【Aim】 To screen peptides which may bind to the midgut inner membrane in the rice brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, so as to explore the new methods for blocking N. lugens to transmit rice viruses. 【Methods】 Trophic behavior of nymphs of the rice brown planthopper was imitated with improved membrane feeding method. Through the use of this feeding method, the phage peptide library solution was fed to planthopper nymphs to screen peptides which may bind to the midgut inner membrane. Then, the fusion expression of peptide and enhanced green fluorescent protein was conducted, and the purified fusion protein was fed to nymphs of the planthopper. To confirm the binding activity of screened peptide, the green fluorescence of fusion protein in the midgut of the nymphs was observed under the fluorescence microscope. 【Results】 The feeding rates of nymphs of the planthopper detected by improved membrane feeding method at 16 h and 24 h after treatment reached 91% and 95%, respectively. By observing the green fluorescence from planthopper gut, one peptide, named P2S, was determined as the planthopper gut inner membrane binding peptide. 【Conclusion】 Membrane feeding method was well improved for the rice brown planthopper. A peptide P2S which may bind to the midgut inner membrane of the planthopper was effectively screened and its binding activity was confirmed. The results will provide a possibility of blocking interaction between rice viruses and the midgut inner membrane of the rice brown planthopper. Furthermore, the peptide P2S may be used for further study of the membrane insertion toxins binding to proper receptors in the midgut of the rice brown planthopper.

 In order to study the interacting proteins between the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) and Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) which is the pathogenic bacterium causing Huanglongbing, yeast two-hybrid cDNA library of D. citri was constructed using the Switching Mechanism at 5′ End of the RNA Transcript (SMART) technique. The total RNA was isolated from the citrus psyllid adults bred in the laboratory and subjected to reverse transcription, and the double-strand cDNAs (ds cDNAs) were synthesized. The ds cDNAs were ligated with homologous adapter and purified by the chromatography column. By using homologous recombination reaction, the ds cDNAs were transformed into the Y187 competent cell with the library plasmid pGADT7-Rec to construct yeast two-hybrid cDNA library. Detection of the library indicated that it contained more than 10⁶ independent clones, the titer of the amplified library was 2.23×10⁷ cfu/mL, and the average size of inserts was above 750 bp in the cDNA library. These results demonstrate that the library meets the requirements of the standard cDNA library. Moreover, two membrane proteins, ORF420 and ORF3420, from (CLas) were used as bait proteins to screen the interacting proteins in the library, but no positive clone was screened in the tests. The yeast two-hybrid cDNA library of D. citri will be useful for the research on the interaction between insect vectors and C. Liberibacter asiaticus in the future.

Insect reproduction physiology mainly focuses on the endocrine regulation mechanism of vitellogenesis. Vitellogenesis is regulated by the juvenile hormone metabolic pathway in most insects. Analysis of the function of the key regulation elements in hormone metabolic pathway will illustrate the reproductive regulation mechanism. Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) plays an important role in insect juvenile hormone degradation, development, metamorphosis and reproduction. We cloned partial cDNA sequence of juvenile hormone esterase gene by RT-PCR and RACE-PCR from the whitefly Bemisia tabaci MED, which was named as Btjhe and deposited in GenBank under the accession no. KC422259, encoding 552 amino acids. Btjhe showed high identity in the deduced amino acid sequence with JHE genes in Athalia rosae and Apis mellifera. The deduced amino acid sequence of Btjhe contains five conserved motifs identified in JHEs of other insect species, including a long hydrophobic binding pocket GxSxG motif that is required for the key enzymatic activity of JHE proteins. Thus, Btjhe is inferred to code juvenile hormone esterases in B. tabaci MED. The mRNA expression level of Btjhe was detected in nymphs and adults at different developmental stages by real-time quantitative PCR. The expression level was higher in adults than in nymphs and reached the peak at 11 d after eclosion. Dynamics of the mRNA expression level of Btjhe was similar with that of the vitellogenin gene (vg). The results provide insights into the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying the regulation of whitefly reproduction.

