We report here genome sequences and comparative analyses of three closely related parasitoid wasps: Nasonia vitripennis, N. giraulti, and N. longicornis. Parasitoids are important regulators of arthropod populations, including major agricultural pests and disease vectors, and Nasonia is an emerging genetic model, particularly for evolutionary and developmental genetics. Key findings include the identification of a functional DNA methylation tool kit; hymenopteran-specific genes including diverse venoms; lateral gene transfers among Pox viruses, Wolbachia, and Nasonia; and the rapid evolution of genes involved in nuclear-mitochondrial interactions that are implicated in speciation. Newly developed genome resources advance Nasonia for genetic research, accelerate mapping and cloning of quantitative trait loci, and will ultimately provide tools and knowledge for further increasing the utility of parasitoids as pest insect-control agents.

Summary Maternal metabolic homeostasis exerts long-term effects on the offspring's health outcomes. Here, we demonstrate that maternal high fat diet (HFD)-feeding during lactation predisposes the offspring for obesity and impaired glucose homeostasis in mice, which is associated with an impairment of the hypothalamic melanocortin circuitry. Whereas the number and neuropeptide expression of anorexigenic proopiomelanocortin-(POMC) and orexigenic agoui-related peptide (AgRP)-neurons, electrophysiological properties of POMC-neurons and posttranslational processing of POMC remain unaffected in response to maternal HFD-feeding during lactation, the formation of POMC- and AgRP-projections to hypothalamic target sites is severely impaired. Abrogating insulin action in POMC-neurons of the offspring prevents altered POMC-projections to the preautonomic paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH), pancreatic parasympathetic innervation and impaired glucose-stimulated insulin-secretion in response to maternal overnutrition. These experiments reveal a critical timing, when altered maternal metabolism disrupts metabolic homeostasis in the offspring via impairing neuronal projections and that abnormal insulin signaling contributes to this effect.

Neuropeptides and protein hormones are ancient molecules that mediate cell-to-cell communication. The whole genome sequence from the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, along with those from other insect species, provides an opportunity to study the evolution of the genes encoding neuropeptide and protein hormones. We identified 41 of these genes in the Tribolium genome by using a combination of bioinformatic and peptidomic approaches. These genes encode >80 mature neuropeptides and protein hormones, 49 peptides of which were experimentally identified by peptidomics of the central nervous system and other neuroendocrine organs. Twenty-three genes have orthologs in Drosophila melanogaster: Sixteen genes in five different groups are likely the result of recent gene expansions during beetle evolution. These five groups contain peptides related to antidiuretic factor-b (ADF-b), CRF-like diuretic hormone (DH37 and DH47 of Tribolium), adipokinetic hormone (AKH), eclosion hormone, and insulin-like peptide. In addition, we found a gene encoding an arginine-vasopressin-like (AVPL) peptide and one for its receptor. Both genes occur only in Tribolium and not in other holometabolous insects with a sequenced genome. The presence of many additional osmoregulatory peptides in Tribolium agrees well with its ability to live in very dry surroundings. In contrast to these extra genes, there are at least nine neuropeptide genes missing in Tribolium, including the genes encoding the prepropeptides for corazonin, kinin, and allatostatin-A. The cognate receptor genes for these three peptides also appear to be absent in the Tribolium genome. Our analysis of Tribolium indicates that, during insect evolution, genes for neuropeptides and protein hormones are often duplicated or lost.[Supplemental material is available online at www.genome.org.] Multicellular organisms use signaling molecules for cell-to-cell communication. Important among these signaling molecules are peptides and protein hormones which are produced in endocrine cells or neurons as larger precursors. These precursors (prepropeptides) are cleaved and further modified to yield mature peptides that are secreted into the extracellular environment. Peptides exert their action by binding to membrane receptors, mostly being G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), although some of them are receptor tyrosine kinases.Studies of a number of insect species have provided invaluable information for understanding the function and the evolution of neuropeptides. Earlier studies on insect neuropeptides have used large physiological model species (i.e., locust, cockroach, and moth), and these have provided the groundwork for identifying the active signaling molecules. Further characterization of the functions of neuropeptides has been provided by recent genetic studies in Drosophila melanogaster, examining the genetic null mutants and cell ablations of specific peptidergic cells (McNabb et al. 1997;Park et al. 2002aPark et al. , 2003Kim and Rulifson 2004;Isabel et al. 2005;Kim et al. 2006)....

