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      Structural and Functional Characterization of Hermetia illucens Larval Midgut

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          Abstract

          The larvae of Hermetia illucens are among the most promising agents for the bioconversion of low-quality biomass, such as organic waste, into sustainable and nutritionally valuable proteins for the production of animal feed. Despite the great interest in this insect, the current literature provides information limited to the optimization of rearing methods for H. illucens larvae, with particular focus on their efficiency in transforming different types of waste and their nutritional composition in terms of suitability for feed production. Surprisingly, H. illucens biology has been neglected and a deep understanding of the morphofunctional properties of the larval midgut, the key organ that determines the extraordinary dietary plasticity of this insect, has been completely overlooked. The present study aims to fill this gap of knowledge. Our results demonstrate that the larval midgut is composed of distinct anatomical regions with different luminal pH and specific morphofunctional features. The midgut epithelium is formed by different cell types that are involved in nutrient digestion and absorption, acidification of the lumen of the middle region, endocrine regulation, and growth of the epithelium. A detailed characterization of the activity of enzymes involved in nutrient digestion and their mRNA expression levels reveals that protein, carbohydrate, and lipid digestion is associated to specific regions of this organ. Moreover, a significant lysozyme activity in the lumen of the anterior and middle regions of the midgut was detected. This enzyme, together with the strong acidic luminal pH of middle tract, may play an important role in killing pathogenic microorganisms ingested with the feeding substrate. The evidence collected led us to propose a detailed functional model of the larval midgut of H. illucens in which each region is characterized by peculiar features to accomplish specific functions. This platform of knowledge sets the stage for developing rearing protocols to optimize the bioconversion ability of this insect and its biotechnological applications.

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          Immunity in Drosophila melanogaster--from microbial recognition to whole-organism physiology.

          Since the discovery of antimicrobial peptide responses 40 years ago, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has proven to be a powerful model for the study of innate immunity. Early work focused on innate immune mechanisms of microbial recognition and subsequent nuclear factor-κB signal transduction. More recently, D. melanogaster has been used to understand how the immune response is regulated and coordinated at the level of the whole organism. For example, researchers have used this model in studies investigating interactions between the microbiota and the immune system at barrier epithelial surfaces that ensure proper nutritional and immune homeostasis both locally and systemically. In addition, studies in D. melanogaster have been pivotal in uncovering how the immune response is regulated by both endocrine and metabolic signalling systems, and how the immune response modifies these systems as part of a homeostatic circuit. In this Review, we briefly summarize microbial recognition and antiviral immunity in D. melanogaster, and we highlight recent studies that have explored the effects of organism-wide regulation of the immune response and, conversely, the effects of the immune response on organism physiology.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Journal
                Front Physiol
                Front Physiol
                Front. Physiol.
                Frontiers in Physiology
                Frontiers Media S.A.
                1664-042X
                08 March 2019
                2019
                : 10
                : 204
                Affiliations
                [1] 1Department of Biosciences, University of Milan , Milan, Italy
                [2] 2Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria , Varese, Italy
                [3] 3Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II , Naples, Italy
                [4] 4Centro di Ricerca Agricoltura e Ambiente (CREA-AA) , Padua, Italy
                [5] 5Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan , Milan, Italy
                Author notes

                Edited by: Fernando Ariel Genta, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Brazil

                Reviewed by: Jose Eduardo Serrão, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil; Yannick Pauchet, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany

                *Correspondence: Gianluca Tettamanti, gianluca.tettamanti@ 123456uninsubria.it Morena Casartelli, morena.casartelli@ 123456unimi.it

                These authors have contributed equally to this work

                This article was submitted to Invertebrate Physiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Physiology

                Article
                10.3389/fphys.2019.00204
                6418021
                30723415
                f9ac39bf-8914-47da-b06f-61363aae80f4
                Copyright © 2019 Bonelli, Bruno, Caccia, Sgambetterra, Cappellozza, Jucker, Tettamanti and Casartelli.

                This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

                History
                : 27 September 2018
                : 18 February 2019
                Page count
                Figures: 14, Tables: 1, Equations: 0, References: 79, Pages: 18, Words: 0
                Categories
                Physiology
                Original Research

                Anatomy & Physiology
                bioconversion,black soldiers fly,copper cells,digestive enzymes,larval midgut,lysozyme,midgut lumen ph

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