【Aim】 To clone the olfactory receptor co-receptor (Orco) gene in the yellow peach moth Congethes punctiferalis (Guenée) and analyze its expression level in different tissues. 【Methods】 The Orco gene was cloned by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and its expression level was analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. 【Results】 The Orco gene was cloned from adults of C. punctiferalis, and named as CpunOrco (GenBank accession no. JX101681). Sequence analysis revealed that the open reading frame of CpunOrco is 1 425 bp in length, encoding 475 amino acid residues, with seven transmembrane domains. Real-time quantitative PCR results indicated that CpunOrco was mainly expressed in the antennae and maxillary palpi of C. punctiferalis, while expressed in other tissues at a relatively low level. The expression level of CpunOrco was higher in antennae of male adults than in antennae of female adults. 【Conclusion】 This study makes clear the expression level of CpunOrco in different tissues of C. punctiferalis adults and provides a basis for further functional study of this gene.

To understand the molecular characteristics of diapausing larvae of the rice stem borer, Chilo supprressalis, we analyzed the contents of proteins and nucleic acids in non-diapausing mature larvae reared under a long photoperiod of 16L∶8D at 25℃ and diapausing larvae with the diapause duration of 0-3 months induced under a short photoperiod of 12L∶12D at 25℃ by using Trizol method, total DNA extraction and protein quantitative kit, and the activities of protective enzymes (POD, CAT, SOD, LDH and ATPase) in non-diapausing mature larvae and diapausing larvae with the diapause duration of 0-2 months. The results showed that the RNA content in diapausing larvae was significantly lower than that in non-diapausing mature larvae (P<0.05), but was not significantly different among diapausing larvae with different diapause duration (P≥0.05). The DNA content in non-diapausing mature larvae was significantly higher than that in diapausing larvae. The RNA/DNA ratio increased first and then decreased with diapause progress. The RNA/DNA ratio in non-diapausing mature larvae was higher than that in diapausing larvae. The protein content in diapausing larvae was significantly higher than that in non-diapausing mature larvae, but it was not different among the diapausing larvae with different diapause duration of 1-3 months. Activities of CAT, POD, and SOD were the lowest in non-diapausing mature larvae and the highest in diapause larvae with the diapause duration of 2 months, while activities of LDH and ATPase were the highest in non-diapausing mature larvae and the lowest in diapausing larvae with the diapause duration of 2 months. These results suggest that diapausing larvae of the rice stem borer are characterized by low RNA and DNA contents and high protein content, and variations in activities of protective enzymes.

【Aim】 To explore the chemical composition and the antimicrobial activity of petroleum ether extracts from   Coccinella septempunctata. 【Methods】 The petroleum ether extracts from C. septempunctata adults were identified by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the compounds of nbutanol ether extracts were isolated by Sephadex LH-20, ODS-C₁₈ and silica gel column chromatographic methods, the structures of these compounds were identified on the basis of physicochemical and spectroscopic analysis, and the antimicrobial activity of the petroleum ether extracts against Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Exserohilum turcicum and Rhizoctonia solani was measured by a disk agar diffusion method. 【Results】 Fourteen compounds were identified from the petroleum ether extracts by GC-MS. Seven compounds were isolated and identified from n-butanol ether extracts, which were allantoin, thymine, 4-hydroxy-phenylethyl alcohol, anthranilic acid, adenosine, succinic acid and mannitol. The petroleum ether extracts at the concentration of 100 and 50 mg/mL had an inhibitory effect against S. enterica, with the inhibition rates of 52.78% and 27.05%, respectively, but had no obvious activity against other tested microbes. 【Conclusion】 The results of this study prove that the petroleum ether extracts from C. septempunctata adults have inhibitory activities against S. enterica.

