Bryan J Cassone

Brandon University · Department of Biology

Wireworms are significant pests of a variety of economically important crops grown in the Canadian Prairies. These soil-dwelling larvae of click beetles feed on and burrow into the accessible underground plant tissues, which can result in cosmetic injury, stunting, wilting, and plant death. Successful management of wireworms relies on accurate esti...

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is host to an array of foliar- and root-infecting pathogens that can cause significant yield losses. To provide insights into the roles of microorganisms in disease development, we evaluated the bacterial and fungal communities associated with the soybean rhizosphere and phyllosphere. For this, leaf and soil samples of heal...

The caterpillar larvae of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) are avid plastivores, as when provided a diet of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) they actively feed on it. Recent work has highlighted the importance of their microbiome in the putative biodegradation of this plastic polymer, though the impact of plastic metabolism on the insect h...

BACKGROUND Wireworms, the soil-dwelling larvae of click beetles, are a major threat to global agricultural production. This is largely due to their generalist polyphagous feeding capabilities, extended and cryptic life cycles, and limited management options available. Although wireworms are well-documented as economically important pests in the Can...

DEET is the most common active ingredient in commercial repellents, providing effective protection against blood-sucking insects and ticks. However, its mode of action is not fully understood, with several theories put forward to explain its repellency effect. Unique to ticks, the Haller's organ recognizes a variety of external stimuli through non-...

Native to the Eastern United States and Eastern Canada, Aedes triseriatus (eastern tree hole mosquito) is an important vector of La Crosse virus and dog heartworm. Although its range has been well characterized in the United States, few studies have surveyed its distribution within Canada. In this study, mosquitoes were collected from a variety of...

BACKGROUND Following the ban of the pesticide lindane in most counties, wireworms (i.e., the soil‐living larval stages of click beetles) have become major pests of a variety of economically important field crops. Hypnoidus bicolor is a common pest species in the Canadian Prairies. However, little is known about its life history, which impedes the d...

Larvae of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) possess the remarkable ability to consume and rapidly degrade low-density polyethylene. Previous studies have investigated the involvement of the animal's microbiome, but little is known about the host's actual role and if it benefits from biodegradation of this synthetic polymer. We used a combi...

N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) is by far the most used repellent worldwide. When applied topically to the skin, the active ingredient has been shown to provide protection from a variety of hematophagous insects, including mosquitoes and flies. DEET’s effectiveness against ticks is influenced by a variety of factors (e.g., duration and concentration...

Plastic polymers have quickly become one of the most abundant materials on Earth due to their low production cost and high versatility. Unfortunately, some of the discarded plastic can make its way into the environment and become fragmented into smaller microscopic particles, termed secondary microplastics (MP). In addition, primary MP, purposely m...

Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most economically important crops grown in North America and in other regions worldwide. However, the plant is susceptible to a variety of foliar pathogenic microorganisms, some of which represent a significant threat to production. Several molecular and serological approaches are currently available to diagnose...

Recently, a few insects, including the caterpillar larva of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella, have been identified as avid 'plastivores'. These caterpillars are able to ingest and metabolize polyethylene at unprecedented rates. While it appears that G. mellonella plays an important role in the biodegradation process, the contribution of its...

The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say)) is an important pest of the cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum (L.) [Solanales: Solanaceae]). With its broad resistance toward commonly used insecticides, it is clear that more sophisticated control strategies are needed. Due to their importance in insect development, microRNAs (miRNAs)...

Schwabe [teleomorph: Gibberella zeae (Schweintiz) Petch] has been identified as a pathogen of soybean [ (L.) Merr.] causing seed, seedling damping-off and root rot in North America. A major quantitative disease resistance locus (QDRL) that contributed 38.5% of the phenotypic variance toward in soybean was previously identified through mapping of a...

For more than 50 years DEET (N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide) has been considered the gold standard of repellents. It is applied to the skin or clothing to deter mosquitoes and other blood-sucking invertebrate pests from approaching and/or settling, and ultimately it provides temporary protection from bites. Despite rampant global use, surprisingly little...

Soybean (Glycine max) has become an important crop in Manitoba, Canada, with a ten-fold increase in dedicated acreage over the past decade. Given the rapid increase in production, scarce information about foliar diseases present in the province has been recorded. In order to describe the foliar pathogens affecting this legume, in 2016 we harnessed...

