Development and formation of wing cuticle based on transcriptomic analysis in Locusta migratoria during metamorphosis

Wings are an important flight organ of insects.Wing development is a complex process controlled by a series of genes.The flightless wing pad transforms into a mature wing with the function of migratory flight during the nymphto-adult metamorphosis.However,the mechanism of wing morphogenesis in locusts is still unclear.This study analyzed the microstructures of the locust wing pads at pre-eclosion and the wings after eclosion and performed the comparative transcriptome analysis.RNA-seq identified 25,334 unigenesand 3,430 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)(1,907 up-regulated and 1,523 down-regulated).The DEGs mainly included cuticle development(LmACPs),chitin metabolism(Lm Idgf4),lipid metabolism-related genes,cell adhesion(Integrin),zinc finger transcription factors(LmSalm,LmZF593 andLmZF521),and others.Functional analysis based on RNA interference and hematoxylin and eosin(H&E)staining showed that the three genes encoded zinc finger transcription factors are essential for forming wing cuticle and maintaining morphology in Locusta migratoria.Finally,the study found that the LmSalm regulates the expression of LmACPs in the wing pads at pre-eclosion,and LmZF593 and LmZF521 regulate the expression of LmIntegrin/LmIdgf4/LmHMT420 in the wings after eclosion.This study revealed that the molecular regulatory axis controls wing morphology in nymphal and adult stages of locusts,offering a theoretical basis for the study of wing development mechanisms in hemimetabolous insects.

Images of Metamorphosis in Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Yu Xiuhua

Despite being unnoticed women at the time,Emily Dickinson and Yu Xiuhua,two female poets of different generations and countries,their works shook the poetry world in a powerful way.Trapped in a small place in their lives,their poems express the same desire for love and the world.Through many metamorphic imagery,their poems transcend themselves from their small bodies,small rooms,and small villages to a vast spiritual world.Such kind of transformation helps the poets integrate poetry into their lives,break the“double bind”for female poets,and express their repressed love and self-assertion.

Metamorphosis技术综述

虚拟现实、工业模拟、科学计算可视化、动画生成等领域的快速发展对物体渐变 ( m etam orphosis)技术提出了迫切的要求 .对近年来所提出的一些效果不错的算法进行了分析 ,总结出物体渐变的基本原理 ,对二维物体渐变技术进行了介绍 ,并从边界特征方法、整体方法和形态学方法 3方面着重对三维物体渐变技术做了较全面的综述 ,通过对比不同方法优劣 ,探讨了物体渐变技术发展中所需要改进的关键问题 。

INDUCTION OF LARVAL SETTLEMENT AND METAMORPHOSIS OF HALIOTIS DISCUS HANNAI INO(GASTROPODA,MOLLUSCA)

Conspecific foot mucus,excessive[K^+] and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) showed different metamorphosis-inductive effect on the veliger of Haliotis discus hannai.The inductive effect of excessive [K^+]and GABA was developmental stage-dependent and dose-dependent,while that of conspecific foot mu-cus was only developmental stage-dependent.At 20℃ the veliger larvae became competent within 4 daysafter fertilization H.discus hannai larvae showed gregarious settlement pattern on the conspecific foot mu-ous under the conditions of either presence or absence of KCI or GABA.The present studies showed that the effect of conspecific foot mucus on abalone larvae metarnorphosis could be dose-independent.

Gait Analysis of Quadruped Robot Using the Equivalent Mechanism Concept Based on Metamorphosis

The previous research regarding the gait planning of quadruped robot focuses on the sequence for lifting o and placing the feet, but neglects the influence of body height. However, body height a ects gait performance significantly, such as in terms of the stride length and stability margin. We herein study the performance of a quadruped robot using the equivalent mechanism concept based on metamorphosis. Assuming the constraints between standing feet and the ground with hinges, the ground, standing legs and robot body are considered as a parallel mechanism, and each swing leg is regarded as a typical serial manipulator. The equivalent mechanism varies while the robot moves on the ground. One gait cycle is divided into several periods, including step forward stages and switching stages. There exists a specific equivalent mechanism corresponding to each gait period. The robot's locomotion can be regarded as the motion of these series of equivalent mechanisms. The kinematics model and simplified model of the equivalent mechanism is established. A new definition of the multilegged robot stability margin, based on friction coe cient, is presented to evaluate the robot stability. The stable workspaces of the equivalent mechanism in the step forward stage of trotting gait under di erent friction coe cients are analyzed. The stride length of the robots is presented by analyzing the relationship between the stable workspaces of the equivalent mechanisms of two adjacent step forward stages in one gait cycle. The simulation results show that the stride length is larger with increasing friction coe cient. We herein propose a new method based on metamorphosis, and an equivalent mechanism to analyze the stability margin and stable workspace of the multilegged robot.