Thelytokous forms of Trichogramma are often associated with the presence of endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria. Laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the functional response of thelytokous and arrhenotokous strains of T. dendrolimi by using the factitious host, Corcyra cephalonica, at four constant temperatures (20, 25, 30 and 35℃). The results showed that the parasitism efficiency increased with increasing host egg density. Type Ⅲ functional response turned to type Ⅱ for both strains of T. dendrolimi with increasing temperature. For the thelytokous strain, the handling time was the shortest (0.0207 d) at 30℃, and the parasitization rate was the highest (48.31 eggs parasitized per day) at 30℃ but the lowest at 35℃. However, for the arrhenotokous strain, the handing time was the shortest (0.0188 d) at 25℃, and the parasitization rate was the highest (53.08 eggs parasitized per day) at 25℃ but the lowest at 20℃. There was a significant difference in functional response between the two strains (at 30℃, the thelytokous strain, type Ⅱ; the arrhenotokous strain, type Ⅲ). The handling time of the thelytokous strain was significantly longer than that of the arrhenotokous strain at 25℃ and 35℃ (P<0.05), while the situation was reversed at 30℃. These results demonstrate that the functional response of T. dendrolimi is significantly affected by host density, temperature and Wolbachia infection.

In order to investigate the resistance induced by exogenous jasmonic acid in Populus cathayana and the effects on development of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, two concentrations of jasmonic acid solution (0.1 and 0.001 mmol/L) were sprayed onto green poplar seedlings while the control was sprayed with  0.17% acetone, the change in activities of protective enzymes in treated leaves was tested at 1, 5, and 10 d post JA treatment, and the developmental duration and body weight of L. dispar larvae on them were measured. The results showed that the activities of peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), chymotrypsin inhibitor (CI) and trypsin inhibitor (TI) in leaves treated with two concentrations of jasmonic acid were significantly higher than that of the control (P<0.05). The developmental duration of L. dispar larvae fed on JA-induced green poplar seedlings was prolonged, while their body weight was reduced. The developmental duration of L. dispar larvae fed on 0.1 mmol/L JA-induced seedlings was 8 d longer than that of the control. The larval body weight of L. dispar measured at 21 d post JA treatment was decreased by 50%-100%. The results suggest that exogenous jasmonic acid could induce resistance in green poplar to L. dispar larvae.

【Aim】 In order to determine the influence of high temperature shock on the survival characteristics and population dynamics of Tetranychus turkestani and T. truncatus.【Methods】 The egg hatching rate, survival rate and developmental duration were investigated after the eggs, larvae and adults of the two mites were exposed to high temperature (38℃, 42℃ and 46℃) for 2-6 h . 【Results】 The survival rate of the treated eggs and larvae decreased with the increase of exposure temperature and treatment time. The high temperature shock showed no influence on the survival rate, pre-oviposition period, oviposition period and fecundity of the treated male mites, but significantly decreased the hatching rate of their eggs. The egg hatching rates of T. turkestani and T. truncatus exposed to 46℃ for 6 h decreased by 15.5% and 18.0%, respectively. 【Conclusion】 High temperature exposure has significant effects on the egg hatching rates, survival rates and developmental duration of T. turkestani and T. truncatus, but has no effect on the longevity and reproduction of their female adults, and T. turkestani has stronger adaptability to high temperature than T. truncatus.

