Immunological Techniques in Insect Biology

Immunological Techniques in Insect Biology

Author: Lawrence I. Gilbert

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 146123798X

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Insects as a group occupy a middle ground in the biosphere between bacteria and viruses at one extreme, amphibians and mammals at the other. The size and general nature of insects present special problems to the study of ento mology. For example, many commercially available instruments are geared to measure in grams, while the forces commonly encountered in studying insects are in the milligram range. Therefore, techniques developed in the study of insects or in those fields concerned with the control of insect pests are often unique. Methods for measuring things are common to all sciences. Advances some times depend more on how something was done than on what was measured; indeed a given field often progresses from one technique to another as new methods are discovered, developed, and modified. Just as often, some of these techniques find their way into the classroom when the problems involved have been sufficiently ironed out to permit students to master the manipulations in a few laboratory periods. Many specialized techniques are confined to one specific research labora tory. Although methods may be considered commonplace where they are used, in another context even the simplest procedures may save considerable time. It is the purpose of this series (1) to report new developments in method ology, (2) to reveal sources of groups who have dealt with and solved particular entomological problems, and (3) to describe experiments which may be appli cable for use in biology laboratory courses.


Insect Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Insect Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Author: Lawrence I. Gilbert

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2011-08-16

Total Pages: 575

ISBN-13: 0123847486

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The publication of the extensive seven-volume work Comprehensive Molecular Insect Science provided a complete reference encompassing important developments and achievements in modern insect science. One of the most swiftly moving areas in entomological and comparative research is molecular biology, and this volume, Insect Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, is designed for those who desire a comprehensive yet concise work on important aspects of this topic. This volume contains ten fully revised or rewritten chapters from the original series as well as five completely new chapters on topics such as insect immunology, insect genomics, RNAi, and molecular biology of circadian rhythms and circadian behavior. The topics included are key to an understanding of insect development, with emphasis on the cuticle, digestive properties, and the transport of lipids; extensive and integrated chapters on cytochrome P450s; and the role of transposable elements in the developmental processes as well as programmed cell death. This volume will be of great value to senior investigators, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and advanced undergraduate research students. It can also be used as a reference for graduate courses and seminars on the topic. Chapters will also be valuable to the applied biologist or entomologist, providing the requisite understanding necessary for probing the more applied research areas related to insect control. - Topics specially selected by the editor-in-chief of the original major reference work - Fully revised and new contributions bring together the latest research in the rapidly moving fields of insect molecular biology and insect biochemistry, including coverage of development, physiology, immunity and proteomics - Full-color provides readers with clear, useful illustrations to highlight important research findings


Insect Immunology

Insect Immunology

Author: Nancy E. Beckage

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2011-04-28

Total Pages: 367

ISBN-13: 0080556337

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This work is the first book-length publication on the topic of insect immunology since 1991, complementing earlier works by offering a fresh perspective on current research. Interactions of host immune systems with both parasites and pathogens are presented in detail, as well as the genomics and proteomics, approaches which have been lacking in other publications. Beckage provides comprehensive coverage of topics important to medical researchers, including Drosophila as a model for studying cellular and humoral immune mechanisms, biochemical mediators of immunity, and insect blood cells and their functions. - Encompasses the most important topics of insect immunology including mechanisms, genes, proteins, evolution and phylogeny - Provides comprehensive coverage of topics important to medical researchers including Drosophila as a model for studying cellular and humoral immune mechanisms, biochemical mediators of immunity, and insect blood cells and their functions - Most up-to-date information published with contributions from international leaders in the field


Insect Infection and Immunity

Insect Infection and Immunity

Author: Jens Rolff

Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand

Published: 2009-06-25

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 0199551359

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This book is published on the occasion of the Royal Entomological Society's Symposium on Insect infection and immunity in Sheffield, July 15-17 2009.


The Molecular Biology of Insect Disease Vectors

The Molecular Biology of Insect Disease Vectors

Author: J.M. Crampton

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 590

ISBN-13: 9400915357

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Only one generation ago, entomology was a proudly isolated discipline. In Comstock Hall, the building of the Department of Entomology at Cornell University where I was first introduced to experimental science in the laboratory of Tom Eisner, those of us interested in the chemistry of life felt like interlopers. In the 35 years that have elapsed since then, all of biology has changed, and entomology with it. Arrogant molecular biologists and resentful classical biologists might think that what has happened is a hostile take-over of biology by molecular biology. But they are wrong. More and more we now understand that the events were happier and much more exciting, amounting to a new synthesis. Molecular Biology, which was initially focused on the simplest of organisms, bacteria and viruses, broke out of its confines after the initial fundamental questions were answered - the structure of DNA, the genetic code, the nature of regulatory genes - and, importantly, as its methods became more and more generally applicable. The recombinant DNA revo lution of the 1970s, the development of techniques for sequencing macromolecules, the polymerase chain reaction, new molecular methods of genetic analysis, all brought molecular biology face to face with the infinite complexity and the exuber ant diversity of life. Molecular biology itself stopped being an isolated diScipline, pre occupied with the universal laws of life, and became an approach to addressing fas cinating specific problems from every field of biology.