Settlement and metamorphosis of Styela canopus Savigny larvae in response to some neurotransmitters and thyroxin

The larvae of ascidian Styela canopus Savigny were treated with epinephrine, norepinephrine, L-DOPA, GABA and thyroxin to test the ability of these compounds to induce or inhibit larval settlement and metamorphosis. The results showed that epinephrine, norepinephrine and L-DOPA at the concentration of 1 μmol/dm^3 induced larval settlement and metamorphosis in S. canopus, with short exposure （ 1 h） to 1 μmol/dm^3 of L-DOPA inducing rapid settlement. In contrast, GABA at the concentrations of 0.1 ～1130.0 μmol/dm^3 significantly inhibited the settlement and metamorphosis of S. canopus larvae. In addition, thyroxin at 1 -50 μg/dm^3 had no effect on larval settlement and metamorphosis in S. canopus. These results suggest the importance of neurotransmitters in the settlement and metamorphosis of S. canopus larvae.

The roles of thyroid hormone receptor and T3 in metamorphosis of Haliotis diversicolor

Thyroid hormone is a kind of important hormone which regulates metamorphosis. Its role is well described in amphibian metamorphosis. Thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) have also been demonstrated to play a role in metamorphosis of marine invertebrates. However, the mechanism of thyroid hormone in metamorphosis of marine invertebrates remains unknown. A homolog of vertebrate thyroid hormone receptor (TR) was cloned and identified in abalone Haliotis diversicolor and was named HdTR . The mRNA expressions of HdTR , thyroid peroxidase ( TPO ), thyroid peroxidase 1 ( TPO1 ), idothyronine deiodinase Ⅲ( IDⅢ) and integrin alpha-V ( ITGAV ) had significant diff erence in metamorphosis of H . diversicolor . Metamorphosis rate and mortality rate were significantly diff erent in HdTR RNAi experiment and T3 inducing experiment. In RNAi experiment, ITGAV and CCND1 (cyclin D1) expression of dsRNA HdTR exposing group were significantly lower than those of blank control and negative control. But CTNNB (catenin beta) expression of dsRNA HdTR exposing group was higher than that those of blank control and negative control. ERK (extracellular signal regulated kinases) and PI3K (phosphoinositide-3-kinase) had no significant diff erence in RNAi experiment. Moreover, ITGAV of 1 μmol/L T3 group was significantly lower than that of 0 μmol/L T3 group, PI3K expression of 10 μmol/L T3 group was higher than that of 0 μmol/L T3 group, and the other genes expression had no significant diff erence in T3 inducing experiment. The data of genes expression suggested that CCND1 might be an eff ector gene of TR genomic action, while CTNNB might be regulated by unliganded TR. CCND1 and CTNNB may be involved in cell proliferation of metamorphosis. T3 might regulate the expression level of PI3K via nongenomic way. These results shed light on the mechanism of thyroid hormone in abalone metamorphosis.

Metamorphosis in U. S. Global Strategy

Whether there is a global strategy in the U. S. or not is still an open question. Many Americans insist that since presidential election takes place every four years, it’s simply impossible for any President to work out a global strategy in such a short time. Judged by the important factors such as strategy environment assessment, target formulation, strategy connotation expansion and effect evaluation, it is, in fact, very difficult to find out a country with a matured foreign,

Effects of Lanthanum on Egg Hatching and Nauplius Metamorphosis of Penaeus Chinensis

Effects of lanthanum on egg hatching and nauplius metamorphosis of Penaeus chinensis(P. chinensis) were studied. The experimental results showed that the optimum concentration of lanthanum was 0 30～1 80 mg/L for monocell and dicell stage of embryo development, the egg hatching rates were raised by 33 5%～49 1%; and it was 0 90～1 80 mg/L for poly cell stage, the egg hatching rate was raised by 17 1%～23 5%. The optimum concentration was 0 90～1 50 mg/L for nauplius metamorphosis, the metamorphosis rate from nauplius(N 1) to protozoea(Z 1) was raised by 9 4%～11 7%. The promotion of lanthanum to egg embryo development was completed through absorption of lanthanum by egg in the water. The absorption capacity of one egg for lanthanum was 5 89 μg.

