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While genetically modified (GM) crops bring economic benefits to human beings, their impact on non-target organisms has become an important part of environmental safety assessments. Symbiotic bacteria play an important role in eukaryotic biological functions and can adjust host communities to adapt to new environments. Therefore, this study examined the effects of Cry1B protein on the growth and development of non-target natural enemies of Pardosa astrigera (L. Koch) from the perspective of symbiotic bacteria. Cry1B protein had no significant effect on the health indicators of P. astrigera (adults and 2nd instar spiderlings). 16S rRNA sequencing results revealed that Cry1B protein did not change the symbiotic bacteria species composition of P. astrigera, but did reduce the number of OTU and species diversity. In 2nd instar spiderlings, neither the dominant phylum (Proteobacteria) nor the dominant genus (Acinetobacter) changed, but the relative abundance of Corynebacterium-1 decreased significantly; in adult spiders, the dominant bacteria genera of females and males were different. The dominant bacterial genera were Brevibacterium in females and Corynebacterium-1 in males, but Corynebacterium-1 was the dominant bacteria in both females and males feeding on Cry1B. The relative abundance of Wolbachia also increased significantly. In addition, bacteria in other genera varied significantly by sex. KEGG results showed that Cry1B protein only altered the significant enrichment of metabolic pathways in female spiders. In conclusion, the effects of Cry1B protein on symbiotic bacteria vary by growth and development stage and sex.

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, is a species of polyphagous aphid with many biotypes, and its host transfer has always been the focus of research on the control of cotton aphid. An important factor affecting aphid specialization is the nutritional association with microbial symbionts that provide the host with nutrients lacking in the diet. We analyzed the microbial composition and biodiversity of reared on zucchini for 10 generations (T1–T10) and cotton as a control (CK), by high-throughput Illumina sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA genes. The findings showed that the change in plant hosts decreased the richness and variety of microbial species. Regardless of whether the plant host is altered or not, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes are the predominate phyla in cotton-specialized aphid. Additionally, cotton-specialized aphids that live in zucchini had considerably lower relative abundances of non-dominant phyla (Bacteroidetes) than cotton hosts. At the genus level the dominant communities were Buchnera, Acinetobacter, and Arsenophonus. The relative abundance of Buchnera was significantly higher in aphids reared on zucchini than those on cotton, whereas the opposite was observed for Acinetobacter, as well as for some non-dominant communities (Stenotrophomonas, Pseudomons, Flavobacterium, Novosphingobium). Collectively, this study clarifies the dynamic changes of symbiotic bacteria in cotton-specialized aphids reared on zucchini for multiple generations. Among them, Buchnera is crucial for the cotton-specialized aphid to get nutrients during the transfer of the host and has a favorable impact on the colonization of cotton-specialized aphid populations on zucchini hosts. It not only enriches our understanding of the relationship between the bacterial microbiota of aphids and their adaptability to new hosts, zucchini, but also expands the current body of research on the mechanisms underlying the host shifting ability of cotton-specialized aphids.

Pardosa astrigera wolf spiders are important natural enemies of insect pests in cotton fields. Genetically modified (GM) crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry proteins - toxic to target insect pests - are increasingly cultivated for insect pest management. To evaluate the potential negative effects of Bt-GM crops on beneficial non-target organisms, we assessed the effect of the Cry1Fa protein on P. astrigera, including on its symbiotic microbial communities. No adverse effects were detected on the survival rate and body weight of P. astrigera during growth and development. However, P. astrigera adult microbiome exhibited a reduced diversity as well as a shift in the microbial community structure. The dominant bacterial phyla in P. astrigera shifted from Actinobacteria to Firmicutes after feeding on prey enriched in Cry1Fa protein. Furthermore, Bacillus became the most abundant genus in P. astrigera females, while the dominant genus (Corynebacterium_1) in P. astrigera males did not change. Both males and females exhibited lower abundances of Wolbachia after feeding on Cry1Fa-contaminated prey. Overall, consuming Cry1Fa-contaminated prey changed the microbial community in P. astrigera, with higher impact in female microbiome. These findings provide new insights for environmental safety assessments of GM crops and to understand the importance of the potential effects of GM crops on microbiota of non-target organisms of importance for biocontrol ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The copolymerization of styrene with ethylene was promoted by CpTiCl/BDGE/Zn/MAO catalyst system combining free radical polymerization with coordination polymerization via sequential monomer addition strategy in one-pot. The effect of polymerization conditions such as temperature, time, ethylene pressure, and Al/Ti molar ratio on the polymerization performance was investigated. The hydroxy-functionalized aPS-b-random copolymer-b-PE triblock copolymer was obtained by solvent extraction and determined by GPC, DSC, WAXD, and C-NMR. The DSC result indicated that the aPS-b-random copolymer-b-PE had a T at 87°C and a T at 119°C which attributed to the T of aPS segment and the T of PE segment, respectively. The microstructure of the hydroxy-functionalized aPS-b-random copolymer-b-PE was further confirmed by WAXD, C-NMR, and H-NMR analysis; and these results demonstrated that the obtained block copolymer consisted of aPS segment, S-E random copolymer segment, and crystalline PE segment. The connection polymerization of the hydroxy-functionalized aPS with random copolymer-b-PE was revealed by GPC results. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The star-shaped polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) was synthesized via radical polymerization promoted by metallocene complexes in the presence of initiator of tetra(2,3-epoxy propoxy)silane (I) and reducing agent Zn. The effect of temperature, time, molar ratio of monomer to initiator, and the structure of metallocene complexes on the polymerization performance was investigated. The structure and properties of the obtained polymer were characterized by gel permeation chromatography, multiangle laser light scattering, H NMR, C NMR, and WAXD. The results indicated that the obtained polymer was atacticspecific and featured narrow molecular weight distribution (1.30-1.57). Star-shaped organosiloxane-functionalized PMMA was produced. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, fluoridated hydroxyapatite: Eu3+ nanorod-loaded folate-conjugated TPGS micelles were prepared by thin-film hydration. The findings in this study demonstrate that micelles show improved dispersion, high stability, and excellent fluorescent property in aqueous solutions, suitable for targeted imaging of cancer cells with over-expressing folate receptors on their surface. The micelles designed in this study will be a promising tool for early detection of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]