Vitellogenin knockdown strongly affects cotton boll weevil egg viability but not the number of eggs laid by females.

Vitellogenin (Vg), a yolk protein precursor, is the primary egg nutrient source involved in insect reproduction and embryo development. The Cotton Boll weevil (CBW) Anthonomus grandis Boheman, the most important cotton pest in Americas, accumulates large amounts of Vg during reproduction. However, the precise role of this protein during embryo development in this insect remains unknown. Herein, we investigated the effects of vitellogenin (AgraVg) knockdown on the egg-laying and egg viability in A. grandis females, and also characterized morphologically the unviable eggs. AgraVg transcripts were found during all developmental stages of A. grandis, with highest abundance in females. Silencing of AgraVg culminated in a significant reduction in transcript amount, around 90%. Despite this transcriptional reduction, egg-laying was not affected in dsRNA-treated females but almost 100% of the eggs lost their viability. Eggs from dsRNA-treated females showed aberrant embryos phenotype suggesting interference at different stages of embryonic development. Unlike for other insects, the AgraVg knockdown did not affect the egg-laying ability of A. grandis, but hampered A. grandis reproduction by perturbing embryo development. We concluded that the Vg protein is essential for A. grandis reproduction and a good candidate to bio-engineer the resistance against this devastating cotton pest.

Imaging Nuclear Morphology and Organization in Cleared Plant Tissues Treated with Cell Cycle Inhibitors.

Synchronization of root cells through chemical treatment can generate a large number of cells blocked in specific cell cycle phases. In plants, this approach can be employed for cell suspension cultures and plant seedlings. To identify plant cells in the course of the cell cycle, especially during mitosis in meristematic tissues, chemical inhibitors can be used to block cell cycle progression. Herein, we present a simplified and easy-to-apply protocol to visualize mitotic figures, nuclei morphology, and organization in whole Arabidopsis root apexes. The procedure is based on tissue clearing, and fluorescent staining of nuclear DNA with DAPI. The protocol allows carrying out bulk analysis of nuclei and cell cycle phases in root cells and will be valuable to investigate mutants like overexpressing lines of genes disturbing the plant cell cycle.

Proteome of Soybean Seed Exudates Contains Plant Defense-Related Proteins Active against the Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne incognita.

Several studies have described the effects of seed exudates against microorganisms, but only few of them have investigated the proteins that have defensive activity particularly against nematode parasites. This study focused on the proteins released in the exudates of soybean seeds and evaluated their nematicidal properties against Meloidogyne incognita. A proteomic approach indicated the existence of 63 exuded proteins, including ß-1,3-glucanase, chitinase, lectin, trypsin inhibitor, and lipoxygenase, all of which are related to plant defense. The presence of some of these proteins was confirmed by their in vitro activity. The soybean exudates were able to reduce the hatching of nematode eggs and to cause 100% mortality of second-stage juveniles (J2). The pretreatment of J2 with these exudates resulted in a 90% reduction of the gall number in tobacco plants. These findings suggest that the exuded proteins are directly involved in plant defense against soil pathogens, including nematodes, during seed germination.

Sugarcane giant borer transcriptome analysis and identification of genes related to digestion.

Sugarcane is a widely cultivated plant that serves primarily as a source of sugar and ethanol. Its annual yield can be significantly reduced by the action of several insect pests including the sugarcane giant borer (Telchin licus licus), a lepidopteran that presents a long life cycle and which efforts to control it using pesticides have been inefficient. Although its economical relevance, only a few DNA sequences are available for this species in the GenBank. Pyrosequencing technology was used to investigate the transcriptome of several developmental stages of the insect. To maximize transcript diversity, a pool of total RNA was extracted from whole body insects and used to construct a normalized cDNA database. Sequencing produced over 650,000 reads, which were de novo assembled to generate a reference library of 23,824 contigs. After quality score and annotation, 43% of the contigs had at least one BLAST hit against the NCBI non-redundant database, and 40% showed similarities with the lepidopteran Bombyx mori. In a further analysis, we conducted a comparison with Manduca sexta midgut sequences to identify transcripts of genes involved in digestion. Of these transcripts, many presented an expansion or depletion in gene number, compared to B. mori genome. From the sugarcane giant borer (SGB) transcriptome, a number of aminopeptidase N (APN) cDNAs were characterized based on homology to those reported as Cry toxin receptors. This is the first report that provides a large-scale EST database for the species. Transcriptome analysis will certainly be useful to identify novel developmental genes, to better understand the insect's biology and to guide the development of new strategies for insect-pest control.

Variant Cry1Ia toxins generated by DNA shuffling are active against sugarcane giant borer.

Sugarcane giant borer (Telchin licus licus) is a serious sugarcane pest in Americas whose endophytic lifestyle hampers effective chemical and biological controls. Therefore, development of alternative control methods is extremely important. Envisaging development of transgenic plants resistant to this pest, we investigated the effect of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry protein Cry1Ia12synth (truncated protein lacking C-terminus with plant codon usage) and variants against T. l. licus. cry1Ia12synth gene was used to generate mutated variants, which were screened for toxicity toward T. l. licus. For that purpose, an innovative technique combining cry gene shuffling with phage-display was used to build a combinatorial library comprising 1.97x10(5) Cry1Ia12synth variants. Screening of this library for variants binding to T. l. licus Brush Border Midgut Vesicles led to the identification of hundreds of clones, out of which 30 were randomly chosen for toxicity testing. Bioassays revealed four variants exhibiting activity against T. l. licus as compared to the non-toxic Cry1Ia12synth. Eight single substitutions sites were found in these active variants. Based on theoretical molecular modelling, the probable implications of these mutations are discussed. Therefore, we have four genes encoding Cry1Ia12synth variants active against T. l. licus promising for future development of resistant transgenic sugarcane lines.