Screening and functional validation of the core detoxification genes conferring broad-spectrum response to insecticides in Spodoptera frugiperda.

BACKGROUND: Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, a formidable agricultural pest, has developed resistance to various synthetic insecticides. However, how S. frugiperda utilizes its limited energy and resources to deal with various insecticides remains largely unexplored. RESULTS: We utilized transcriptome sequencing to decipher the broad-spectrum adaptation mechanism of S. frugiperda to eight insecticides with distinct modes-of-action. Analysis of the Venn diagram revealed that 1014 upregulated genes and 778 downregulated genes were present in S. frugiperda treated with at least five different insecticides, compared to the control group. Exposure to various insecticides led to the significant upregulation of eight cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), four UDP glucosyltransferases (UGTs), two glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) and two ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABCs). Among them, the sfCYP340AD3 and sfCYP4G74 genes were demonstrated to respond to stress from six different insecticides in S. frugiperda, as evidenced by RNA interference and toxicity bioassays. Furthermore, homology modeling and molecular docking analyses showed that sfCYP340AD3 and sfCYP4G74 possess strong binding affinities to a variety of insecticides. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these findings showed that S. frugiperda utilizes a battery of core detoxification genes to cope with the exposure of synthetic insecticides. This study also sheds light on the identification of efficient insecticidal targets gene and the development of resistance management strategies in S. frugiperda, thereby facilitating the sustainable control of this serious pest. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Seeking information about waste-to-energy incineration projects: The role of objective knowledge and benefit perceptions in an extended PRISM.

Although waste-to-energy (WtE) incineration projects have boosted the economic effectiveness of the waste management system, locals frequently view them with suspicion, opposition, or even outright rejection because of potential environmental and health risks. In this study, by incorporating two additional variables, namely, objective knowledge and benefit perceptions, the planned risk information seeking model (PRISM) was extended in the context of the WtE incineration project. A total of 1726 respondents were interviewed in person. Results from the structural equation modeling indicated that the extended PRISM achieved excellent fits, suggesting the generalizability of the model in these contexts. Objective knowledge and subjective knowledge have a positive and direct impact on perceived knowledge insufficiency. The impact of benefit and risk perceptions on worry is the opposite, with risk perceptions having a greater direct effect on worry. However, compared with risk perceptions, the direct effect that benefit perceptions have on perceived knowledge insufficiency is stronger. Additionally, perceived knowledge insufficiency partially or completely mediates the relationships between all antecedents, except perceived seeking control, and information-seeking intention. This study suggests that risk managers carefully consider how to establish powerful communication tactics to shape these antecedents when introducing a "not in my backyard" project to the local community.

Stress-altering anterior insular cortex activity affects risk decision-making behavior in mice of different sexes.

Stress can affect people's judgment and make them take risky decisions. Abnormal decision-making behavior is a core symptom of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. However, the neuronal mechanisms underlying such impairments are largely unknown. The anterior insular cortex (AIC) is a crucial structure to integrate sensory information with emotional and motivational states. These properties suggest that AIC can influence a subjective prediction in decision-making. In this study, we demonstrated that stressed mice prefer to take more risky choices than control mice using a gambling test. Manipulating the neural activity of AIC or selectively inhibiting the AIC-BLA pathway with chemogenetic intervention resulted in alterations in risk decision-making in mice. Different sexes may have different decision-making strategies in risky situations. Endogenous estrogen levels affect emotional cognition by modulating the stress system function in women. We observed decision-making behavior in mice of different sexes with or without stress experience. The result showed that female mice did not change their choice strategy with increasing risk/reward probability and performed a lower risk preference than male mice after stress. Using the pharmacological method, we bilaterally injected an estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist that resulted in more risky behavior and decreased synaptic plasticity in the AIC of female mice. Our study suggested that the AIC is a crucial region involved in stress-induced alteration of decision-making, and estrogen in the AIC may regulate decision-making behavior by regulating synaptic plasticity.

A novel diarylheptanoid-bearing sesquiterpene moiety from the rhizomes of Alpinia officinarum.

A new diarylheptanoid analogue-bearing sesquiterpene moiety, named Alpinisin A, was isolated from the rhizomes of Alpinia officinarum Hance. The new structure was determined by various spectroscopic techniques (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR), (13)C-attached proton test ((13)C-APT), heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC), heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC), (1)H-(1)H correlation spectroscopy ((1)H-(1)HCOSY), nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) and high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS). The compound was tested for cytotoxic activity in vitro against human tumour cell lines (gastric carcinoma cell -7901 (SGC-7901), Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) and Caski), which showed significant inhibitory effects with IC50 levels of 11.42, 15.14 and 14.78 µM, respectively. The novel chemical structure characterised with a diarylheptanoid linked to a chain-like sesquiterpenoid should be highlighted.