The bed bug, Cimex lectularius, has re-established itself as a ubiquitous human ectoparasite throughout much of the world during the past two decades. This global resurgence is likely linked to increased international travel and commerce in addition to widespread insecticide resistance. Analyses of the C. lectularius sequenced genome (650 Mb) and 14,220 predicted protein-coding genes provide a comprehensive representation of genes that are linked to traumatic insemination, a reduced chemosensory repertoire of genes related to obligate hematophagy, host–symbiont interactions, and several mechanisms of insecticide resistance. In addition, we document the presence of multiple putative lateral gene transfer events. Genome sequencing and annotation establish a solid foundation for future research on mechanisms of insecticide resistance, human–bed bug and symbiont–bed bug associations, and unique features of bed bug biology that contribute to the unprecedented success of C. lectularius as a human ectoparasite.

Maintenance of biological functions under negative energy balance depends on mobilization of storage lipids and carbohydrates in animals. In mammals, glucagon and glucocorticoid signaling mobilizes energy reserves, whereas adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) play a homologous role in insects. Numerous studies based on AKH injections and correlative studies in a broad range of insect species established the view that AKH acts as master regulator of energy mobilization during development, reproduction, and stress. In contrast to AKH, the second peptide, which is processed from the Akh encoded prohormone [termed "adipokinetic hormone precursor-related peptide" (APRP)] is functionally orphan. APRP is discussed as ecdysiotropic hormone or as scaffold peptide during AKH prohormone processing. However, as in the case of AKH, final evidence for APRP functions requires genetic mutant analysis. Here we employed CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome engineering to create AKH and AKH plus APRP-specific mutants in the model insect Drosophila melanogaster. Lack of APRP did not affect any of the tested steroid-dependent processes. Similarly, Drosophila AKH signaling is dispensable for ontogenesis, locomotion, oogenesis, and homeostasis of lipid or carbohydrate storage until up to the end of metamorphosis. During adulthood, however, AKH regulates body fat content and the hemolymph sugar level as well as nutritional and oxidative stress responses. Finally, we provide evidence for a negative autoregulatory loop in Akh gene regulation.KEYWORDS Drosophila; adipokinetic hormone; adipokinetic hormone precursor-related peptide; energy homeostasis; stress resistance E NERGY homeostasis requires continuous compensation for fluctuations in the energy expenditure and availability of food resources. Organisms thus build up reserves under positive energy balance and catabolize them when the balance turns negative to retain stable levels of circulating energy fuel. Insulin signaling induces the uptake of excessive circulating sugars, thus promoting reserve accumulation (reviewed, e.g., in Saltiel and Kahn 2001; Cohen 2006), whereas energy mobilization is under the control of glucagon and glucocorticoid signaling in mammals (reviewed, e.g., in Rui 2014;Charron and Vuguin 2015) and adipokinetic hormone (AKH) signaling in insects (reviewed, e.g., in Van der Horst 2003;Lorenz and Gäde 2009;Bednářová et al. 2013a). Consistent with their fundamental physiological function in energy mobilization, AKHs are found not only in insects, but are common in Protostomia, where they have been identified both in Ecdyszoa (in Arthropoda, Tardigrada, and Priapulida) and Lophotrochozoa (in Mollusca, Rotifera, and Annelida) (Gäde 2009;Hauser and Grimmelikhuijzen 2014). Nevertheless, physiological functions of AKHs have been studied mainly in Arthropoda. Similar to mammals, also insects store lipids in the form of triacylglycerides (TGs) and as carbohydrates in the form of glycogen. The main storage organ for lipid and glycogen in insects is the fat body, which can thus b...