica , Control Biológico de Vectores/métodos , Hojas de la Planta/química , Hojas de la Planta/genética , Hojas de la Planta/toxicidad , Sesquiterpenos/sangre , Zea mays/química , Zea mays/toxicidad

RESUMEN

Sesamia nonagrioides (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae reared under long day (LD; 16L:8D) conditions pupate after 5 or 6 larval instars, whereas under short day (SD; 12L:12D) conditions they undergo up to 12 additional molts before pupating. This extended period of repeated molting is maintained by high levels of juvenile hormone (JH). Previous work demonstrated that both LD and SD larvae decapitated in the 6th instar pupate but further development is halted. By contrast, about one-third of SD larvae from which only the brain has been removed, undergo first a larval molt, then pupate and subsequently developed to the adult stage. Debrained LD larvae molt to larvae exceptionally but regularly pupate and produce adults. Implanted brains may induce several larval molts in debrained recipient larvae irrespectively of the photoperiodic conditions. The results of present work demonstrate that the prothoracic glands (PGs) and the corpora allata (CA) of debrained larvae continue to produce ecdysteroids and JHs, respectively. PGs are active also in the decapitated larvae that lack JH, consistent with the paradigm that CA, which are absent in the decapitated larvae, are the only source of this hormone. Completion of the pupal-adult transformation in both LD and SD debrained insects demonstrates that brain is not crucial for the development of S. nonagrioides but is required for diapause maintenance. Application of JH to headless pupae induces molting, presumably by activating their PGs. It is likely that JH plays this role also in the induction of pupal-adult transformation in debrained insects. Application of the ecdysteroid agonist RH 2485 (methoxyfenozide) to headless pupae also elicits molting: newly secreted cuticle is in some cases thin and indifferent, in other cases it bears distinct pupal or adult features.

Asunto(s)

Ecdisteroides/agonistas , Hormonas Juveniles/metabolismo , Mariposas Nocturnas/crecimiento & desarrollo , Animales , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Corpora Allata/efectos de los fármacos , Corpora Allata/metabolismo , Ecdisteroides/sangre , Ecdisteroides/metabolismo , Glándulas Endocrinas/efectos de los fármacos , Glándulas Endocrinas/metabolismo , Hidrazinas/sangre , Hidrazinas/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Larva/efectos de los fármacos , Larva/crecimiento & desarrollo , Larva/metabolismo , Muda , Mariposas Nocturnas/efectos de los fármacos , Mariposas Nocturnas/metabolismo , Fotoperiodo , Pupa/efectos de los fármacos , Pupa/crecimiento & desarrollo , Pupa/metabolismo

RESUMEN

Termites are social insects, presenting morphologically distinct castes, performing specific tasks in the colony. The developmental processes underlying caste differentiation are mainly controlled by juvenile hormone (JH). Although many fragmentary data support this fact, there was no comparative work on JH titers during the caste differentiation processes. In this study, JH titer variation was investigated using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) quantification method in all castes of the Japanese damp-wood termite Hodotermopsis sjostedti, especially focusing on the soldier caste differentiation pathway, which was induced by treatment with a JH analog. Hemolymph JH titers fluctuated between 20 and 720pg/microl. A peak of JH was observed during molting events for the pseudergate stationary molt and presoldier differentiation, but this peak was absent prior to the imaginal molt. Soldier caste differentiation was generally associated with high JH titers and nymph to alate differentiation with low JH titers. However, JH titer rose in females during alate maturation, probably in relation to vitellogenesis. In comparison, JH titer was surprisingly low in neotenics. On the basis of these results in both natural and artificial conditions, the current model for JH action on termite caste differentiation is discussed and re-appraised.

Asunto(s)

Hemolinfa/metabolismo , Isópteros/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Predominio Social , Animales , Cromatografía Liquida , Isópteros/crecimiento & desarrollo , Isópteros/fisiología , Hormonas Juveniles/fisiología , Espectrometría de Masas

RESUMEN

The first day of adult life is the sensitive stage for shifting migrants into the resident morphs of the oriental armyworm (OAW), Mythimna separata (Walker). The juvenile hormone (JH) titer, expression of the allatotropin (AT) gene, and their relationship were investigated in adult female migrants starved in the sensitive stage, to understand the underlying mechanism of changing migrants into resident OAWs. Haemolymph JH titers of the starved female adults were mostly elevated earlier than in controls, although not all differences were statistically significant. JH I titers in the starved moths were significantly higher than those in the controls on 1, 2, and 5 days after treatment (DAT), respectively. JH II titers in the starved moths were significantly higher than the controls through the period tested except on 5 DAT. JH II is the most likely regulator in changing migrants into resident morphs. The relative quantities of AT expression in the starved moths were higher through the period tested except on 5 DAT. AT expression and JH titers appear to be positively correlated, especially for those in earlier days of the adult life. We infer that AT is the important regulator of JH levels. A model for the shifting of migrants into resident morphs in the OAW is proposed.

