Physiological roles of trehalose in Hyphantria cunea revealed by RNA interference of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase and trehalase genes

Trehalose plays a crucial role in insect energy metabolism and stress tolerance. Therefore, we investigated the physiological functions of trehalose metabolism genes, namely trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS), soluble trehalase (Tre1), and membrane-bound trehalase (Tre2) were investigated in Hyphantria cunea using RNA interference. Silencing of TPS, Tre1, and Tre2 genes achieved silencing efficiencies of 51.77, 71.38 and 52.01 %, respectively, at 72 h post-injection. Silencing TPS increased food intake, body weight, prolonged development duration, and decreased glucose, trehalose, and glycogen levels, and pupal weight. In contrast, silencing Tre1 and Tre2 decreased food intake, body weight, glucose and glycogen levels, and pupal weight, delayed development, and increased trehalose content. Silencing TPS, Tre1, and Tre2 caused abnormal phenotypes, such as pupal and wing deformities. Silencing TPS suppressed the expression of five genes in the chitin biosynthesis pathway and two to lipid catabolism related genes. The expression levels of two genes associated with lipid biosynthesis were upregulated, and as Tre1 and Tre2 were significantly downregulated after TPS RNAi, while UAP and CHSA expression levels were specifically affected by RNAi of TPS and Tre1. In female H. cunea adults, silencing TPS, Tre1, and Tre2 genes significantly reduced the number of eggs conceived, and laid and egg hatchability. Overall, silencing TPS, Tre1, and Tre2 genes disrupted trehalose metabolism, affecting the growth, development, and reproduction of H. cunea. These findings highlight the potential for targeting trehalose metabolism genes as an environmentally friendly pest management strategy.