LIFE STAGE INDEPENDENT IDENTIFICATION OF FRUIT FLIES (DIPTERA: TEPHRITIDAE) USING 28S RDNA SEQUENCES

With well over 500 species, Bactrocera is one of the most species-rich clades within the dipteran family Tephritidae, the true fruit flies. In quarantine and plant protection activities, their immature stages are metwith and diagnosis of these is important. For this purpose molecular diagnosis becomes handy, because it is independent of sex, color morphs and life stages. Alignment of the sequences of 28S rDNA from various life stages of the four species of Bactrocera shows that the molecular identification is independent of life stages and polymorphism of the target species. This study evaluated the utility of 28S rDNA for the quick and accurate species diagnosis of eggs, larvae, pupae and adults of all the Bactrocera spp. studied. The phylogram for the Bactrocera spp. suggests that B. tau is phylogenetically distant from the rest of the three species viz. B. dorsalis, B. zonata and B. correcta, which was supported by 100% bootstrap value. Moreover B. dorsalis, B. zonata and B. correcta had maximum sequence identity (98%) with very few variable sites in the 28S rDNA sequences. Even though, 28S rDNA region will have high reliability for species identification in these species studied and it was never reported before. This study indubitably proved the utility of 28S rDNA for the quick and accurate species diagnosis of egg, larva, pupa and adult of B. zonata Saunders, B. tau Walker and B. dorsalis Hendel

In silico mining of micro-RNAs from Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenously, non-coding genes that regulate protein production either by mRNA cleavage or by translational repression in eukaryotes and viruses. miRNAs plays a key role in biological processes including growth, development and physiology of an organism. In this study, we employed insilico approaches to identify the miRNAs from Spodoptera frugiperda, a major pest of small grain crops. A total of seven miRNAs were identified and characterized from 67,360 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of S. frugiperda with: 1) mature and pre-miRNAs sizes vary from 19 to 25 ans 61 to 95 nucleotides respectively; 2) minimum free energy ranged from -31.70 to -21.00 kcal/mol; and 3) (A + U) content varied from 27 to 60. The functional annotation of these miRNAs were identified as regulation of transcription factors, catalytic activities and signal transduction pathways. Further studies of these miRNAs will help to carryout functional analyses, which promises more towards insect pest management free of insecticides and pesticides.Keywords: MicroRNAs, translational repression, Spodoptera frugiperda, expressed sequence tags, minimum free energy, insect pest managementAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol. 13(1), pp. 32-43, 1 January, 201

Implementing the sterile insect technique with RNA interference – a review

RNA interference (RNAi) of insect pests is reviewed and its potential for implementing Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)-related control is considered. The molecular mechanisms that support RNAi in pest species are reviewed in detail, drawing on literature from a range of species including Drosophila melanogaster and Homo sapiens. The underlying genes that enable RNAi are generally conserved across taxa, although variance exists in both their form and function. RNAi represents a plausible, non-GM system for targeting populations of insects for control purposes, if RNA interference (RNAi) effector molecules can be delivered environmentally (eRNAi). We consider studies of eRNAi from across several insect orders and review to what extent taxonomy, genetics and differing methods of double stranded (ds)RNA synthesis and delivery can influence the efficiency of gene knockdown. Several factors, including the secondary structure of the target mRNA and the specific nucleotide sequence of dsRNA effector molecules, can affect the potency of eRNAi. However, taxonomic relationships between insects cannot be used to reliably forecast the efficiency of an eRNAi response. The mechanisms by which insects acquire dsRNA from their environment require further research, but the evidence to date suggests that endocytosis and transport channels both play key roles. Delivery of RNA molecules packaged in intermediary carriers such as bacteria or nanoparticles may facilitate their entry into and through the gut, and enable the evasion of host defense systems, such as toxic pH, that would otherwise attenuate the potential for RNAi

Second Thoughts about Kripke\u27s Rule-Following Argument

クリプキによる規則遵守の議論は、「形式意味」に関する共時的な「規則遵守」の問題と、使用者の「話者意味」に関する通時的な「意図遵守」の問題とを並列化しており、さらに、意味の「構成」と「正当化」との二つの側面から議論展開していることを指摘し、その区別に基づく四象限の関係性が、数学的規則の場合と感覚言語の場合とで異なること、および、懐疑的解決以後は別の関係性として一元化されるとの解釈を提示した。加えて、別の著作内での「私的な名付け」との関連性、および、記述の人称について考察を加えた

Wound healing activity of Delonix elata stem bark extract and its isolated constituent quercetin-3-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-6) glucopyranoside in rats

AbstractDelonix elata L. is a Ceasalpinaceae species and is traditionally used in India for treatment of skin diseases, liver diseases and rheumatic problems. However, systematic evaluation of its wound healing activity is lacking. Thus, in the present study, we aimed to assess the wound healing activity of D. elata stem bark extract (DSE) and its isolated constituent quercetin-3-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-6) glucopyranoside (QRPG) in rats. The formulations effects on wound healing were assessed by the wound contraction rate, epithelialization period, tensile strength, content of the hydroxyproline, hexosamine and uronic acid in granulation tissue, histopathological studies and Col 1 α (I) expression level in wound tissue by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) study. The topical application of DSE ointment caused faster epithelialization, significant wound contraction (100%), and better tensile strength (710.5±10.5g/cm2), while QRPG showed wound epithelialization with 98.2% contraction, better than that of the control group (78.18%). The biochemical analysis of granulation tissue revealed that DSE and QRPG significantly increased hydroxyproline, hexosamine and uronic acid content. A significant increase in the expression of Col 1 α (I) was observed in the wound tissue of DSE and QRPG treated rats. DSE and QRPG were shown to enhance wound healing by increasing collagen synthesis through up-regulation of Col 1 α (I), thus validating ethnomedicinal uses

<i>Bemisia tabaci</i> (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Species Complex from Cotton Cultivars: A Comparative Study of Population Density, Morphology, and Molecular Variations

Abstract Morphological and molecular variations of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on cotton cultivars having varying trichome density were evaluated at New Delhi, India. The study evaluates the role of host plant nature on puparia and putative species groups of the B. tabaci species complex. More specifically, the study was done to explore the host plant characters and their effect on the population density, morphology of the puparia, and to identify the putative species groups of the B. tabaci species complex occurring on cotton. Population density was observed to be higher in cultivars with less trichome density. Studies on the puparia showed statistically significant variations on different cotton cultivars (P &amp;lt; 0.01), which was supported by scattergraphs derived from principal components and canonical discriminant analysis. Statistical analysis revealed the influence of trichome density on population density of B. tabaci. Sequence analyses using mitochondrial cyctochrome oxidase I confirmed the presence of three putative species Asia 1, Asia II 1, and Asia II 7 on the cultivars of cotton. The current study revealed that genetic variation is not influenced the variations in the trichome density and morphological variation.</jats:p