Asunto(s)

Migración Animal/fisiología , Hormonas de Insectos/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Mariposas Nocturnas/metabolismo , Neuropéptidos/metabolismo , Inanición/metabolismo , Animales , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Femenino , Expresión Génica , Hemolinfa/metabolismo , Inanición/sangre

RESUMEN

The titer of juvenile hormone (JH) is determined by three factors: its rate of synthesis, its rate of degradation, and the degree to which JH is protected from degradation by binding to a diversity of JH-binding proteins. All three of these factors vary throughout the life history of an insect and contribute to variation in the JH titer. The relative importance of each of these factors in determining variation in the JH titer is not known and can, presumably, differ in different life stages and different species. Here we develop a mathematical model for JH synthesis, degradation, and sequestration that allows us to describe quantitatively how each of these contribute to the titer of total JH and free JH in the hemolymph. Our model allows for a diversity of JH-binding proteins with different dissociation constants, and also for a number of different modes of degradation and inactivation. The model can be used to analyze whether data on synthesis and degradation are compatible with the observed titer data. We use the model to analyze two data sets, from Manduca and Gryllus, and show that in both cases, the known data on synthesis and degradation cannot account for the observed JH titers because the role of JH sequestration by binding proteins is greatly underestimated, and/or the in vivo rate of JH degradation is greatly overestimated. These analyses suggest that there is a critical need to develop a better understanding of the in vivo role of synthesis, sequestration and degradation in JH titer regulation.

Asunto(s)

Insectos/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Modelos Teóricos , Animales , Hormonas Juveniles/biosíntesis , Hormonas Juveniles/aislamiento & purificación , Hormonas Juveniles/metabolismo , Cinética , Unión Proteica , Especificidad de la Especie

RESUMEN

Virtually no published information exists on insect endocrine traits in natural populations, which limits our understanding of endocrine microevolution. We characterized the hemolymph titers of juvenile hormone (JH) and ecdysteroids (ECDs), two key insect hormones, in field-collected short-winged, flightless (SW) and long-winged, flight-capable (LW(f)) morphs of the cricket Gryllus firmus. The JH titer exhibited a dramatic circadian rhythm in the LW(f) morph but was temporally constant in the flightless SW morph. This pattern was consistent in each of three years; in young, middle-aged, and older G. firmus; and in three other cricket species. The ECD titer was considerably higher in SW than in LW(f) females but did not exhibit temporal variation in any morph and did not differ between male morphs. JH and ECD may control different aspects of the morph-specific trade-off between nocturnal dispersal and reproduction. Results confirm and extend laboratory studies on young female G. firmus; most, but not all, important aspects of morph-specific differences in JH and ECD titers can be extrapolated from field to laboratory environments and vice versa. Hormone titers in Gryllus are more complex than those proposed in evolutionary endocrine models. Directly measuring hormone titer variation remains a fundamentally important task of insect evolutionary endocrinology.

Asunto(s)

Ecdisteroides/metabolismo , Gryllidae/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/metabolismo , Envejecimiento , Animales , Evolución Biológica , Ritmo Circadiano , Ecdisteroides/sangre , Femenino , Gryllidae/genética , Gryllidae/crecimiento & desarrollo , Hemolinfa , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Masculino , Alas de Animales

RESUMEN

Larvae of Sesamia nonagrioides developing under long day (LD) conditions pupate in the 5th or 6th instar, whereas under the short day (SD) conditions, they undergo several supernumerary larval molts and are regarded as diapausing. The development in early larval instars occurs in the LD larvae at a moderate and in the SD larvae at a high juvenile hormone (JH) titer; ecdysteroid titer cycles similarly under both conditions. The transformation to pupa is initiated by a burst of ecdysteroids at undetectable JH levels, whereas extra larval molts in the diapausing larvae are associated with moderate JH titer and irregular rises of ecdysteroids. Application of 0.2 ppm RH-2485 to the diet of the 6th instar larvae promotes hormonal changes supporting metamorphosis in the LD larvae and slightly accelerates larval molts in the diapausing SD larvae. The 0.5- and 1-ppm doses revert these patterns of endocrine regulations to a mode typical for early larval instars. Particularly dramatic is a JH titer increase provoked within 24 h in the LD larvae. After the treatment, both the LD and SD larvae undergo a series of larval molts, suggesting that hormonal programming of the larval development has been stabilized. A few insects receiving 1 ppm RH-2485, and a high proportion of those fed with 5 ppm RH-2485, deposit two cuticles within a single apolysis and die.

