BackgroundFemale reproductive potential plays a significant role in the survival and stability of species, and sexual maturation and mating processes are crucial. However, our knowledge of the reproductive genes involved in sexual maturation and mating has been largely limited to model organisms. The oriental fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis is a highly invasive agricultural pest, known to cause major economic losses; thus, it is of great value to understand the transcriptional changes involved in sexual maturation and mating processes as well as the related genes. Here, we used a high-throughput sequencing method to identify multiple genes potentially involved in sexual maturation and mating in female B. dorsalis.ResultsWe sequenced 39,999 unique genes with an average length of 883 bp. In total, 3264 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected between mature virgin and immature Bactrocera dorsalis libraries, whereas only 83 DEGs were identified between flies that had mated or were mature virgins. These DEGs were functionally annotated using the GO and KEGG pathway annotation tools. Results showed that the main GO terms associated with the DEGs from the mature virgin vs. immature groups were primarily assigned to the metabolic and developmental processes, which we focused on, whereas those from the mated vs. mature virgin group largely belonged to the response to stimulus and immune system processes. Additionally, we identified multiple DEGs during sexual maturation that are involved in reproduction, and expression pattern analysis revealed that the majority DEGs detected were highly enriched in those linked to the ovaries or fat bodies. Several mating responsive genes differentially expressed after mating were also identified, and all antimicrobial peptides detected were highly enriched in fat body and significantly up-regulated approximately 2- to 10-fold at 24 h after mating.ConclusionThis study supplied female reproductive genes involved in sexual maturation and the post-mating response in B. dorsalis, based on RNA-seq. Our data will facilitate molecular research related to reproduction and provide abundant target genes for effective control of this agricultural pest.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2532-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Objectives To investigate the potential role and mechanism of TUPS, a soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor, in cardiac hypertrophy. Methods Rat and H9C2 cell models of cardiac hypertrophy were induced by isoproterenol and angiotensin II, respectively, followed by TUPS treatment. The expression of hypertrophic markers, ANP and BNP, was determined by quantitative real‐time PCR. The abundance of Beclin‐1, LC3, p‐AMPK and phosphorylated‐mammalian target of rapamycin (p‐mTOR) proteins was analysed by Western blot and immunohistocytology. Cell morphology and viability were evaluated by F‐actin staining and MTS. H9C2 cells were transfected with GFP‐LC3 to evaluate autophagy flux. Key findings TUPS significantly inhibited rat heart size, heart weight‐to‐body weight ratio, heart wall thickness, hypertrophic H9C2 cell swelling and viability suppression as well as the expression of ANP and BNP genes in hypertrophic models. In addition, autophagic markers Beclin‐1 and LC3 were elevated in both cellular and animal models, which were suppressed by TUPS, with corresponding changes of autophagy flux. The abundance of p‐AMPK was increased, while p‐mTOR was decreased in hypertrophic cells, which were abolished by TUPS. Rapamycin decreased p‐mTOR level, increased Beclin‐1 and LC3 expression and induced cell size enlargement and cell viability inhibition in hypertrophic H9C2 cells treated with TUPS. Conclusions TUPS inhibits cardiac hypertrophy by regulating mTOR/autophagy axis.

The insulin and 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E) pathways coordinately regulate insect vitellogenesis and ovarian development. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms such as the genes mediating the cooperation of the interaction of these 2 pathways in regulating insect reproductive development are not well understood. In the present study, a small GTPase, Rab40C, was identified from the notorious agricultural pest Bactrocera dorsalis. In addition to the well‐known RAB domain, it also has a unique SOCS‐box domain, which is different from other Rab‐GTPases. Moreover, we found that Rab40C was enriched in the ovaries of sexually mature females. RNA interference (RNAi)‐mediated knockdown of BdRab40C resulted in a decrease in vitellogenin synthesis, underdeveloped ovaries, and low fertility. Furthermore, depletion of insulin receptor InR or the heterodimer receptor of 20E (EcR or USP) by RNAi significantly decreased the transcription of BdRab40C and resulted in lower fecundity. Further studies revealed that the transcription of BdRab40C could be upregulated by the injection of insulin or 20E. These results indicate that Rab40C participates in the insulin and 20E pathways to coordinately regulate reproduction in B. dorsalis. Our results not only provide new insights into the insulin‐ and 20E‐stimulated regulatory pathways controlling female reproduction in insects but also contribute to the development of potential eco‐friendly strategies for pest control.