In order to reveal the interactions between lac insect Kerria yunnanensis and ant Crematogaster macaoensis, changes in individual body mass and survival of C. macaoensis in three treatments of feeding artificial diet, honeydew excreted by K. yunnanensis and no food (CK), and changes in the brood amount per female, body size, mortality and the duration of life cycle of K. yunnanensis in three treatments of C. macaoensis monopolizing honeydew, ants visiting freely and no ant visiting were tested in a lac plantation in Yayi, Mojiang, Yunnan, southwestern China, from April 2009 to October 2010. The results showed that the honeydew excreted by K. yunnanensis is a kind of high quality food resource like artificial diet, which could increase the body mass of C. macaoensis workers steadily ［the highest percentage of body mass gain was found in C. macaoensis fed by artificial diet (44.55%), followed by C. macaoensis fed by honeydew (25.81%), and then in C. macaoensis with no food supply (-4.13%) (F_{（2, 54）}=18.81; P＜0.01)］ , and improved the survival of workers ［the highest survival rate was found in C. macaoensis fed by artificial diet (85.78%), followed by C. macaoensis fed by honeydew (82.48%), and then in C. macaoensis with no food supply (78.74%) (F_{（2, 55）}=7.31; P＜0.01)］ . C. macaoensis monopolization of honeydew significantly increased the number of K. yunnanensis females ［the highest was under the condition of monopolization of honeydew (80.81%), followed by ants visiting freely (82.48%), and then no ant visiting (75.33%) (F_{（2, 143）}=54.08; P＜0.01)］, and the brood amount per female ［the highest (401.85) was under the condition of monopolization of honeydew (401.85), followed by ants visiting freely (395.73), and then no ant visiting (353.34) (F_{（2, 144）}=4.82; P＜0.01)］, while reduced the mortality of K. yunnanensis population ［the highest mortality (90.82%) was under the condition of no ant visiting, followed by ants visiting freely (89.78%), and then monopolization of honeydew (89.42%) (F_{（2, 146）}=3.45; P＜0.05)］. In the same time, the feeding of C. macaoensis on honeydew exerted metabolic stress on K. yunnanensis, resulting in smaller body size of females ［the largest one was under the condition of no ant visiting (14.90 mm²), followed by ants visiting freely (13.04 mm²), and then monopolization of honeydew (12.92 mm²) (F_{（2, 147）}=10.88; P＜0.01)］, and longer duration of life cycle ［the longest was under the condition of monopolization of honeydew (203.96 d), followed by no ant visiting (202.85 d), and then ants visiting freely (200.00 d) (F_{（2, 71）}=19.77; P＜0.01)］. These results suggest that the relationship between ant C. macaoensis and lac insect K. yunnanensis associated with honeydew is a factulative mutualism.

To investigate the diversity of native insects visiting flowers of the alien plant Erigeron annuus (Asteraceae) and factors affecting flower-visiting preferences, a two-year field survey using a random sampling method was undertaken in the suburb of Nanjing, southeastern China, and the hurdle model was used to analyze environmental factors that influence foraging for and selection of flowers by estimating the acceptance probability (measuring whether the visitation happens or not) and the visit frequency (measuring the extent of visits if the visitation happens). The survey uncovered 145 species from 54 families in nine insect orders, among which Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Coleoptera were rich in number of families each accounting for 20.75% of all families, respectively, followed by Diptera (18.87%) and Hemiptera (13.21%). Diptera was the highest in species richness accounting for 26.39% of all species, followed by Hymenoptera (18.75%), Coleoptera (17.36%), and Lepidoptera (15.38%), respectively. The species richness of most insect orders was higher in June and July and less in September, with the exception of Diptera which had higher species richness in May.  The analysis of the influence of environmental factors on the acceptance probability and the visit frequency of the three most dominant insect orders, i.e., Hemiptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera, using the hurdle model showed that the factors affecting the tendency of hemipterans and hymenopterans to accept E. annuus flowers were more than those influencing their visit frequency, suggesting that in these insects multiple environmental clues may be required to make a behavioral decision for the acceptance of the flower but fewer factors for the visitation extent of the flower. Plant density influenced the acceptance probability of hemipterans and hymenopterans, while flower density affected the acceptance probability and the visit frequency of hemipterans and dipterans, suggesting that characteristics of E. annuus flowers may play an important role in the visiting behavioral decision in these groups of native insects.

To make clear the characteristics of karyotypes of long-horned beetles, supplement the chromosome classification feature and fill up the basic research vacancy of cytotaxonomy about long-horned beetles, the tissues with exuberant differentiation (testis, ovary and midgut) of four species of Lamiinae beetles were chosen for preparing slides of chromosomes under different conditions. The results showed that their chromosomal number is 2n=20 and the sex-determining mechanism is Xy_p. The karyotype of Batocera lineolata is composed of 4 pairs of large autosomes, 5 pairs of medium sized autosomes and 1 pair of small sex-chromosome, and the karyotype formula is 4L+5M+Xy_p. For Apriona germari, Olenecamptus cretaceus marginatus and Olenecamptus octopustulatus chinensis, their karyotypes are all composed of 5 pairs of large autosomes, 4 pairs of medium sized autosomes and 1 pair of medium sized sex-chromosome, and the karyotype formula is 5L+4M+Xy_p. The two long-horned beetles of Olenecamptus have very similar karyotype index. The chromosome size and the centromere location among A. germari, B. lineolata and Olenecamptus are obviously different.

