Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology最新文献

{"title":"Horizontally transferred NADAR genes contribute to immune defense of ladybird beetles against bacterial infection","authors":"Kun-Yu Yang,&nbsp;Yi-Fei Sun,&nbsp;Yuan-Sen Liang,&nbsp;Hao Li,&nbsp;Meng-Xue Qi,&nbsp;Zhaowei Wang,&nbsp;Luis Carlos Ramos Aguila,&nbsp;Li-Qun Cai,&nbsp;Hao-Sen Li,&nbsp;Hong Pang","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104397","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104397","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is now widely recognized as an important mechanism contributing to host immunity and adaptation. Ladybird beetles, with their diverse diets and habitats, encounter a broad spectrum of microbial threats, making effective immune responses critical for their survival. However, the immune roles of HGT-acquired genes in ladybirds remain largely unexplored. To address this gap, we investigated HGT of a NADAR (NAD- and ADP-ribose-associated) domain-containing gene from microorganisms to insects. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that NADAR genes in ladybird beetles form a well-supported clade nested within a larger group composed primarily of bacterial sequences, providing strong evidence for an HGT origin. Sampling across 69 ladybird species suggests that NADAR genes originated in the Coccinellidae family and were subsequently retained or duplicated across ladybird genomes, indicating their functional importance. Using the ladybird <em>Cryptolaemus montrouzieri</em> as a model, we observed that the expression levels of <em>CmNADAR1</em> and <em>CmNADAR2</em> were significantly upregulated in response to bacterial infection. Immune challenges combined with RNA interference targeting NADAR genes led to reduced survival rates and marked necrosis in intestinal tissues, compared to controls exposed to either bacterial infection or dsRNA alone. Together, our results demonstrate that NADAR genes in ladybird beetles were acquired through horizontal gene transfer and contribute to immune defense against bacterial infection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 104397"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145019854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploration of the hemocyte surfaceome of Apis mellifera by a proteomic and transcriptomic approach","authors":"Merel Braeckman ,&nbsp;Lina De Smet ,&nbsp;Bart Devreese ,&nbsp;Dirk C. de Graaf","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104398","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104398","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study maps the surfaceome of <em>Apis mellifera</em> hemocytes, the protagonist cells in honey bee cellular immunity. The surfaceome, proteins expressed at the cell surface, is crucial as it determines how cells interact with their microenvironment. Through a combination of proteomic and transcriptomic analyses, 1142 genes encoding cell surface proteins were identified, revealing a high level of diversity. Our analyses identified receptors associated with the major insect immune pathways and proteins previously recognized as hemocyte markers in other invertebrates. Notably, several of the detected genes suggest to encode viral receptors, phagocytosis-related proteins, or proteins involved in hemocyte proliferation. A gene ontology analysis highlighted important functions of the hemocytes. The most prominent cluster was transmembrane receptor protein kinase activity, encompassing over 25 % of the identified terms. Other significant clusters included cell adhesion molecule binding, signalling receptor binding, olfactory receptor activity, and metalloendopeptidase activity. This study suggests several potential honey bee hemocyte markers and establishes a foundation for a novel hemocyte classification based on cell surface markers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 104398"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145013575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterizing the symbiotic relationship between Wolbachia (wSpic) and Spodoptera picta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): From genome to phenotype","authors":"Zhixin Niu ,&nbsp;Huizhen Guo ,&nbsp;Dan Li ,&nbsp;Yajing Xu ,&nbsp;Jianqiu Liu ,&nbsp;Yingdan Xiao ,&nbsp;Wanshun Li ,&nbsp;Amornrat Promboon ,&nbsp;Qingyou Xia ,&nbsp;Marian R. Goldsmith ,&nbsp;Kazuei Mita","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104396","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104396","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Wolbachia</em> is a genus of symbiotic bacteria prevalent in arthropods, with diverse effects on host reproduction and fecundity; however, it is unclear how <em>Wolbachia</em> modulates the host reproductive system. In this study, a novel <em>Wolbachia</em> strain, <em>w</em>Spic, was identified in the Noctuid moth <em>Spodoptera picta</em> and its effect on the reproduction of this host was investigated. We sequenced and annotated the 1,339,720 bp genome of <em>w</em>Spic. We identified a total of five WO phage regions in the genome and found no evidence of any plasmids associated with <em>w</em>Spic. Evolutionary analysis revealed that <em>w</em>Spic belongs to supergroup B and has undergone horizontal transmission between <em>S. picta</em> and <em>Trichogramma pretiosum</em>, a wasp parasitoid of insect eggs. The removal of <em>Wolbachia</em> by antibiotic treatment resulted in significantly decreased fecundity and abnormal development of <em>S. picta</em> ovaries, but no differences in egg hatching rate. An integrated transcriptome and proteome analysis indicated that major molecular pathways for <em>Wolbachia</em>-induced reproduction fitness benefits include its effects on insect juvenile hormone, vitellogenesis, choriogenesis, and