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Biology
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Molecular Mechanisms of Insects Metamorphosis and Sex Determination
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Molecular Mechanisms of Insects Metamorphosis and Sex Determination

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Zoology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 7082

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jun Xu

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Genetics, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: Drosophila melanogaster; Bombyx mori; molecular genetics; sex determination; inter-organ communication; genome editing; nanobody

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Insects constitute the largest group of organisms in the animal kingdom on Earth. This includes many economically important species such as the silkworm or honeybee but also pests such as cockroaches, etc. This abundance provides a large scale of genetic resources that fuel insect research beneficial from the perspectives of human health, agricultural production, and basic science. Insect metamorphosis and sex determination have been carried out as important research directions for more than a century. Many breakthroughs have been well studied in the model insect Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila is a good model of complete metamorphic insect for studying molting, development, and metamorphosis. The genes involved in the Drosophila sex determination pathway have been well characterized where more than ten genes can cause a complete sex reversal. However, the study of non-Drosophila insects remains poorly characterized. The goal of this Special Issue is to deepen our knowledge and broaden our understanding of molecular mechanisms of metamorphosis and sex determination, especially in non-Drosophila insects. We invite the submission of original scientific reports, review articles, commentary, and perspective pieces.

Dr. Jun Xu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • insect metamorphosis
  • sex determination
  • sexual dimorphism
  • genome editing
  • developmental biology

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 10052 KiB  
Article
Knockdown of Ecdysone-Induced Protein 93F Causes Abnormal Pupae and Adults in the Eggplant Lady Beetle
by Jian-Jian Wu, Feng Chen, Rui Yang, Chen-Hui Shen, Long-Ji Ze, Lin Jin and Guo-Qing Li
Biology 2022, 11(11), 1640; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11111640 - 9 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1749
Abstract
Ecdysone-induced protein 93F (E93) plays triple roles during post-embryonic development in insects whose juvenile instars are more than four. However, it only acts as a specifier of adult structures in Drosophila flies whose larval instars are fixed at three. In this study, we [...] Read more.
Ecdysone-induced protein 93F (E93) plays triple roles during post-embryonic development in insects whose juvenile instars are more than four. However, it only acts as a specifier of adult structures in Drosophila flies whose larval instars are fixed at three. In this study, we determined the functions of E93 in the eggplant lady beetle (Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata), which has four larval instars. We uncovered that E93 was abundantly expressed at the prepupal and pupal stages. A precocious inhibition of the juvenile hormone signal by RNA interference (RNAi) of HvKr-h1 or HvHairy, two vital downstream developmental effectors, at the penultimate instar larval stage increased the expression of E93, Conversely, ingestion of JH by the third-instar larvae stimulated the expression of HvKr-h1 but repressed the transcription of either HvE93X1 or HvE93X2. However, disturbance of the JH signal neither drove premature metamorphosis nor caused supernumerary instars. In contrast, depletion of E93 at the third- and fourth-instar larval and prepupal stages severely impaired pupation and caused a larval-pupal mixed phenotype: pupal spines and larval scoli were simultaneously presented on the cuticle. RNAi of E93 at the pupal stage affected adult eclosion. When the beetles had suffered from a dsE93 injection at the fourth-instar larval and pupal stages, a few resultant adults emerged, with separated elytra, abnormally folded hindwings, a small body size and short appendages. Taken together, our results suggest the larval instars are fixed in H. vigintioctopunctata; E93 serves as a repressor of larval characters and a specifier of adult structures during the larval–pupal–adult transition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Insects Metamorphosis and Sex Determination)
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14 pages, 2797 KiB  
Article
Transcriptional Dynamics Induced by Diapause Hormone in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori
by Lijuan Chen, Zhongjie Zhang, Kai Chen, Ye Yu, Bo Hu, Hongsheng Song and Xiaojing Liu
Biology 2022, 11(9), 1313; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11091313 - 4 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2186
Abstract
Diapause is a form of dormancy that organisms use to adapt to extreme environments by exhibiting developmental arrest. In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, diapause is thought to be elicited by diapause hormone (DH) signaling, which consists of interactions between DH and the [...] Read more.
Diapause is a form of dormancy that organisms use to adapt to extreme environments by exhibiting developmental arrest. In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, diapause is thought to be elicited by diapause hormone (DH) signaling, which consists of interactions between DH and the DH receptor (DHR). However, the steps downstream of the DH signaling pathway are largely unknown. In the present study, we directly injected synthesized DH into the female pupae of a multivoltine, non-diapausing strain at 36 h after pupation. We found that the mRNA level of DHR declined at 4 h and recovered at 12 h after the injection of DH. Thus, we sequenced the transcriptome of the ovaries at 4 h and 12 h after the injection of DH. We identified 60 and 221 differentially expressed genes at 4 h and 12 h after the injection, respectively. All DEGs were identified, relating to 20E-related genes, JH-related genes, cellular detoxification, ribosomal proteins, lipid metabolism, and epigenetic modifications. Eleven genes were selected from the above categories to verify the transcriptome data. The qRT-PCR and RNA-Seq expression patterns of the genes were consistent, which indicated the authenticity and reliability of the transcriptome data. This study dramatically expands upon our knowledge of gene expression variation at the early phase of DH release. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Insects Metamorphosis and Sex Determination)
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12 pages, 3266 KiB  
Article
CRISPR/Cas9 Mediated Disruption of Seminal Fluid Protein Sfp62 Induces Male Sterility in Bombyx mori
by Xia Xu, Jine Chen, Xin Du, Lusong Yao and Yongqiang Wang
Biology 2022, 11(4), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11040561 - 7 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2277
Abstract
Seminal fluid proteins provide factors necessary for development, storage, and activation of sperm. Altered expression of seminal fluid proteins can lead to defect in male infertility. We investigated the function of seminal fluid protein Sfp62 in the model lepidopteran insect Bombyx mori using [...] Read more.
Seminal fluid proteins provide factors necessary for development, storage, and activation of sperm. Altered expression of seminal fluid proteins can lead to defect in male infertility. We investigated the function of seminal fluid protein Sfp62 in the model lepidopteran insect Bombyx mori using CRISPR/Cas9 mediated mutagenesis. The knockout of BmSfp62 gene led to male sterility but has no effect on female fertility. The mutation did not affect growth and development of the silkworm of both sexes. Motility of sperm in male mutants was decreased and the mRNA expression levels of other genes encoding seminal fluid proteins were altered in BmSfp62 mutants compared to the wild-type controls. The male sterility caused by mutation of BmSfp62 was stably inherited. As the proteins encoded by Sfp62 genes are conserved among lepidopteran species, Sfp62 is a potential target for the biological management of lepidopteran pests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Insects Metamorphosis and Sex Determination)
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