Antibody Engineering

Antibody Engineering

Author: Benny K. C. Lo

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2008-02-03

Total Pages: 555

ISBN-13: 1592596665

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The exquisite binding specificity of antibodies has made them valuable tools from the laboratory to the clinic. Since the description of the murine hybridoma technology by Köhler and Milstein in 1975, a phenomenal number of mo- clonal antibodies have been generated against a diverse array of targets. Some of these have become indispensable reagents in biomedical research, while others were developed for novel therapeutic applications. The attractiveness of an- bodies in this regard is obvious—high target specificity, adaptability to a wide range of disease states, and the potential ability to direct the host’s immune s- tem for a therapeutic response. The initial excitement in finding Paul Ehrlich’s “magic bullet,” however, was met with widespread disappointment when it was demonstrated that murine antibodies frequently elicit the human anti-murine an- body (HAMA) response, thus rendering them ineffective and potentially unsafe in humans. Despite this setback, advances in recombinant DNA techniques over the last 15–20 years have empowered the engineering of recombinant antibodies with desired characteristics, including properties to avoid HAMA. The ability to p- duce bulk quantities of recombinant proteins from bacterial fermentation also fueled the design of numerous creative antibody constructs. To date, the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved more than 10 recombinant antibodies for human use, and hundreds more are in the development pipeline. The recent explosion in genomic and proteomic information appears ready to deliver many more disease targets amenable to antibody-based therapy.


Manual of Techniques in Insect Pathology

Manual of Techniques in Insect Pathology

Author: Lawrence A. Lacey

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 1997-02-27

Total Pages: 441

ISBN-13: 0080535771

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Biological Techniques is a series of volumes aimed at introducing to a wide audience the latest advances in methodology. The pitfalls and problems of new techniques are given due consideration, as are those small but vital details not always explicit in the methods sections of journal papers.In recent years, most biological laboratories have been invaded by computers and a wealth of new DNA technology and this will be reflected in many of the titles appearing in the series.The books will be of value to advances researches and graduate students seeking to learn and apply new techniques, and will be useful to teachers of advanced undergraduate courses involving practical or project work.This manual describes the broad array of techniques that are used in insect pathology. It will provide biologists, insect pathologists, entomologists, and those interested in biological control, with the necessary information to work on a variety of pathogen groups.This book will be an essential laboratory reference for insect pathologists.Features include:* Step by-step instructions on how to isolate, identify, culture, bioassay and store the major groups of entomopathogens* Details of the practical knowledge needed by beginners to apply the techniques* Chapters written by an international group of experts* Discussion of safety testing of entomopathogens in mammals and also broader methods such as microscopy and molecular techniques* Provides extensive supplemental literature and recipes for media, fixatives and stains


Biology of Blood-Sucking Insects

Biology of Blood-Sucking Insects

Author: Mike Lehane

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 9401179530

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Blood-sucking insects are the vectors of many of the most debilitating parasites of man and his domesticated animals. In addition they are of considerable direct cost to the agricultural industry through losses in milk and meat yields, and through damage to hides and wool, etc. So, not surprisingly, many books of medical and veterinary entomology have been written. Most of these texts are organized taxonomically giving the details of the life-cycles, bionomics, relationship to disease and economic importance of each of the insect groups in turn. I have taken a different approach. This book is topic led and aims to discuss the biological themes which are common in the lives of blood-sucking insects. To do this I have concentrated on those aspects of the biology of these fascinating insects which have been clearly modified in some way to suit the blood-sucking habit. For example, I have discussed feeding and digestion in some detail because feeding on blood presents insects with special problems, but I have not discussed respiration because it is not affected in any particular way by haematophagy. Naturally there is a subjective element in the choice of topics for discussion and the weight given to each. I hope that I have not let my enthusiasm for particular subjects get the better of me on too many occasions and that the subject material achieves an overall balance.


Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

Author:

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 1996-02-21

Total Pages: 705

ISBN-13: 0080536352

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Metamorphosis addresses various facets of postembryonic development, particularly signal transduction, morphogenesis, cell-cell interactions, and programmed cell death. A key feature of the book is its exploration of the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes. - Hormonal regulation of development - The mechanisms of hormone action - The steroid/thyroid hormone receptor family - Morphogenesis and programmed cell death