nutritional metabolism. Our findings demonstrate that <em>w</em>Spic plays a critical role in promoting ovary development and sustaining fecundity in <em>S. picta</em> hosts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 104396"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144917604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Solvent-, enzyme-, and structural-dependence of phenyl-substituted methyl carbamate inhibition of acetylcholinesterase","authors":"Daniel R. Swale ,&nbsp;Paul R. Carlier ,&nbsp;Maxim Totrov ,&nbsp;Jeffrey R. Bloomquist","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104385","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104385","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explored how dilution protocols, enzymes, and solvents affected the performance of 2- and 3-phenyl substituted methylcarbamates with varying selectivity for <em>Anopheles gambiae</em> acetylcholinesterase (<em>Ag</em>AChE). Protocol A was 100-fold suspension in buffer of a 0.1 M DMSO stock solution, followed by serial buffer dilutions to give declining DMSO in parallel with the inhibitor. Protocol B was identical to A except that the initial stock concentration was 0.01 M. Protocol C entailed DMSO serial dilutions of a 0.1 M DMSO stock solution, followed by suspension of each into buffer giving 0.1 % (<em>v/v</em>) DMSO in all incubates. <em>An. gambiae</em> enzymes from insect homogenates or a recombinant clone generally showed a progressive increase in Hill slope from 0.5 to 1 via protocols A-C, along with increased IC₅₀ values, with the 3-<em>tert</em>-butyl analog (<strong>1</strong>) epitomizing these effects. In contrast, propoxur displayed no consistent change in inhibition potency of any AChE, regardless of DMSO dilution procedure. DMSO at constant 35 μM or 0.000273 % had a midpoint effect on compound <strong>1</strong> inhibition and displayed competitive inhibition. Time course incubations (10–60 min) over a broad concentration range (10⁻¹² - 10⁻⁵ M) of <strong>1</strong> revealed saturable inhibition of high and low potency, with the high potency effect more sensitive to incubation time. In contrast, there was little change of inhibition potency or Hill slope for compound <strong>1</strong> with human AChE, or the AChEs of <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> and <em>Musca domestica</em> under any DMSO dilution protocol. Moreover, when the dilution protocols were repeated using ethanol as a solvent, little change of inhibition potency or Hill slope was observed with any compound, enzyme, or dilution scheme. These results contradicted the expectation that higher solvent concentration would yield better solubility and more rapid and potent effects of these lipophilic insecticides<em>.</em> Molecular modeling suggests DMSO may be competing with carbamate binding to <em>Ag</em>AChE or by stabilizing an allosteric subpocket within <em>AgA</em>ChE.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 104385"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144904179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Circ-379-miR-3050-DNAH3/RNF8 axis modulates wing development in Aphis citricidus","authors":"Yu-Jing Liu ,&nbsp;Jin-Ming Lu ,&nbsp;Xiu-Cheng Xie ,&nbsp;Qin-Qin Xu ,&nbsp;Bi-Yue Ding ,&nbsp;Jin-Jun Wang ,&nbsp;Feng Shang","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104393","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104393","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wings are key physiological determinants of aphid dispersal and population outbreaks. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of non-coding RNAs, regulate diverse biological processes through post-transcriptional mechanisms. However, their roles in insect wing development remain unclear. In this study, we performed RNA sequencing to identify 715 circRNAs across four developmental stages of <em>Aphis citricidus</em>: fourth-instar winged nymphs, winged adults, fourth-instar wingless nymphs, and wingless adults. Differential expression analysis revealed <em>circ-379</em> as the only circRNA significantly upregulated during the fourth-instar winged nymphs to winged adults transition, while showing no significant change in wingless morphs, suggesting a potential role in wing development. Subsequent reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) validated the circular structure of <em>circ-379</em> using divergent primers. Silencing of <em>circ-379</em> induced wing deformities. Bioinformatic prediction, expression profiling analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assays and biotin-avidin-based RNA pull-down assays identified miR-3050 as a direct miRNA target of <em>circ-379</em>, which serves as a molecular sponge to bind miR-3050, thereby suppressing the expression of its target genes <em>dynein axonemal heavy chain 3</em> (<em>DNAH3</em>) and <em>E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase RNF8-B-like</em> (<em>RNF8</em>). Overexpression of miR-3050 or RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of <em>DNAH3</em> and <em>RNF8</em> also caused wing deformities. These findings indicate that <em>circ-379</em> functions as a miR-3050 sponge to influence <em>DNAH3</em> and <em>RNF8</em> expression, thereby ensuring proper wing formation in <em>A. citricidus</em>. This study uncovers a circRNA-regulated molecular axis underlying wing plasticity in aphids, thereby advancing our understanding of non-coding RNA-mediated developmental regulation in insects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 104393"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144907322","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on the effects of high temperature on autophagy and apoptosis in different organs of Bombyx mori based on calcium ion homeostasis","authors":"Peilin Peng ,&nbsp;Hongbin Zou ,&nbsp;Jialu Cheng ,&nbsp;Haoyi Gu ,&nbsp;Guimin Nong ,&nbsp;Xuelin Qin ,&nbsp;Bing Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104384","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104384","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-temperature stress differentially affects physiological functions in <em>Bombyx mori</em>, including growth and development, silk protein synthesis, and metabolism. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we explored the mechanisms of autophagy and apoptosis in the midgut, posterior silk gland (PSG), and fat body of <em>B. mori</em> under high-temperature treatment (30 °C and 35 °C), based on calcium ion (Ca²⁺) homeostasis. The results demonstrated that high-temperature treatment significantly reduced the body weight of <em>B. mori</em>. Furthermore, high-temperature treatment could cause damage to the midgut and PSG of <em>B. mori</em>, accompanied by intracellular Ca²⁺ overload, and the transcription levels of autophagy-related genes as well as the expression of LC3-I and LC3-II proteins are both affected. The protein levels of ATG5 and NtATG5 were significantly increased, while the transcription of key apoptotic genes and the protein levels of caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 were elevated. Collectively, these results indicated that high temperature induced autophagy in <em>B. mori</em> through Ca²⁺ mediation and promoted its conversion to apoptosis. Additionally, high temperature was demonstrated to inflict minimal damage on the fat body and failed to induce upregulation of autophagy or apoptosis. This study not only unveiled the intricate interplay among Ca²⁺ homeostasis, autophagy, and apoptosis in various organs of <em>B. mori</em> under high-temperature stress, but also revealed differential effects of heat stress across distinct organs. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the breeding of thermotolerant silkworm varieties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 104384"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144889252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transgressive gene expression disrupts the molting process in hybrids of two invasive termites","authors":"Kyung Seok Kim ,&nbsp;Darshan Chetty ,&nbsp;Thomas Chouvenc ,&nbsp;Joseph F. Velenovsky IV ,&nbsp;Sang-Bin Lee ,&nbsp;Seema Rana ,&nbsp;Edward L. Vargo","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104383","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104383","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Formosan subterranean termite <em>(Coptotermes formosanus</em>) and the Asian subterranean termite (<em>Coptotermes gestroi</em>) are among the most destructive termite pests in the world. Both species have spread to various regions worldwide with overlapping distributions in a few areas where they can potentially hybridize. Observations suggest that workers in hybrid colonies are slower to molt than those of the parental species, suggesting a disruption in the molting process as a form of hybrid incompatibility. Our goal was to identify misexpressed genes in hybrids during the molting process to help uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying molting disruption. We conducted RNA-seq and identified molting-related genes by performing a time course analysis on differentially expressed transcripts. We identified molting-related genes during each stage of the molting cycle (pre-, post- and inter-molt) in the parental species. We then compared expression levels of these genes in the hybrids to identify genes that were transgressively expressed (either over- or under-expressed) compared to the parental species. We identified several genes related to the molting cycle, muscle contraction, response to stress, and ecdysone metabolism that were under-expressed in hybrids relative to their parents. These differences may help explain the disruption of molting in hybrids and provide insights into the effects of hybridization on misexpression of genes during critical periods of growth and development. Moreover, identification of molting related genes in subterranean termites highlights the molecular pathways involved in the molting process in this group of insects with high developmental plasticity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 104383"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144861972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution of a horizontally acquired fatty acid desaturase enables the biosynthesis of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in Collembola","authors":"Yuya Ohhara ,&nbsp;Ayumi Sato ,&nbsp;Yoko Hirono-Hara ,&nbsp;Kiyotaka Y. Hara ,&nbsp;Kimiko Yamakawa-Kobayashi","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104381","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104381","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Marine ecosystems are rich in essential dietary fatty acids, particularly ω-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Various marine microorganisms including microalgae produce ω-3 long-chain PUFAs through the action of methyl- and front-end desaturases. However, most terrestrial organisms cannot produce ω-3 long-chain PUFAs due to the absence of methyl- and/or front-end desaturases. One notable exception is <em>de novo</em> EPA biosynthesis in springtails (Collembola), the non-insect soil hexapod lineage serving as a nutrient source for predatory animals; however, Collembola EPA biosynthesis enzymes remain unknown. Here, we provide the first evidence of the key desaturases required for EPA biosynthesis in Collembola. Mass spectrometric analysis suggested that EPA is synthesized through arachidonic acid biosynthesis and following ω-3 desaturation, which requires front- and methyl-end