Sea water environment copper requirement of egg hatching and naupliar metamorphosis of Peaneus chinensis

A new method was used to remove heavy metals in sea water. The requirement of copper in sea water ofegg hatching and naupliar metamorphosis of Penaeus chinensis was investored. A certain amount of copper ion andchelator nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) were added in the de-heavy-metal-ionized sea water and then the cupric ion actvitywas calculated. The effects of copper ion on egg hatching and naupliar metamorphosis were observed. It was firstfound by experiments that trace ionic copper (10-10.80-10-8.80 mol/dm3) was essential to the growth and development of egg and nauplii of penaeid shrimp and chelated copper had no actions for these living processes,but in highconcentrations (>10 -7.80 mol/dm3) ionic copper was toxic. The nauplii were more sensitive to necessity and tokicityof ionic copper than eggs.

Approach to Nonrigid Body Metamorphosis Using Generalized Morph-translation

An approach of morphing by decomposing two objects into sets of individual convex sub objects respectively and contructing the mapping between two sets is presented The Minkvski addition of two convex sub-objects according to their mapping ralationship is calculated, then all the Minkovski additions are combined to obtain the final result. Nonrigid body motion can be divided into nonrigid body metamorphosis and rigid body rotation A novel method for describing nonrigid body motion based on generalized morph-translation is proposed. This method can solve the metamorphosis problem of two non-homotopic objects. Experiments show tha this method can generate natural, high quality metamorphosis results with simple computation. This method can also be used in interpolation between two keyframes in 2D and 3D computer animation automatically.

Cytoplasmic FKBPs are involved in molting and metamorphosis through regulating the nuclear localization of EcR

Molting and metamorphosis are important physiological processes in insects that are tightly controlled by ecdysone receptor(EcR)through the 20-hydroxyecdysone(20E)signaling pathway.EcR is a steroid nuclear receptor(SR).Several FK506-binding proteins(FKBPs)have been identified from the mammal SR complex,and are thought to be involved in the subcellular trafficking of SR.However,their roles in insects are poorly understood.To explore whether FKBPs are involved in insect molting or metamorphosis,we injected an FKBP inhibitor(FK506)into a lepidopteran insect,Spodoptera litura,and found that molting was inhibited in 61.11%of the larvae,and that the time for larvae to pupate was significantly extended.A total of 10 FKBP genes were identified from the genome of s.litura and were clustered into 2 distinct groups,according to their subcellular localization,with FKBP13 and FKBP14 belonging to the endoplasmic reticulum(ER)group and with the other members belonging to the cytoplasmic(Cy)group.All the CyFKBPs were significantly upregulated in the prepupal or pupal stages,with the opposite being observed for the ER group members.FK506 completely blocked the transfer of EcR to the nucleus under 20E induction,and significantly downregulated the transcriptional expression of many 20E signaling genes.A similar phenomenon was observed after RNA interference of2 CyFKBPs(FKBP45 and FKBP12b),but not for FKBP13.Taken together,our data indicate that the cytoplasmic FKBPs,especially FKBP45 and FKBP12b,mediate the nuclear localization of EcR,thereby regulating the 20E signaling and ultimately affecting molting and metamorphosis in insects.

BmMD-2A responds to 20-hydroxyecdysone and regulates Bombyx mori silkworm innate immunity in larva-to-pupa metamorphosis

20E-hydroxyecdysone(20E)plays important roles in larval molting and metamorphosis in insects and is also involved in the insect innate immune response.Insect metamorphosis is a highly successful strategy for environmental adaptation and is the most vulnerable stage during which the insect is susceptible to various pathogens.20E regulates a series of antimicrobial peptides(AMPs)through the immunodeficiency(IMD)pathway activation in Drosophila;nevertheless,whether other immune pathways are involved in 20E-regulated insect immunity is unknown.Our previous studies showed that BmMD-2A is a member of the MD-2-related lipid recognition(ML)family of proteins that are involved in the Bombyx mori innate immunity Toll signaling pathway.In this study,we further demonstrate that BmMD-2A is also positively regulated by 20E,and the BmMD-2A neutralization experiment suggested that 20E activates some downstream immune effect factors,the AMP genes against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus,through the regulation of BmMD-2A in larval metamorphosis,implying that B.mori may use the Toll-ML signaling pathway to maintain innate immune balance in the larval-pupal metamorphosis stage,which is a different innate immunity pathway regulated by 20E compared to the IMD pathway in Drosophila.

