An Antennae-Enriched Odorant-Binding Protein EonuOBP43 Mediate the Behavioral Response of the Tea Green Leafhopper, Empoasca onukii Matsuda to the Host and Nonhost Volatiles.

Olfaction is crucial for Empoasca onukii Matsuda to recognize odors from the host and nonhost plants, and it has been proposed that odorant binding proteins are directly required for odorant discrimination and represent potential targets of interest for pest control. Here, we cloned EonuOBP43 and expressed the recombinant EonuOBP43 protein. Furthermore, competitive fluorescence binding assays with 19 ligands indicated that terpenoids and alkanes showed a relatively higher than for other classes of chemicals. Additionally, ligand docking and site-directed mutagenesis results revealed that seven hydrophobic residues, including Val-86, Met-89, Phe-90, Ile-104, Ile-105, Leu-130, and Val-134, played a key role in the binding of EonuOBP43 to plant volatiles. In olfactometer tests, E. onukii were significantly attracted to α-farnesene and repelled to ß-caryophyllene, and dsOBP43 treated adult lost response to α-farnesene and ß-caryophyllene. In summary, our results demonstrated that EonuOBP43 may function as a carrier in the process of sensing plant compounds of E. onukii.

Lactobacillus acidophilus supernatant alleviates osteoporosis by upregulating colonic SERT expression.

Aims: To investigate the involvement of serotonin transporter (SERT) in colonic epithelial cells in the anti-osteoporosis role of Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA) supernatant (LAS). Methods: The abundance of fecal LA and bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with osteoporosis (OP) or severe osteoporosis were assessed. The protective role of LA in osteoporosis and the expression of SERT and relative signaling were evaluated. Results: Abundance of fecal LA was decreased in patients with severe OP and was positively correlated with BMD. Supplementing LAS to mice alleviated senile osteoporosis. In vitro, NOD2/RIP2/NF-κB signaling was inhibited by LAS due to increased SERT expression. Conclusion: LAS alleviates OP in mice by producing protective metabolites and upregulating SERT expression and represents a promising therapeutic agent.

Does Background Odor in Tea Gardens Mask Attractants? Screening and Application of Attractants for Empoasca onukii Matsuda.

Plant volatiles help herbivores to locate their hosts, and therefore, they could be used to help develop pesticide-free pest management strategies. To develop an attractant for tea leafhopper (Empoasca onukii), we screened nine tea plant volatile compounds for their attractiveness using Y-tube olfactometer assays. Results indicated that tea leafhoppers significantly preferred ocimene, limonene, (Z)-3-hexenol, and (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate over clean air. These compounds were combined in a blend which lost its attractiveness at concentrations below 10-2 g/ml in liquid paraffin. In field tests, the blend was attractive to leafhoppers only in autumn, but not in summer. Analyses of the tea field background odor showed that all four components of the blend were present at much higher concentrations in summer (0.05-0.001 ng/liter) than in autumn (~10- to 25-fold lower). In field Y-tube bioassays, compared with the tea field background odor, the blend was attractive at a concentration of 10-1 g/ml in liquid paraffin, but not at 10-2 g/ml. These results suggest that field background odor can disrupt the attractiveness of an attractant based on plant volatiles to herbivores.