Asunto(s)

Ecdisteroides/agonistas , Hidrazinas/farmacología , Hormonas Juveniles/metabolismo , Lepidópteros/efectos de los fármacos , Lepidópteros/crecimiento & desarrollo , Animales , Peso Corporal , Ecdisteroides/sangre , Ecdisteroides/metabolismo , Hemolinfa/química , Hidrazinas/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Hormonas Juveniles/farmacología , Larva/efectos de los fármacos , Larva/crecimiento & desarrollo , Larva/metabolismo , Lepidópteros/metabolismo , Factores de Tiempo

RESUMEN

Abstract Patterns of juvenile hormone have been intensively studied in the cockroach Blattella germanica under different physiological situations. However, data have been mainly obtained in vitro, and refer to hormone synthesized by isolated corpora allata, whereas information available on hormone concentration in the hemolymph is restricted to adult females. In order to complement our studies in vitro, we have measured juvenile hormone titer in the hemolymph of B. germanica females in four characteristic physiological situations: penultimate and last instar nymphs, adults during the first vitellogenic cycle, and adults transporting egg cases (ootheca). In general, a significant positive correlation between rates of hormone synthesis and concentration in the hemolymph is observed. The main disparities appear in the penultimate day of the period of ootheca transport, where titer is high whereas synthesis is low, and on day 6 of the first vitellogenic cycle, where synthesis increases whereas titer decreases. At these stages, the observed disparities between synthesis and titer might be explained by differential action of degradation enzymes.

Asunto(s)

Cucarachas/fisiología , Hormonas Juveniles/biosíntesis , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Animales , Cucarachas/crecimiento & desarrollo , Cucarachas/metabolismo , Femenino , Ninfa

RESUMEN

Termite queens are highly specialized for reproduction, but little is known about the endocrine mechanisms regulating this ability. We studied changes in the endocrinology and ovarian maturation in primary reproductive females of the dampwood termite Zootermopsis angusticollis following their release from inhibitory stimuli produced by mature queens. Winged alates were removed from their natal nest, manually dewinged, then paired in an isolated nest with a reproductive male. Development was tracked by monitoring ovarian development, in vitro rates of juvenile hormone (JH) production by corpora allata, and hemolymph titers of JH and ecdysteroids. The production rate and titer of JH were positively correlated with each other but negatively correlated with ecdysteroid titer. Four days after disinhibition, JH release and titer decreased while ecdysteroid titer increased. The new levels persisted until day 30, after which JH increased and ecdysteroids decreased. Fully mature queens had the highest rates of JH production, the lowest ecdysteroid titers, and the greatest number of functional ovarioles. The results support the hypothesis that JH plays a dual role in termite queens depending on their stage of development; an elevated JH titer in immature alates may maintain reproductive inhibition, but an elevated JH titer in mature queens may stimulate ovarian activity. The decline in JH production and the elevation in ecdysteroid titer correspond to a period of physiological reorganization and activation. The specific function of ecdysteroids is unknown but they may help to modulate the activity of the corpora allata.

Asunto(s)

Isópteros/fisiología , Animales , Corpora Allata/crecimiento & desarrollo , Corpora Allata/metabolismo , Corpora Allata/fisiología , Ecdisteroides/sangre , Sistema Endocrino/crecimiento & desarrollo , Sistema Endocrino/metabolismo , Sistema Endocrino/fisiología , Femenino , Hemolinfa/metabolismo , Isópteros/crecimiento & desarrollo , Isópteros/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Hormonas Juveniles/metabolismo , Masculino , Ovario/crecimiento & desarrollo , Ovario/metabolismo , Ovario/fisiología , Caracteres Sexuales , Conducta Sexual Animal

RESUMEN

Functionally sterile honey bee workers synthesize the yolk protein vitellogenin while performing nest tasks. The subsequent shift to foraging is linked to a reduced vitellogenin and an increased juvenile hormone (JH) titer. JH is a principal controller of vitellogenin expression and behavioral development. Yet, we show here that silencing of vitellogenin expression causes a significant increase in JH titer and its putative receptor. Mathematically, the increase corresponds to a dynamic dose-response. This role of vitellogenin in the tuning of the endocrine system is uncommon and may elucidate how an ancestral pathway of fertility regulation has been remodeled into a novel circuit controlling social behavior.