Metabolic changes during larval–pupal metamorphosis of Helicoverpa armigera

Energy metabolism is essential for insect metamorphosis. The accumulation and utilization of energy is still not completely clear during larval–pupal metamorphosis of holometabolous insects. We used metabolome and transcriptome analysis to reveal key metabolic changes in the fat body and plasma and the underlying metabolic regulation mechanism of Helicoverpa armigera, an important global agricultural insect pest, during larval–pupal metamorphosis. During the feeding stage, activation of aerobic glycolysis provided intermediate metabolites and energy for cell proliferation and lipid synthesis. During the non-feeding stages (the initiation of the wandering stage and the prepupal stage), aerobic glycolysis was suppressed, while, triglyceride degradation was activated in the fat body. The blocking of metabolic pathways in the fat body was probably caused by 20-hydroxyecdysone-induced cell apoptosis. 20-hydroxyecdysone cooperated with carnitine to promote the degradation of triglycerides and the accumulation of acylcarnitines in the hemolymph, allowing rapid transportation and supply of lipids from the fat body to other organs, which provided a valuable reference for revealing the metabolic regulation mechanism of lepidopteran larvae during the last instar. Carnitine and acylcarnitines are first reported to be key factors that mediate the degradation and utilization of lipids during larval–pupal metamorphosis of lepidopteran insects.

Molecular response and developmental speculations in metamorphosis of the veined rapa whelk,Rapana venosa

Metamorphosis is the short developmental stage characterized by dramatic ontogenetic changes that occurs in most animals.However,this important process remains largely unclear in marine invertebrates.In this study,we performed the sequential RNA sequencing of a representative mollusk,the rapa whelk(Rapana venosa),that is undergoing metamorphosis and conducted differential gene expression analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA)to investigate the overall and dynamic transcriptome responses.The results revealed that the expression of cytochrome P4502A and 3A were upregulated during metamorphosis,while the expression of H/ACA ribonucleoproteins increased 4 h after metamorphosis induction(M4 stage),indicating that R.venosa mainly responded to the pelagobenthic changes.At the M24 stage,the enrichment of V-type proton ATPase and insulin indicated the complete development of secretory organs and initiation of hormone secretion.Furthermore,at the M48 stage,the enrichment of zinc metalloproteinase and conotoxin indicated a well-developed predation system that requires exogenous nutrition.Finally,during the PL stage,the genes associated with growth control were highly enriched,implying that R.venosa had completed metamorphosis and has entered the period of rapid growth.Therefore,our study provides useful transcriptomic resources for R.venosa and contributes new insights that may assist in elucidating the mechanisms underlying metamorphosis in marine invertebrates.

Myo-inositol accelerates the metamorphosis from megalopa to crablet of Scylla paramamosain by modulating cuticle decomposition and reconstruction

The mud crab Scylla paramamosain is a key species in China due to its high nutritional value and great economic worth and has grown in popularity.Myo-inositol can modulate versatile physiological functions in aquatic animals.In the present study,S.paramamosain megalopa were given graded concentrations of myo-inositol(0,1,2,4,and 8 ppm)by water immersion to explore how their metamorphosis would be affected.The results showed that supplementing with myo-inositol remarkably increased transformation and survival rate from megalopa to crablet by at least 1.16 and 1.26 times,respectively.To decipher the molecular mechanism of how myo-inositol increases metamorphosis and survival rate,we further performed transcriptome-based gene expression profiling of both megalopa and crablet treated with myo-inositol.The integrative transcriptome analyses predicted that the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were significantly enriched in chitinase activity,structural constituent of cuticle,and chitin binding,which are associated with the decomposition and reconstruction of cuticle.qPCR results confirmed that myo-inositol mediated gene expression levels of the above cuticle-related pathways.Considering the importance of the cuticle in exoskeleton formation and molting,it can be concluded that myo-inositol-induced changes in the cuticle decomposition and reconstruction might have accelerated the transformation from megalopa to crablet of S.paramamosain.Besides,numerous DEGs were significantly enriched in protein digestion and absorption,amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism.It implies that myo-inositol may improve survival by regulating energy or nutrient absorption.Additionally,the accelerated metamorphosis by myo-inositol may improve survival from megalopa to crablet of S.paramamosain.Overall,this study will provide the first insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms by which myo-inositol increases metamorphosis and survival.

