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Novel Targets in Pest Control: Molecular Characterization, Structural and Biochemical Properties, Physiological Functions, and Evolution

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Cross-Field Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 12340

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qian Han

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Tropical Veterinary Medicine and Vector Biology, School of Life Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
Interests: mosquito; structural biology; enzyme; vector biology; aromatic anino acid
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Nannan Liu

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Guest Editor

Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
Interests: pesticide resistance mechanism

Prof. Dr. Qisheng Song

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Guest Editor

Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
Interests: TGF beta receptor; Tribolium

Prof. Dr. Jinsong Zhu

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Guest Editor

Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
Interests: mosquito; development and reproduction; hormones; insect growth regulators

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant pests and animal and human disease vectors are usually arthropods, including insects, arachnids, and crustaceans. The use of pesticides remains the first-line choice for integrated pest management. Pesticide use is considered the most effective method for the management of disease vectors. However, many pests have developed drug resistance against conventional pesticides. The discovery of new pesticide targets together with characterization of the new biochemical and structural properties of old targets will be of great help in developing new pesticides, including insecticides and arachnicides, with novel modes of action or new strategies to overcome pesticide resistance.

This issue of Molecules welcomes submissions focusing on, but not limited to, the following themes:

Innovative research on the role of synthetic or natural products for pest control.
Global studies aimed at identifying novel targets for pest control.
Functional analysis of old, new, and potential targets for pest control.
Molecular characterization of the structural and biochemical properties of novel and potential targets for pest control.
Evolution of novel and potential pesticide targets of disease vectors.
Pesticide resistance mechanisms.

Prof. Dr. Qian Han
Prof. Dr. Nannan Liu
Prof. Dr. Qisheng Song
Prof. Dr. Jinsong Zhu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

pesticide target
synthetic or natural products for pest control
insecticide
molecular characterization
function
evolution

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 4403 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Lifetime of a Dispenser-Release Rates of Olive Fruit Fly-Associated Yeast Volatile Compounds and Their Influence on Olive Fruit Fly (Bactrocera oleae Rossi) Attraction

by Maja Veršić Bratinčević, Ana Bego, Ivana Nižetić Kosović, Maja Jukić Špika, Filipa Burul, Marijana Popović, Tonka Ninčević Runjić and Elda Vitanović

Molecules 2023, 28(6), 2431; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28062431 - 07 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1207

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the release rate, duration, and biological efficiency of yeast volatile compounds associated with olive fruit flies in slow-release dispensers, polypropylene vials, and rubber septa attached to yellow sticky traps under different environmental conditions in order to protect the environment, humans, and nontarget organisms. Isoamyl alcohol, 2-octanone, and 2-phenethyl acetate were placed in dispensers and tested over a four-week experiment. The weight loss of the volatile compounds in both dispensers was measured, and a rapid, inexpensive, and simple HS-GC/FID method was developed to determine the residual amount of volatiles in the septa. 2-Phenethyl acetate stood out in the rubber septa and showed a statistically significant difference in the release ratio compared to the other volatiles under all conditions tested. Our results showed that the attraction of olive fruit flies increased with decreasing concentrations of the tested volatiles. Regarding the number of flies attracted by rubber septa containing 2-phenethyl acetate, significantly better results were obtained than for septa containing isoamyl alcohol and 2-octanone, in contrast to the attraction of olive fruit flies to polypropylene vials containing these compounds but without significant difference. Since the presence of all tested chemicals was detected during the experiment, this opens the possibility of using more environmentally friendly and cost-effective dispensers with a significantly lower amount of semiochemicals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Targets in Pest Control: Molecular Characterization, Structural and Biochemical Properties, Physiological Functions, and Evolution)

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15 pages, 4594 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study of Larvicidal Activity of Spinel Co₃O₄ Nanorods and Entomopathogenic Metarhizium brunneum Conidia against Culex pipiens

by Rania A. Mohamed, Wageha A. Mostafa, Lamyaa M. Kassem, Niveen M. Ghazali and Ahmed G. El-Shamy