Asunto(s)

Abejas/fisiología , Conducta Animal/fisiología , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Vitelogeninas/metabolismo , Animales , Femenino , Silenciador del Gen , Fenotipo , Interferencia de ARN , Vitelogeninas/genética

RESUMEN

Swarming is an important mechanism by which honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies reproduce, yet very little is known about the physiological changes in workers that are preparing to swarm. In this study, we determined the endocrine status of worker honey bees in preswarming colonies and in normal (nonswarming) colonies. Juvenile hormone (JH) titers in worker bees were similar in both groups before queen cells were present, but they became significantly lower in preswarming colonies compared with normal colonies when queen cells occurred in preswarming colonies. The lower JH titers in the preswarming colonies suggest that behavioral development is delayed in these colonies, consistent with previous reports that preswarming colonies have reduced foraging activities. Understanding the endocrine status of bees preparing for swarming will help us to better understand the biology of swarming.

Asunto(s)

Abejas/fisiología , Conducta Animal/fisiología , Hemolinfa/química , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Animales , Reproducción

RESUMEN

A previous study documented a high amplitude, morph-specific daily cycle in the hemolymph JH titer in the wing-polymorphic cricket, Gryllus firmus. The JH titer rose and fell 10-20 fold in the flight-capable [LW(f), long-winged] morph during the late-photophase-early scotophase, while it was relatively constant during that time in the flightless (SW, short-winged) morph. In the present study we documented a dramatic morph-specific daily cycle in the in vitro rate of juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis that was tightly correlated with the hemolymph JH titer on days 5-7 of adulthood. Biosynthetic rates rose and fell 1-2 fold between the late photophase-early scotophase on each of days 5-6 and 6-7 of adulthood in the LW(f) morph, while biosynthetic rates were relatively constant during this period in the flightless, short-winged morph (SW), except for a slight dip in the rate of biosynthesis late in the photophase on these days. Similar morph-specific patterns of JH biosynthesis were observed whether rates were measured on corpora allata attached to corpora cardiaca in males or females, or on corpora allata alone. Hemolymph juvenile hormone esterase activity was significantly higher in the LW(f) vs. the SW morph during the beginning of scotophase, when the JH titer is decreasing rapidly in the LW(f) morph. Results indicate that the morph-specific daily cycle in the JH titer in G. firmus is primarily regulated by a morph-specific daily cycle in the rate of JH biosynthesis and to a lesser degree by hemolymph JH esterase activity. This is the first documentation of a diurnal cycle in the rate of JH biosynthesis in any insect, or a daily cycle in the rate of JH biosynthesis that is correlated with a specific morph in a polymorphic species. Results have important implications for the endocrine regulation of dispersal polymorphism, circadian rhythms of insect hormone titers and their regulators, and general studies of the JH titer and its regulation in insects.

Asunto(s)

Ritmo Circadiano/fisiología , Gryllidae/metabolismo , Hemolinfa/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/biosíntesis , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Animales , Calcio/metabolismo , Hidrolasas de Éster Carboxílico/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/fisiología , Radioquímica , Especificidad de la Especie , Factores de Tiempo , Alas de Animales/anatomía & histología

RESUMEN

Although, in many insects, migration imposes a cost in terms of timing or amount of reproduction, in the migratory grasshopper Melanoplus sanguinipes performance of long-duration flight to voluntary cessation or exhaustion accelerates the onset of first reproduction and enhances reproductive success over the entire lifetime of the insect. Since juvenile hormone (JH) is involved in the control of reproduction in most species, we examined JH titer after long flight using a chiral selective radioimmunoassay. JH levels increased on days 5 and 8 in animals flown to exhaustion on day 4 but not in 1-h or non-flier controls. No difference was seen in the diel pattern of JH titer, but hemolymph samples were taken between 5 and 7 h after lights on. Treatment of grasshoppers with JH-III mimicked the effect of long-duration flight in the induction of early reproduction. The increased JH titer induced by performance of long-duration flight is thus at least one component of flight-enhanced reproduction. To test the possibility that post-flight JH titer increases are caused by adipokinetic hormone (AKH) released during long flights, a series of injections of physiological doses of Lom-AKH I were given to unflown animals to simulate AKH release during long flight. This treatment had no effect on JH titers. Thus, although AKH is released during flight and controls lipid mobilization, it is not the factor responsible for increased JH titers after long-duration flight.