In Situ Supramolecular Polymerization via Organometallic-Catalyzed Macromolecular Metamorphosis

Integrating catalytic reactions with molecular assembly is a promising means of achieving controllable supramolecular polymerization.We report herein a novel and controllable method for in situ supramolecular polymerization via organometallic-catalyzed macromolecular metamorphosis.To this end,covalent polymers with polypentenamer backbones and pendant supramolecular motifs are designed and synthesized.By depolymerizing the polymers with Grubbs catalysts,the supramolecular motifs can be gradually released from the polymers to the solution.Supramolecular polymerization occurs when a critical concentration is reached.The supramolecular polymerization process was readily controlled by varying the rate of the depolymerization reaction.This work presents a novel approach that uses organometallic catalysis to transform covalent polymers into supramolecular polymers.It offers a new means of constructing complex molecular systems in a controllable manner.

Re-evaluation of thyroid hormone signaling antagonism of tetrabromobisphenol A for validating the T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay

We developed the T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay, which is supposed to be able to sensitively detect thyroid hormone（TH） signaling disruption of chemicals. The present study aimed to validate the T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay by re-evaluating the TH signaling antagonism of tetrabromobisphenol A（TBBPA）, a known TH signaling disruptor. According to the assay we developed, Xenopus tadpoles at stage 52 were exposed to 10–500 nmol/L TBBPA in the presence of 1 nmol/L T3. After 96 hr of exposure, TBBPA in the range of 10–500 nmol/L was found to significantly inhibit T3-induced morphological changes of Xenopus tadpoles in a concentration-dependent manner in term of body weight and four morphological endpoints including head area（HA）, mouth width（MW）, unilateral brain width/brain length（ULBW/BL）, and hind-limb length/snout-vent length（HLL/SVL）.The results show that these endpoints we developed are sensitive for characterizing the antagonistic effects of TBBPA on T3-induced metamorphosis. Following a 24-hr exposure,we found that TBBPA antagonized expression of T3-induced TH-response genes in the tail,which is consistent with previous findings in the intestine. We propose that the tail can be used as an alternative tissue to the intestine for examining molecular endpoints for evaluating TH signaling disruption. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay we developed is an ideal in vivo assay for detecting TH signaling disruption.

Lipid storage regulator CdsA is essential for Drosophila metamorphosis

Steroid hormones are one of the major bioactive lipid species that regulate a large number of physiological processes including developmental transitions, growth, metabolism, inflammation, immune response and reproduction in animals. In insects, steroid hormones ecdysone and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) trigger the major transitional events, molting and metamorphosis (Thummel, 1996). In Drosophila, ecdysone synthesis primarily occurs in the prothoracic gland, an endocrine gland expressing a large number of ecdysone biosynthetic enzymes required for a series of hydroxylation and oxidation steps.

Trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatases are involved in trehalose synthesis and metamorphosis in Bactrocera minax

Trehalose is the principal sugar circulating in the hemolymph of insects,and trehalose synthesis is catalyzed by trehalose-6-phosphate synthase(TPS)and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase(TPP).Insect TPS is a fused enzyme containing both TPS do-main and TPP domain.Thus,many insects do not possess TPP genes as TPSs have re-placed the function of TPPs.However,TPPs are widely distributed across the dipteran insects,while the roles they play remain largely unknown.In this study,3 TPP genes from notorious dipteran pest Bactrocera minax(BmiTPPB,BmiTPPCl,and BmiTPPC2)were identified and characterized.The different temporal-spatial expression patterns of 3 BmiTPPs implied that they exert different functions in B.minax.Recombinant BmiTPPs were heterologously expressed in yeast cells,and all purified proteins exhibited enzy-matic activities,despite the remarkable disparity in performance between BmiTPPB and BmiTPPCs.RNA interference revealed that all BmiTPPs were successfully downregulated after double-stranded RNA injection,leading to decreased trehalose content and increased glucose content.Also,suppression of BmiTPPs significantly affected expression of down-stream genes and increased the mortality and malformation rate.Collectively,these results indicated that all 3 BmiTPPs in B.minax are involved in trehalose synthesis and metamor-phosis.Thus,these genes could be evaluated as insecticidal targets for managing B.minax,andevenforotherdipteranpests.