Molecules 2022, 27(20), 7035; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27207035 - 18 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1156

Abstract

Herein, we report the synthesis of spinel cobalt oxide nanorods (Co₃O₄ NRs) by a modified co-precipitation approach and examine their larvicidal activity against Culex pipiens. The structure and morphology of the as-prepared Co₃O₄ NRs were emphasized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that Co₃O₄ nanostructures have a face-centered spinel cubic crystal structure with a mean crystallite size of 38 nm. These nanostructures have a rod like shape with a mean diameter of 30 nm and an average length of 60 nm. The TGA measurements revealed the high stability of the formed spinel cubic structure at 400 °C. The optical behavior indicates the direct transition of electrons through an optical band gap in the range of 2.92–3.08 eV. These unique chemical and physical properties of Co₃O₄ NRs enabled them to be employed as a strong agent for killing the C. pipiens. A comparison study was employed between the as-prepared Co₃O₄ and the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum as a control agent of C. pipiens larvae. The results revealed that the as-prepared nanorods have higher mortality against C. pipiens larvae compared with the well-known M. brunneum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Targets in Pest Control: Molecular Characterization, Structural and Biochemical Properties, Physiological Functions, and Evolution)

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16 pages, 5646 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The TGF-β Receptor Gene Saxophone Influences Larval-Pupal-Adult Development in Tribolium castaneum

by Jingjing Li, Letong Yin, Jingxiu Bi, David Stanley, Qili Feng and Qisheng Song

Molecules 2022, 27(18), 6017; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27186017 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1513

Abstract

The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily encodes a large group of proteins, including TGF-β isoforms, bone morphogenetic proteins and activins that act through conserved cell-surface receptors and signaling co-receptors. TGF-β signaling in insects controls physiological events, including growth, development, diapause, caste determination and metamorphosis. In this study, we used the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, as a model species to investigate the role of the type I TGF-β receptor, saxophone (Sax), in mediating development. Developmental and tissue-specific expression profiles indicated Sax is constitutively expressed during development with lower expression in 19- and 20-day (6th instar) larvae. RNAi knockdown of Sax in 19-day larvae prolonged developmental duration from larvae to pupae and significantly decreased pupation and adult eclosion in a dose-dependent manner. At 50 ng dsSax/larva, Sax knockdown led to an 84.4% pupation rate and 46.3% adult emergence rate. At 100 ng and 200 ng dsSax/larva, pupation was down to 75.6% and 50%, respectively, with 0% adult emergence following treatments with both doses. These phenotypes were similar to those following knockdowns of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) receptor genes, ecdysone receptor (EcR) or ultraspiracle protein (USP). Expression of 20E biosynthesis genes disembodied and spookier, 20E receptor genes EcR and USP, and 20E downstream genes BrC and E75, were suppressed after the Sax knockdown. Topical application of 20E on larvae treated with dsSax partially rescued the dsSax-driven defects. We can infer that the TGF-β receptor gene Sax influences larval-pupal-adult development via 20E signaling in T. castaneum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Targets in Pest Control: Molecular Characterization, Structural and Biochemical Properties, Physiological Functions, and Evolution)

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13 pages, 3236 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Secondary Metabolites Profile in Horse Chestnut Leaves Infested with Horse-Chestnut Leaf Miner

by Małgorzata Materska, Marzena Pabich, Monika Sachadyn-Król, Agata Konarska, Elżbieta Weryszko-Chmielewska, Barbara Chilczuk, Monika Staszowska-Karkut, Izabella Jackowska and Marta Dmitruk

Molecules 2022, 27(17), 5471; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27175471 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1174

