Krüppel homolog 1 mediates juvenile hormone action to suppress photoperiodic reproductive diapause-related phenotypes in the female Chrysoperla nipponensis (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae).

Abstract

Juvenile hormone (JH) has been revealed to be a critical factor in regulating photoperiod reproductive diapause in various insect species, however, little information is known about the detailed mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the roles of JH signaling in photoperiod reproductive diapause in a green lacewing, Chrysoperla nipponensis (Okamoto), which is a potentially important biological control predator. Our results showed that the short-day condition induces a diapause state including JH synthesis suppression, ovarian development arrest, and triglyceride accumulation. The interference of JH response genes, Krüppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1), in reproductive females exhibited a diapause-related phenotype such as ovarian development arrest and larger triglyceride storage. Exogenous JH III suppresses diapause to promote ovarian development and inhibit triglyceride synthesis. However, exogenous JH III fails to rescue the Kr-h1-silenced phenotype. Accordingly, our results demonstrate the critical role of Kr-h1 in regulating JH signaling to promote reproduction.