Phenoloxidases/tyrosinases initiate melanin synthesis in almost all organisms, and are involved in different biological activities such as the colour change of human hair and the browning or blackening of fruit skin etc. In many invertebrates, defence reactions are linked to phenoloxidase activity and/or melanization. Contacts with foreign molecules are able to trigger the prophenoloxidase (pro...

Organic and inorganic contaminants can suppress immune function in molluscs and crustaceans. It was postulated that metals could modulate immune function in marine crabs. To test this hypothesis, sublethal effects of mercury (Hg) on cellular immune and biochemical responses of crabs were determined. When crabs were exposed for 14 d to environmentally-relevant concentrations of Hg, changes in im...

The use of insecticides, especially neonicotinoids (NEOCs), poses a significant threat to honey bees, thus prompting the EU ban all outdoor uses clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam. However, due persistence NEOCs, as well fact that certain NEOCs are in some areas world, exposure them is still an on-going issue. In present study, we used laboratory acute toxicity test examine effects su...

Immune defence is an important determinant of organismal fitness. While theoretical models based on tradeoffs in resource allocation predict quantitative immune traits to be subject stabilizing selection due associated energetic costs and self-harm, empirical studies report mainly positive directional selection. This discrepancy may arise from multiple ecological factors that vary nature could ...

This paper reports the isolation of phenoloxidase-negative mutants of the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium and the results of a survey of idiophasic functions among these mutants. The mutant strains were isolated from a medium containing o-anisidine after gamma irradiation of wild-type spores and fell into four classes, divided by the manner in which they mineralized 14C-lignin whea...

The cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni is an important agricultural pest worldwide and frequently used as a model organism for assessing entomopathogenic fungi virulence, though few studies have measured the host response repertoire to fungal biocontrol agents. Here, we quantified immune of T. larvae following exposure two species: Beauveria bassiana Cordyceps javanica. Results from our study demon...

The total haemocyte count (THC), phenoloxidase activity, respiratory burst (release of superoxide anion), superoxide dismutase activity, and phagocytic activity and clearance efficiency to the pathogen Lactococcus garvieae were measured when freshwater giant prawns Macrobrachium rosenbergii (16.2 +/- 2.1 g) were individually injected with saline, or dopamine at 0.5, 5.0, or 50.0 pmol prawn(-1)....

Insects in the Order Odonata are highly subject to infection by gregarine parasites. However, despite important ecological roles that insects play every ecosystem which they exist, little research has been devoted description of insect immunity. rely heavily on rapid actions innate immune mechanisms prevent infection. We characterized melanization response hemolymph green darner dragonfly (Anax...

The maintenance of the immune system can be costly, and a lack of dietary protein can increase the susceptibility of organisms to disease. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between protein nutrition and immunity in insects. Here, we tested in honeybees (Apis mellifera) whether dietary protein quantity (monofloral pollen) and diet diversity (polyfloral pollen) can shape bas...