For nearly 400 million years, insects and plants have been embattled in an evolutionary arms race. Insects have developed diverse feeding strategies and behaviors in an effort to circumvent and overcome an extensive collection of plant defense tactics. Sap-sucking insects often inject saliva into hosts plants, which contains a suite of effector pro...

Functional annotation of the 992 Epilachna varivestis contigs predicted to have a secretion signal. (XLSX)

The 1,230 bacterial species representing 577 genera found in Epilachna varivestis regurgitant. (XLSX)

SignalP information for the 1,555 Epilachna varivestis peptide sequences predicted to have a secretion signal. (XLSX)

Plant viruses represent some of the greatest contributors to crop losses worldwide. Viral disease symptoms often include mosaic leaf patterns, crinkled and yellowed leaves, plant stunting and even necrosis. As intracellular pathogens, viruses hijack host cell machinery for their own replication, which can elicit dramatic changes to their hosts at t...

We present the first complete genome sequence of the tombusvirus Tobacco necrosis virus D (TNV-D) from North America, obtained from an infected soybean plant. Compared with the three other TNV-D genomes isolated from different geographic regions and host plants, its nucleotide identities were between 83% and 93%.

Background: Genetic resistance of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] against Aphis glycines provides effective management of this invasive pest, though the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate genome-wide changes in gene expressions of soybean near-isogenic lines (NILs) either with the Rag5 allele for r...

We provide information about the use of Next Generation Sequencing to identify pathogens on soybean foliar tissue in the province of Manitoba, Canada.

Worldwide crop losses due to plant diseases exceed $60 billion annually. Next to fungi, viruses represent the greatest contributor to those losses, and these are transmitted in nature primarily by insects. Mexican bean beetles (Epilachna varivestis) are formidable pests of soybean, as well as efficient vectors of several soybean-infecting viruses,...

Testes-biased genes evolve rapidly and are important in the establishment, solidification, and maintenance of reproductive isolation between incipient species. The Anopheles gambiae complex, a group of at least eight isomorphic mosquito species endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa, is an excellent system to explore the evolution of testes-biased genes. Wi...

Aphids are emerging as model organisms for both basic and applied research. Of the 5000 estimated species, only three aphids have published whole genome sequences: the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia, and the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae. We present the whole genome sequence of a fourth aphid, the soybea...

Background. In adult female mosquitoes, the renal (Malpighian) tubules play an important role in the post-prandial diuresis, which removes excess ions and water from the hemolymph of mosquitoes following a blood meal. After the post-prandial diuresis, the roles that Malpighian tubules play in the processing of blood meals are not well described. Me...

Supplemental Methods

Up- and down-regulated functional clusters within each general functional category Category names are highlighted gray in bold and italicized text. Each sheet represents a different time point (i.e., 3 h, 12 h, and 24 h). The transcripts associated with each functional cluster are found in Tables S4–S7.

Transcripts associated with the up- and down-regulated functional clusters in the Malpighian tubules of 24 h BF mosquitoes Each sheet represents a different functional category and direction of regulation.

Venn diagram showing pair-wise comparisons (BLASTn) of the 8,047 Ae. albopictus transcripts with a significant ortholog (E-value 10−6) in the 4 dipteran transcriptomes queried The Venn diagram was generated using Venny 2.0 (Oliveros, 2007–2015).

Raw data for functional assays

Uncategorized DAVID functional clusters enriched among transcripts expressed in the Malpighian tubules of NBF mosquitoes See Table S2 for list of transcripts included in these clusters.

Transcripts associated with the up- and down-regulated functional clusters in the Malpighian tubules of 12 h BF mosquitoes Each sheet represents a different functional category and direction of regulation.

Transcripts expressed in Malpighian tubules of NBF mosquitoes associated with xenobiotic detoxification Transcripts encoding cytochrome P450 monoxygenases, glutathione S-transferases, and ABC transporters are found in Sheets 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

Transcripts expressed in Malpighian tubules of NBF mosquitoes associated with purine metabolism and their associated KEGG enzyme codes Sheet 1 is sorted by KEGG enzyme code (low to high). Sheet 2 is sorted by RPKM value (high to low). See Fig. S7 for the reactions catalyzed by each enzyme code.

List of transcripts differentially expressed in Malpighian tubules of BF mosquitoes associated with purine metabolism

Schematic of functional/metabolic coupling between a mitochondrion and the V-type H+-ATPase in an apical microvillus of the principal cell brush border Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that is generated by the mitochondrion is shuttled to the V-type H+-ATPase and provides energy for the translocation of H+ across the apical membrane. The resulting aden...