Asunto(s)

Vuelo Animal/fisiología , Saltamontes/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Esfuerzo Físico/fisiología , Sesquiterpenos/sangre , Análisis de Varianza , Animales , Hidrolasas de Éster Carboxílico/metabolismo , Ritmo Circadiano/fisiología , Hemolinfa/metabolismo , Hormonas de Insectos/fisiología , Oligopéptidos/fisiología , Oviposición/fisiología , Ácido Pirrolidona Carboxílico/análogos & derivados , Factores de Tiempo

RESUMEN

Nutrition, hormones and the allocation of physiological resources are intricately related. To investigate these inter-relationships in female burying beetles (Nicrophorus spp.), we examined the effect of diet quality on juvenile hormone (JH) levels and reproduction, and the effect of JH supplementation on reproduction and resistance to starvation. Nicrophorus orbicollis adult females fed a less preferred mealworm larvae diet gained less body mass, had smaller ovaries and had lower titers of JH in their hemolymph than females fed a preferred blowfly diet. When presented a carcass for breeding, females on a less preferred diet oviposited 33% fewer eggs, and eggs were of 18% less mass. Females on the less preferred diet also took longer to begin oviposition as indicated indirectly by the time when their eggs hatched. To investigate the effects of JH, independent of nutrition, JH was topically applied to single and paired females of Nicrophorus tomentosus. When presented a carcass, JH-treated paired females oviposited more eggs (28%-year 1, 44%-year 2) than control females, and also showed a trend toward faster oviposition. JH supplementation had a greater effect on single females. JH treatment increased the proportion of single females attempting reproduction (at least one viable larva), increased the number of eggs (69%-year 1, 123%-year 2), and increased the proportion of females ovipositing early. In separate experiments, treatment with JH or a JH analog negatively affected resistance to starvation in three species. Treatment with JH reduced starvation survival by 10.3% days in N. tomentosus females. Treatment with the JH analog methoprene reduced starvation survival 17.8% in N. orbicollis females and by 18% in Ptomascopus morio females. These results suggest that JH has positive and negative effects on different components of life history.

Asunto(s)

Escarabajos/fisiología , Preferencias Alimentarias/fisiología , Hormonas Juveniles/fisiología , Alimentación Animal , Animales , Peso Corporal , Cruzamiento , Femenino , Hemolinfa/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Hormonas Juveniles/farmacología , Masculino , Metopreno/farmacología , Tamaño de los Órganos , Ovario/fisiología , Oviposición/fisiología , Óvulo/fisiología , Reproducción/fisiología , Sesquiterpenos/farmacología , Inanición/metabolismo , Análisis de Supervivencia

RESUMEN

A simple, fast and sensitive method was developed for routine determination of juvenile hormone (JH), JH diols and JH acids in insect haemolymph, by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Sample clean-up involves the precipitation of proteins by methanol/isooctane (1:1, v/v), centrifugation and partial evaporation of the organic solvents. Since JH is bound to a carrier protein in the haemolymph, a binding protein (BP) assay was performed to ensure JH is removed during precipitation. The JH compounds were separated on a C(18) column (ReproSil-Pur ODS-3) by gradient elution with water and methanol in less than 22 min and analysed by electrospray mass spectrometry. Due to the high abundance of Na(+) in insect haemolymph, [M+Na](+) is primarily formed. The limit of detection and quantification was 6 and 20 pg for JHs, and 8 and 25 pg for JH diols, respectively. To demonstrate the applicability of the method to different insect orders, haemolymph samples from the Mediterranean field cricket ( Gryllus bimaculatus), the fall armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda), the pea aphid ( Acyrthosiphon pisum) and an ant species ( Myrmicaria eumenoides) were analysed.

Asunto(s)

Hemolinfa/metabolismo , Insectos/metabolismo , Hormonas Juveniles/sangre , Animales , Cromatografía Liquida , Espectrometría de Masas