Search

A survey of resistance to five conventional insecticides was conducted in 2009 and 2010 for the first generation 4th-instar larvae of Leptinotarsa decemlineata from Urumqi, Changji, Qitai and Qapqal. Compared with the Tekes population, a reference susceptible population, the Changji and Qapqal populations exhibited very high to moderate levels of resistance to cyhalothrin and deltamethrin, moderate to high levels of resistance to carbosulfan and carbofuran, and low levels of resistance to azinphosmethyl. Moreover, the Urumqi and the Qitai populations reached a high and a moderate level of resistance to carbosulfan, respectively. Synergistic effects of triphenyl phosphate, diethylmeleate, and piperonyl butoxide on cyhalothrin and carbosulfan in Changji population revealed that cytochrome P450s were involved in the resistance to cyhalothrin but not carbosulfan. A modified bi-PASA was developed to simultaneously detect point mutations of S291G in the AChE and L1014F in the LdVssc1 genes. The former mutation resulted in the resistance to carbamates and the latter in the resistance to pyrethroids. The rates of homozygous and heterozygous resistant individuals to carbamates (S291G mutation) were 17.6% and 14.7%, 50.6% and 42.2%, 49.9% and 41.7%, 51.3% and 41.4%, and 44.8% and 47.4%; to pyrethroids (L1014F mutation) were 5.8% and 8.7%, 36.1% and 27.0%, 41.8% and 24.8%, 12.2% and 9.7%, and 7.9% and 10.6%, respectively, in samples from Tekes, Changji, Qapqal, Urumqi and Qitai. I392T point mutation in the AChE was detected by RT-PCR among 18 individuals from Changji, Qapqal, Urumqi and Qitai. These results demonstrated that point mutations of S291G in the AChE and L1014F in the LdVscc1 are responsible for, at least partially, the resistance to carbamates and pyrethroids in L. decemlineata in some field populations in northern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Based on a Leptinotarsa decemlineata transcriptome dataset and the GenBank sequences, a total of 74 cytochrome P450 monooxygenase genes (Cyps) were identified. These genes fell into CYP2 clan, mitochondrial clan, CYP3 clan and CYP4 clan, and were classified into 19 families and 35 subfamilies according to standard nomenclature. Two new families were discovered in CYP4 clan, and were named CYP412 and CYP413 respectively. Four new families that were recently discovered in Tribolium castaneum, including mitochondrial family CYP353, CYP3 clan families CYP345 and CYP347, and CYP4 clan family CYP350, were also found in L. decemlineata. The phylogenetic trees of CYPs from L. decemlineata and other representative insect species were constructed, and these trees provided evolutionary insight for the genetic distance. Our results facilitate further researches to understand the functions and evolution of L. decemlineata Cyp genes. In order to find cyhalothrin-inducible Cyp genes, the expression levels of Cyps belonging to CYP12, CYP6, CYP9 and CYP4 families were determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR in cyhalothrin-treated and control fourth-instar larvae. Nine Cyp genes, i.e., Cyp12H2, Cyp6BH2, Cyp6BJ1, Cyp6BQ17, Cyp6EG1, Cyp6EH1, Cyp6EJ1 Cyp4BN13v1 and Cyp4BN15, were highly expressed in cyhalothrin-treated larvae. These CYPs are the candidates that are involved in cyhalothrin detoxification.

Background L. decemlineata is an exotic invasive insect pest, and invaded in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in China in the 1990s from Kazakhstan. It is a notorious defoliator of potato throughout most of the northern Xinjiang in current, and often causes extremely large yield losses of potato. Results The expression stability of nine L. decemlineata house-keeping genes (Actin, ACT1 and ACT2; ADP-ribosylation factor, ARF1 and ARF4; TATA box binding protein, TBP1 and TBP2; ribosomal protein RP4 and RP18; translation elongation factor 1α EF1α) was evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in seven developmental stages, three larval tissues and two insecticide treatments. The results were analyzed using three software programs: geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper. Although there was no consistent ranking observed among the house-keeping genes across the samples, the overall analysis revealed that RP18, RP4, ARF1, and ARF4 were the four most stable house-keeping genes. In contrast, ACT1 and ACT2, two of the most widely used reference genes, had the least stability. Our results suggest that the combined use of the four most stably expressed genes may produce optimal normalization for qRT-PCR. Conclusions The expression stability of the house-keeping genes varies among different developing stages, in different tissues and under different experimental conditions. Our results will enable a more accurate and reliable normalization of qRT-PCR data in L. decemlineata.

Dystrophin and its associated proteins form a scaffold underneath the cardiomyocyte membrane and connect the intracellular cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix. Dystrophin localizes at the X chromosome, whose mutations might result in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Becker muscular dystrophy and X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy. In addition to these genetic dilated cardiomyopathies, some acquired dilated cardiomyopathy like viral dilated cardiomyopathy is also related to dystrophin disruption or aberrant cleavage. In this review, we summarize the structure and distribution of dystrophin and researches of dystrophin in genetic and viral dilated cardiomyopathy. Moreover, we hypothesize that dystrophin play a critical role in ventricular remodeling in ischemic myocardium and treatment targeting restoration of dystrophin onto membrane could benefit for ischemic cardiomyopathy.