Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
9,882
result(s) for
"Metamorphosis"
Sort by:
It transforms! : magical animals that change before your eyes
All living things develop through a unique life cycle, but some animals go through greater changes than others. This transformation is called metamorphosis. Learn more about two types of metamorphosis complete and incomplete. Discover what animals' are like throughout the stages of their lives. Meets Next Generation Science Standards.
Book
Transcription factor E93 specifies adult metamorphosis in hemimetabolous and holometabolous insects
All immature animals undergo remarkable morphological and physiological changes to become mature adults. In winged insects, metamorphic changes either are limited to a few tissues (hemimetaboly) or involve a complete reorganization of most tissues and organs (holometaboly). Despite the differences, the genetic switch between immature and adult forms in both types of insects relies on the disappearance of the antimetamorphic juvenile hormone (JH) and the transcription factors Krüppel-homolog 1 (Kr-h1) and Broad-Complex (BR-C) during the last juvenile instar. Here, we show that the transcription factor E93 is the key determinant that promotes adult metamorphosis in both hemimetabolous and holometabolous insects, thus acting as the universal adult specifier. In the hemimetabolous insect Blattella germanica , BgE93 is highly expressed in metamorphic tissues, and RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of BgE93 in the nymphal stage prevented the nymphal–adult transition, inducing endless reiteration of nymphal development, even in the absence of JH. We also find that BgE93 down-regulated BgKr-h1 and BgBR-C expression during the last nymphal instar of B. germanica , a key step necessary for proper adult differentiation. This essential role of E93 is conserved in holometabolous insects as TcE93 RNAi in Tribolium castaneum prevented pupal–adult transition and produced a supernumerary second pupa. In this beetle, TcE93 also represses expression of TcKr-h1 and TcBR-C during the pupal stage. Similar results were obtained in the more derived holometabolous insect Drosophila melanogaster , suggesting that winged insects use the same regulatory mechanism to promote adult metamorphosis. This study provides an important insight into the understanding of the molecular basis of adult metamorphosis.
Journal Article
Little monsters of the ocean : metamorphosis under the waves
\"Metamorphosis can be found throughout nature beyond just caterpillars and tadpoles. This.fresh spin on the highly curricular topic explores some of the ocean's most fascinating creatures while explaining how and why these creatures metamorphose\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Autophagy-dependent cell death
Autophagy-dependent cell death can be defined as cell demise that has a strict requirement of autophagy. Although autophagy often accompanies cell death following many toxic insults, the requirement of autophagic machinery for cell death execution, as established through specific genetic or chemical inhibition of the process, is highly contextual. During animal development, perhaps the best validated model of autophagy-dependent cell death is the degradation of the larval midgut during larval–pupal metamorphosis, where a number of key autophagy genes are required for the removal of the tissues. Surprisingly though, even in the midgut, not all of the ‘canonical’ autophagic machinery appears to be required. In other organisms and cancer cells many variations of autophagy-dependent cell death are apparent, pointing to the lack of a unifying cell death pathway. It is thus possible that components of the autophagy machinery are selectively utilised or repurposed for this type of cell death. In this review, we discuss examples of cell death that utilise autophagy machinery (or part thereof), the current knowledge of the complexity of autophagy-dependent cellular demise and the potential mechanisms and regulatory pathways involved in such cell death.
Journal Article
Transcriptional regulation of juvenile hormone-mediated induction of Krüppel homolog 1, a repressor of insect metamorphosis
The Krüppel homolog 1 gene (Kr-h1) has been proposed to play a key role in the repression of insect metamorphosis. Kr-h1 is assumed to be induced by juvenile hormone (JH) via a JH receptor, methoprene-tolerant (Met), but the mechanism of induction is unclear. To elucidate the molecular mechanism of Kr-h1 induction, we first cloned cDNAs encoding Kr-h1 (BmKr-h1) and Met (BmMet1 and BmMet2) homologs from Bombyx mori . In a B. mori cell line, BmKr-h1 was rapidly induced by subnanomolar levels of natural JHs. Reporter assays identified a JH response element (k JHRE), comprising 141 nucleotides, located ∼2 kb upstream from the BmKr-h1 transcription start site. The core region of k JHRE (GGCCTCCACGTG) contains a canonical E-box sequence to which Met, a basic helix–loop–helix Per-ARNT-Sim (bHLH–PAS) transcription factor, is likely to bind. In mammalian HEK293 cells, which lack an intrinsic JH receptor, ectopic expression of BmMet2 fused with Gal4DBD induced JH-dependent activity of an upstream activation sequence reporter. Meanwhile, the k JHRE reporter was activated JH-dependently in HEK293 cells only when cotransfected with BmMet2 and BmSRC, another bHLH–PAS family member, suggesting that BmMet2 and BmSRC jointly interact with k JHRE. We also found that the interaction between BmMet2 and BmSRC is dependent on JH. Therefore, we propose the following hypothesis for the mechanism of JH-mediated induction of BmKr-h1 : BmMet2 accepts JH as a ligand, JH-liganded BmMet2 interacts with BmSRC, and the JH/BmMet2/BmSRC complex activates BmKr-h1 by interacting with k JHRE.
Journal Article
Caterpillar to butterfly
This look & learn board book shows the stages of a caterpillar changing into a butterfly.
Book
MiR-2 family regulates insect metamorphosis by controlling the juvenile hormone signaling pathway
In 2009 we reported that depletion of Dicer-1, the enzyme that catalyzes the final step of miRNA biosynthesis, prevents metamorphosis in Blattella germanica . However, the precise regulatory roles of miRNAs in the process have remained elusive. In the present work, we have observed that Dicer-1 depletion results in an increase of mRNA levels of Krúñíóüüüppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1), a juvenile hormone-dependent transcription factor that represses metamorphosis, and that depletion of Kr-h1 expression in Dicer-1 knockdown individuals rescues metamorphosis. We have also found that the 3′UTR of Kr-h1 mRNA contains a functional binding site for miR-2 family miRNAs (for miR-2, miR-13a, and miR-13b). These data suggest that metamorphosis impairment caused by Dicer-1 and miRNA depletion is due to a deregulation of Kr-h1 expression and that this deregulation is derived from a deficiency of miR-2 miRNAs. We corroborated this by treating the last nymphal instar of B. germanica with an miR-2 inhibitor, which impaired metamorphosis, and by treating Dicer-1-depleted individuals with an miR-2 mimic to allow nymphal-to-adult metamorphosis to proceed. Taken together, the data indicate that miR-2 miRNAs scavenge Kr-h1 transcripts when the transition from nymph to adult should be taking place, thus crucially contributing to the correct culmination of metamorphosis.
Significance MicroRNAs are short, single-stranded RNAs that bind to target mRNAs and block their translation. Five years ago we observed in the cockroach Blattella germanica that general depletion of microRNAs prevents metamorphosis. This observation led to two key questions: Which microRNAs are involved in this action, and which target do they act on? The results reported herein show that the microRNAs involved are those of an miR-2 family (miR-2, miR-13a, and miR-13b), and the target is the transcription factor Krúñíóüppel homolog 1, a master repressor of insect metamorphosis. The data presented indicate that miR-2 microRNAs rapidly clear Krúñíóüüppel homolog 1 transcripts in the last nymphal instar, a process that is crucial for proper metamorphosis. This reveals the elegant mechanism of an miRNA family leading metamorphosis to its correct conclusion.
Journal Article