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Tag: Michael Strand

Riboflavin instability is a key factor underlying the requirement of a gut microbiota for mosquito development

Donna Huber on April 9, 2021

We previously determined that several diets used to rear Aedes aegypti and other mosquito species support the development of larvae with a gut microbiota but do not support the development of axenic larvae. In contrast, axenic larvae have been shown to develop when fed other diets. To understand the mechanisms underlying this dichotomy, we developed a defined …

Whole blood and blood components from vertebrates differentially affect egg formation in three species of anautogenous mosquitoes

Donna Huber on February 24, 2021

Background: Most female mosquitoes are anautogenous and must blood feed on a vertebrate host to produce eggs. Prior studies show that the number of eggs females lay per clutch correlates with the volume of blood ingested and that protein is the most important macronutrient for egg formation. In contrast, how whole blood, blood fractions and specific …

MdBVe46 is an envelope protein that is required for virion formation by Microplitis demolitor bracovirus

Donna Huber on February 16, 2021

Bracoviruses (BVs) are endogenized nudiviruses that braconid parasitoid wasps have coopted for functions in parasitizing hosts. Microplitis demolitor is a braconid wasp that produces Microplitis demolitor bracovirus (MdBV) and parasitizes the larval stage of the moth Chrysodeixis includens. Some BV core genes are homologs of genes also present in baculoviruses while others are only known from nudiviruses or …

Gene content evolution in the arthropods

Donna Huber on January 23, 2020

Abstract BACKGROUND: Arthropods comprise the largest and most diverse phylum on Earth and play vital roles in nearly every ecosystem. Their diversity stems in part from variations on a conserved body plan, resulting from and recorded in adaptive changes in the genome. Dissection of the genomic record of sequence change enables broad questions regarding genome …

Predaceous Toxorhynchites mosquitoes require a living gut microbiota to develop

Donna Huber on January 22, 2020

Most species of mosquitoes are detritivores that feed on decaying plant and animal materials in their aquatic environment. Studies of several detritivorous mosquito species indicate that they host relatively low diversity communities of microbes that are acquired from the environment while feeding. Our recent results also indicate that detritivorous species normally require a living gut …

The genomes of two parasitic wasps that parasitize the diamondback moth

Donna Huber on November 21, 2019

Background Parasitic insects are well-known biological control agents for arthropod pests worldwide. They are capable of regulating their host’s physiology, development and behaviour. However, many of the molecular mechanisms involved in host-parasitoid interaction remain unknown. Results We sequenced the genomes of two parasitic wasps (Cotesia vestalis, and Diadromus collaris) that parasitize the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella using Illumina …

Preferential infectivity of entomopathogenic nematodes in an envenomed host

Donna Huber on July 12, 2019

  Entomopathogenic nematodes and parasitoid wasps are used as biological control agents for management of insect pests such as the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella. The parasitoid wasp Habrobracon hebetor injects a paralytic venom into P. interpunctella larvae before laying eggs. A previous study reported that the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis indica preferentially infects P. interpunctella that have been envenomed by H. hebetor while results in this study …

Toll family members bind multiple Spätzle proteins and activate antimicrobial peptide gene expression in Drosophila

Donna Huber on May 14, 2019

This illustration depicts a dorsal view of the “common” fruit fly, or “vinegar” fly, Drosophila melanogaster.Courtesy of Public Health Image Library The Toll signaling pathway in Drosophila melanogaster regulates several immune-related functions, including the expression of antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes.  The canonical Toll receptor (Toll-1) is activated by the cytokine Spätzle (Spz-1), but Drosophila encodes …

What’s Bugging MICHAEL STRAND?

Donna Huber on May 13, 2019

by Leigh Beeson When warm weather approaches, so do pesky little bloodsucking pests. The unassuming mosquito may be smaller than a dime, but it packs a serious punch, killing more people each year than any other animal. And with average temperatures climbing around the globe, different mosquito species are making their way farther north than ever …

$1.5 million initiative to upgrade labs across campus

Donna Huber on February 18, 2019

A $1.5 million initiative to upgrade labs across campus is enabling faculty members such as Regents Professor Michael Strand to enhance their research productivity. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/ UGA) Athens, Ga. – Labs and research support spaces across campus will be getting an upgrade, thanks to a $1.5 million presidential initiative that seeks to build on …