Insect stress hormones

We study the insect neuropeptides from the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) and their role in important physiological and developmental processes in insect body. The study is focussed on the problems of metabolism, digestive enzymes and anti-stress reactions elicited by various stressors including the insecticides and pathogens. For this research we use a wide choice of classical and advanced physiological, biochemical and molecular biology methods. As the main model insect species we use the firebug Pyrrhocoris apterus and fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and to a lesser extent also the migratory locust Locusta migratoria, American cockroach Periplaneta americana and honeybee Apis melifera.

Head: prof. RNDr. Dalibor Kodrík, CSc.
e-mail: kodrik@entu.cas.cz
tel.: +420 387 775 271

Researchers:
Ing. Helena Štěrbová
Mgr. Jan Černý
MUDr. Jiří Dvořáček
Mgr. Markéta Hejníková
Mgr. Tomáš Gybas

Collaborating institutions:
Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Institute of Entomology BC CAS, České Budějovice; Mississippi State University, USA; Institute of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, MU Brno; Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry CAS, Praha; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, UP Olomouc

Selected posters:
Defence reaction against nematobacterial infection in Drosophila melanogaster: a role for the adipokinetic hormone and adenosine (Ibrahim et al., 2016)
Regulation of antioxidative stress response in Drosophila melanogaster: Involvement of the adipokinetic hormone and adenosine (Zemanová et al., 2015)
Prospective utilization of insect stress hormones in pest control (Kodrík et al., 2015)

References:
Laboratory of Insect Physiology, Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Institute of Entomology BC CAS, České Budějovice