Transcripts within DAVID functional clusters listed in Tables 2 and S1 Each general functional category is a separate sheet.

Transcripts associated with the up- and down-regulated functional clusters in the Malpighian tubules of 3 h BF mosquitoes Each sheet represents a different functional category and direction of regulation.

Distribution of contigs by length Contigs longer than 8,000 bp (n = 95) are not shown.

Distribution of ortholog hit ratios for the annotated Ae. albopictus transcripts

Raw sequencing data of assembled transcripts from Malpighian tubules of non-blood fed and blood fed adult female Aedes albopictus mosquitoes

RPKM values for all transcripts

Uncategorized transcripts that were up- or down-regulated Each sheet represents a different time point and direction of regulation.

Transcripts expressed in Malpighian tubules of NBF mosquitoes associated with active transepithelial fluid secretion/diuresis Transcripts encoding mechanisms of ion and water transport and ATP synthesis are found in Sheets 1 and 2, respectively.

List of transcripts and heat maps for transcripts differentially expressed in Malpighian tubules of BF mosquitoes associated with transepithelial fluid secretion/diuresis Transcripts encoding mechanisms of ion/water transport and ATP synthesis are found in Sheets 1 and 2, respectively. Transcripts encoding GPCRs and putative transmembrane septate j...

List of transcripts differentially expressed in Malpighian tubules of BF mosquitoes associated with detoxification Transcripts encoding cytochrome P450 monoxygenases (CYP450s), glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), and ABC transporters are found in Sheets 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

Venn diagram showing the relationships of differentially-expressed transcripts in the Malpighian tubules of BF mosquitoes In the 3 h BF tubules, over 50% of the differentially-expressed transcripts were unique to that time period, whereas in the 12 h and 24 h BF tubules, ∼40% of the differentially-expressed transcripts were unique to their respecti...

Molecular model of transepithelial fluid secretion in mosquito Malpighian tubules See text for details. Gap junctions (innexins) form connections between principal cells and between principal and stellate cells, where they may synchronize the epithelial cells and contribute to the metabolic regulation of fluid secretion (Beyenbach & Piermarini, 201...

Simplified KEGG pathway of purine metabolism, resulting in uric acid production Numbers indicate KEGG enzyme codes corresponding to transcripts that were expressed in Malpighian tubules of NBF mosquitoes (see Table S12 for transcripts that correspond to enzyme codes). Dashed lines indicate potential enzymatic reactions for which no corresponding tr...

Multi-site sampling was conducted during 2011 and 2012 to assess the scope of virus disease problems of soybean in Ohio, USA. A total of 259 samples were collected from 80 soybean fields distributed in 42 Ohio counties, accounting for more than 90% of major soybean-growing counties in Ohio. A high-throughput RNA-Seq approach was adopted to identify...

Endosymbiosis with microorganisms is common in insects, with more than 10% of species requiring the metabolic capabilities of intracellular bacteria for their nutrient acquisition. Aphids harbor an obligate mutualism with the vertically transferred endosymbiont, Buchnera aphidicola, which produces key nutrients lacking in the aphid's phloem-based d...

For real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) in soybean, reference genes in different tissues, developmental stages, various cultivars, and under stress conditions have been suggested but their usefulness for research on soybean under various biotic stresses occurring in North-Central U.S. is not known. Here, we investigated the expression sta...

Vertically transmitted bacterial symbionts are common in arthropods. Aphids undergo an obligate symbiosis with Buchnera aphidicola, which provides essential amino acids to its host and contributes directly to nymph growth and reproduction. We previously found that newly adult Aphis glycines feeding on soybean infected with the beetle-transmitted Be...

In sub-Saharan Africa, maize is a staple food and key determinant of food security for smallholder farming communities. Pest and disease outbreaks are key constraints to maize productivity. In September 2011, a serious disease outbreak, later diagnosed as maize lethal necrosis (MLN), was reported on maize in Kenya. The disease has since been confir...

Most plant-infecting rhabdoviruses are transmitted by one or a few closely related insect species. Additionally, intraspecific differences in transmission efficacy often exist among races/biotypes within vector species and among strains within a virus species. The black-faced leafhopper, Graminella nigrifrons, is the only known vector of the persis...