desaturases, respectively. RNA-sequencing of Collembola transcripts isolated multiple candidate genes encoding front-end desaturases; however, no clear orthologous sequence of a methyl-end desaturase was retrieved. Verification of the activity of the isolated enzymes using a yeast expression system revealed that Collembola front-end desaturases catalyzed arachidonic acid biosynthesis. Furthermore, a subgroup of Collembola front-end desaturase sequences catalyzed the ω-3 desaturation step, facilitating the bioconversion of arachidonic acid to EPA. Phylogenetic analysis further revealed that the Collembola front-end desaturase sequences clustered closely to those of marine microorganisms producing ω-3 long-chain PUFAs. Given that Collembola is derived from a marine Crustacea ancestor, we propose that the horizontal acquisition of a front-end desaturase gene from a marine microbe, followed by duplication and neofunctionalization, empowered Collembola to become an EPA producer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 104381"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144811506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The functional impact of mutations in orthosteric binding site of the Drosophila melanogaster Dα2-containing nicotinic receptors points to a greater contribution to neonicotinoid selectivity of an arginine in loop D of Dβ1 than an introduced serine in loop C of Dα2","authors":"Ryo Ito ,&nbsp;Hisanori Ojima ,&nbsp;Miyu Takeuchi ,&nbsp;Hiyori Takahashi ,&nbsp;Makoto Ihara ,&nbsp;David B. Sattelle ,&nbsp;Kazuhiko Matsuda","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104380","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104380","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Studies to date show that certain orthosteric binding sites are involved in the selective actions of neonicotinoids on insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). However, few investigations have utilized functional nAChRs consisting only of insect nAChR subunits. For the mechanism of selective neonicotinoid actions, loop C has been shown to play a role, whereas functional studies have advocated roles for loop D and loop G which appear to contribute more strongly to neonicotinoid actions than loop C. Here we have investigated the effects of P242E and P242S mutations in loop C of the Dα2 subunit and R81T mutation in loop D of the Dβ1 subunit on agonist actions of imidacloprid and thiacloprid for <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> Dα1/Dα2/Dβ1 and Dα1/Dα2/Dβ1/Dβ2 nAChRs coexpressed with cofactors DmNACHO, DmRIC-3, DmTMX3 and DmUNC-50 in <em>Xenopus laevis</em> oocytes. The P242E and P242S mutations in loop C hardly affected the agonist affinity and efficacy of the neonicotinoids. In contrast, the R81T mutation in loop D decreased the affinity and efficacy of imidacloprid while substantially reducing the efficacy of thiacloprid. Combined loop C and loop D mutations resulted in further reduced efficacy of thiacloprid while having no such effect on imidacloprid actions. These results suggest that the proline in loop C and the arginine in loop D underly the binding of neonicotinoids with the greater contribution coming from loop D, and that thiacloprid relies less on the interactions with the arginine in loop D than imidacloprid, and hence is less susceptible to the R81T mutation in the development of resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 104380"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144803118","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sterol-modified plants reduce aphid performance by limiting sterol availability","authors":"Ivy W. Chen ,&nbsp;Jiaxin Lei ,&nbsp;Zekun Jin ,&nbsp;Adriana E. Alvarez ,&nbsp;Robert J. Grebenok ,&nbsp;Stephen Fletcher ,&nbsp;Spencer T. Behmer ,&nbsp;Keyan Zhu-Salzman","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104382","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104382","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sterols are essential for eukaryotic cell structure and metabolism, yet insects cannot synthesize them <em>de novo</em> and must acquire them through their diet. For insect herbivores, plant-derived sterols are typically converted into cholesterol to support development and reproduction. We previously engineered <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em> lines with silenced <em>HYD1</em>, resulting in altered sterol composition. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the phloem-feeding aphid <em>Myzus persicae</em> on these sterol-modified plants. Aphids reared on the modified lines (<em>HYD1</em>_RNAi10, 12, 25) exhibited significantly reduced growth, reproduction, and survival compared to those on wild-type Col-0. However, choice assays and electropenetrography (EPG) revealed no differences in host preference or probing and feeding behaviors. Unlike the chewing insect <em>Plutella xylostella</em>, <em>M. persica</em><em>e</em> did not accumulate atypical sterols but instead showed a significant reduction of total sterol content. Phloem-sap analysis mirrored aphid sterol profiles, lacking the atypical sterols found in leaf tissue of the modified lines. RNA-seq of <em>HYD1</em>_RNAi lines revealed no induction of known plant defense pathways; instead, genes involved in translation and nitrate metabolism were upregulated. These findings show that <em>HYD1</em> silencing reduces host suitability for aphids by limiting sterol availability for insect development and reproduction. Our results highlight the potential of sterol-modified plants as a promising strategy for managing phloem sap-feeding insect pests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 104382"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144803117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}