0000000000358570
AUTHOR
Stefano Parenti
Neuropeptidome regulation after baculovirus infection. A focus on proctolin and its relevance in locomotion and digestion
AbstractBaculoviruses constitute a large group of invertebrate DNA viruses, predominantly infecting larvae of the insect order Lepidoptera. During a baculovirus infection, the virus spreads throughout the insect body producing a systemic infection in multiple larval tissues. Some behavioral and physiological changes in lepidopteran larvae have been described following a baculovirus infection and those changes could be connected with alterations in the host’s central nervous system (CNS). As a main component of the CNS, neuropeptides are small protein-like molecules functioning as neurohormones, neurotransmitters or neuromodulators. These peptides are involved in regulating animal physiology…
Identification of new viruses specific to the honey bee mite Varroa destructor
AbstractLarge-scale colony losses among managed Western honey bees have become a serious threat to the beekeeping industry in the last decade. There are multiple factors contributing to these losses but the impact of Varroa destructor parasitism is by far the most important, along with the contribution of some pathogenic viruses vectored by the mite. So far, more than 20 viruses have been identified infecting the honey bee, most of them RNA viruses. They may be maintained either as covert infections or causing severe symptomatic infections, compromising the viability of the colony. In silico analysis of available transcriptomic data obtained from mites collected in the USA and Europe as wel…
A proctolin-like peptide is regulated after baculovirus infection and mediates in caterpillar locomotion and digestion
Baculoviruses constitute a large group of invertebrate DNA viruses, predominantly infecting larvae of the insect order Lepidoptera. During a baculovirus infection, the virus spreads throughout the insect body producing a systemic infection in multiple larval tissues, included the central nervous system (CNS). As a main component of the CNS, neuropeptides are small protein-like molecules functioning as neurohormones, neurotransmitters, or neuromodulators. These peptides are involved in regulating animal physiology and behavior and could be altered after baculovirus infection. In this study, we have investigated the effect of Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) infection …