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Gong LL, Zhang MQ, Ma YF, Feng HY, Zhao YQ, Zhou YY, He M, Smagghe G, He P. RNAi of yellow-y, required for normal cuticle pigmentation, impairs courtship behavior and oviposition in the German cockroach (Blattella germanica). Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 2024; 115:e22114. [PMID: 38659314 DOI: 10.1002/arch.22114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The insect cuticle plays a key role in maintaining the insect's physiological function and behavior. Herein, the yellow-y protein is required to produce black melanin, and is expressed in a pattern that correlates with the distribution of this pigment. However, yellow-y can also have other functions, for instance, in insect behavior, but not much is known. In this study, we have studied the yellow-y gene in one important model and pest species, namely the German cockroach (Blattella germanica), which is to our knowledge the first time reported. In essence, we identified the yellow-y gene (BgY-y) and characterized its function by using RNA interference (RNAi). Silencing of BgY-y gene led to different developmental abnormalities (body weight and wings) in both genders. Specifically, there was an abundant decrease in melanin, turning the body color in pale yellow and the cuticle softer and more transparent. Interestingly, we also observed that the knockdown of BgY-y impaired the male cockroaches to display a weaker response to female-emitted contact sex pheromones, and also that the oviposition ability was weakened in the RNAi females. This study comprehensively analyzed the biological functions of the yellow-y gene in German cockroaches from the perspectives of development, body color, courtship behavior and oviposition, and as a consequence, this may opens new avenues to explore it as a novel pest control gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lang-Lang Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Meng-Qi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yun-Feng Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Hong-Yan Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Ya-Qin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yang-Yuntao Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Ming He
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Institute Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- Department of Plants and Crops, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Peng He
- State Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
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Zhang MQ, Gong LL, Zhao YQ, Ma YF, Long GJ, Guo H, Liu XZ, Hull JJ, Dewer Y, Yang C, Zhang NN, He M, He P. Efficient DIPA-CRISPR-mediated knockout of an eye pigment gene in the white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera. Insect Sci 2023. [PMID: 37919237 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Although CRISPR/Cas9 has been widely used in insect gene editing, the need for the microinjection of preblastoderm embryos can preclude the technique being used in insect species with eggs that are small, have hard shells, and/or are difficult to collect and maintain outside of their normal environment. Such is the case with Sogatella furcifera, the white-backed planthopper (WBPH), a significant pest of Oryza sativa (rice) that oviposits inside rice stems. Egg extraction from the stem runs the risk of mechanical damage and hatching is heavily influenced by the micro-environment of the rice stem. To bypass these issues, we targeted embryos prior to oviposition via direct parental (DIPA)-CRISPR, in which Cas9 and single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) for the WBPH eye pigment gene tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase were injected into the hemocoel of adult females. Females at varying numbers of days posteclosion were evaluated to determine at what stage their oocyte might be most capable of taking up the gene-editing components. An evaluation of the offspring indicated that the highest G0 gene-edited efficacy (56.7%) occurred in females injected 2 d posteclosion, and that those mutations were heritably transmitted to the G1 generation. This study demonstrates the potential utility of DIPA-CRISPR for future gene-editing studies in non-model insect species and can facilitate the development of novel pest management applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Qi Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Lang-Lang Gong
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Ya-Qin Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yun-Feng Ma
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Gui-Jun Long
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Huan Guo
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Xuan-Zheng Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - J Joe Hull
- Pest Management and Biocontrol Research Unit, US Arid Land Agricultural Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Services, Maricopa, Arizona, USA
| | - Youssef Dewer
- Phytotoxicity Research Department, Central Agricultural Pesticide Laboratory, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Chao Yang
- Guizhou Jifeng Seed Industry Limited Liability Company, Xingyi, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Ning-Ning Zhang
- Shandong Facility Horticulture Bioengineering Research Center, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong Province, China
| | - Ming He
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Peng He
- National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticides, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Center for R&D of Fine Chemicals of Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
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