In order to illustrate the structure of Haller’s organ and its development in parthenogenetic Haemaphysalis longicornis, the Haller’s organ of ticks from the parthenogenetic population of H. longicornis during different developmental stages (larval, nymphal, and adult stages) was investigated with scanning electron microscopy and the effect of blood feeding on the development of Haller’s organ was also analyzed. The results showed that there was no essential difference in Haller’s organ of all three developmental stages, which is composed of an anterior pit and a capsule. The Haller’s organ contains six sensilla located on the same basal disc in the larva. However, it contains seven sensilla in the nymphal and adult stages. A pored sensillum is located on later-basal disc and other six sensilla are located on the basal disc. The Haller’s organ of the adult was similar to that of the nymph. The area of the Haller’s organ was significantly bigger in engorged individuals than that in unfed ones (P<0.05) during the larval, nymphal and adult stages. The ratio of the anterior pit’s area to the capsule’s has no significant difference between the larval stage and nymphal stage (P>0.05), while has a significant difference between the adult stage and nymphal stage (P<0.05). The development of Haller’s organ occurs in all three stages of the tick and is affected by the blood feeding. The results also indicated that the development of the anterior pit is as fast as the capsule from the larval stage to the nymphal stage, while the development of the anterior pit is faster than the capsule from the nymphal stage to the adult stage. The results partly reveal the development law of the Haller’s organ in H. longicornis.

 Fox (Forkhead box) protein family has 19 subfamilies. The members of these subfamilies are able to bind DNA, activate or inhibit the transcriptional activity of target gene, and can participate in cellular signal transduction, cell cycle regulation and metabolism regulation. Meanwhile, they play a key role in the development of organisms and their mature tissues and organs. Nowadays, the study of the function and molecular mechanism of Fox is gradually becoming a research hotspot in the fields of immunology, genetics, medicine and oncology. In this review, we summarized the nomenclature, the classification and the protein structure of the Fox and its functions on signal transduction pathways including the Hh, TGF-β/SMAD, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin and IGF. The Fox family can regulate the development of many organs, such as the pharynx of Caenorhabditis elegans, the salivary gland of Drosophila melanogaster and the liver and eye of mammals. Fox is able to affect the cell cycle, and FoxA can regulate the metabolism by binding with CREB and GR. The copy number of Fox varies in different species and is subjected to strict evolutionary selection. The further research on the functions and molecular evolutionary mechanisms of the Fox genes will shed new insights into understanding the developmental mechanisms of organisms and the prevention and treatment of human diseases.

Drosophila suzukii is an important fruit pest native to Southeast Asia. During the past several years, it has been introduced in North America and Europe where it has caused severe damages. In this study, the infection of Wolbachia in seven geographical populations of D.suzukii (five Chinese populations, one Korean population, and one American population) was detected using the 16S rDNA and wsp specific primers (16S-F/16S-R and 81F/691R, respectively), the infection charateristics of Wolbachia within the seven populations were compared, and the 16S rDNA gene fragements within the populaitons were sequenced and then used to determine the classification of Wolbachia. Based on the 16S rDNA primers, we found that all five Chinese populations were infected with Wolbachia with a high infection rate (ranged from 36.7% to 80.0%), while the population from Korea and the United States was not infected with this symbiont. However, the infection of Wolbachia was not detectable using the wsp specific primers. The phylogenetic tree constructed with 16S rDNA gene shows that all of Wolbachia within Chinese populations belong to group A. The results lay a foundation for revealing the biological and ecological effects of Wolbachia on the host D.suzukii.