Abstract

Natural defensive substances synthesized by plants that could replace synthetic pesticides in the protection of plants against insect invasions are constantly being sought. The study assessed changes in the qualitative and quantitative composition of secondary metabolites in horse chestnut leaves collected in different locations and differing in the sensitivity of the plant to the invasion by the horse-chestnut leaf miner. An attempt was made to identify compounds that are most responsible for the increased plant resistance to this threat. Additionally, changes in the anatomy of chestnut leaves affected by the pest were presented. It was noticed that the trees differed in the composition of secondary metabolites already in the initial growing season, which should be related to the influence of habitat conditions. The analysis of the profile of the compounds in non-infested and infested horse chestnut leaves revealed a clear response of the plant to the stress factor, i.e., the foraging of the horse-chestnut leaf miner. Catechins seem to be compounds involved in plant resistance. The leaf anatomy showed enhanced accumulation of phenolic compounds at the pest foraging sites. Hypertrophy and thickened and cracked cell walls of the spongy parenchyma were visible in the vicinity of the mines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Targets in Pest Control: Molecular Characterization, Structural and Biochemical Properties, Physiological Functions, and Evolution)

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21 pages, 4148 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biochemical Evolution of a Potent Target of Mosquito Larvicide, 3-Hydroxykynurenine Transaminase

by Huaqing Chen, Biswajit Bhowmick, Yu Tang, Jesus Lozano-Fernandez and Qian Han

Molecules 2022, 27(15), 4929; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27154929 - 02 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1454

Abstract

A specific mosquito enzyme, 3-hydroxykynurenine transaminase (HKT), is involved in the processing of toxic metabolic intermediates of the tryptophan metabolic pathway. The HKT enzymatic product, xanthurenic acid, is required for Plasmodium spp. development in the mosquito vectors. Therefore, an inhibitor of HKT may not only be a mosquitocide but also a malaria-transmission blocker. In this work, we present a study investigating the evolution of HKT, which is a lineage-specific duplication of an alanine glyoxylate aminotransferases (AGT) in mosquitoes. Synteny analyses, together with the phylogenetic history of the AGT family, suggests that HKT and the mosquito AGTs are paralogous that were formed via a duplication event in their common ancestor. Furthermore, 41 amino acid sites with significant evidence of positive selection were identified, which could be responsible for biochemical and functional evolution and the stability of conformational stabilization. To get a deeper understanding of the evolution of ligands’ capacity and the ligand-binding mechanism of HKT, the sequence and the 3D homology model of the common ancestor of HKT and AGT in mosquitoes, ancestral mosquito AGT (AncMosqAGT), were inferred and built. The homology model along with 3-hydroxykynurenine, kynurenine, and alanine were used in docking experiments to predict the binding capacity and ligand-binding mode of the new substrates related to toxic metabolites detoxification. Our study provides evidence for the dramatic biochemical evolution of the key detoxifying enzyme and provides potential sites that could hinder the detoxification function, which may be used in mosquito larvicide and design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Targets in Pest Control: Molecular Characterization, Structural and Biochemical Properties, Physiological Functions, and Evolution)

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16 pages, 1498 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Buzz on Insecticides: A Review of Uses, Molecular Structures, Targets, Adverse Effects, and Alternatives

by Maria F. Araújo, Elisabete M. S. Castanheira and Sérgio F. Sousa

Molecules 2023, 28(8), 3641; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28083641 - 21 Apr 2023

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4825

Abstract

Insecticides play a critical role in controlling the spread of insect-borne diseases and preserving crop health. These chemical substances are specifically formulated to kill or manage insect populations. Over the years, various types of insecticides have been developed, including organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids, each with unique modes of action, physiological targets, and efficacy. Despite the advantages that insecticides offer, it is imperative to recognize the potential consequences on non-target species, the environment, and human health. It is therefore crucial to follow recommended label instructions and employ integrated pest management practices for the judicious use of insecticides. This review article provides an in-depth examination of the various types of insecticides, including their modes of action, physiological targets, environmental and human health impacts, and alternatives. The aim is to furnish a comprehensive overview of insecticides and to emphasize the significance of responsible and sustainable utilization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Targets in Pest Control: Molecular Characterization, Structural and Biochemical Properties, Physiological Functions, and Evolution)

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