NADPH Oxidase 5 Is Essential for Molting and Oviposition in a Rice Planthopper Nilaparvata lugens

Abstract

The brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens is a typical monophagous insect herbivore that feeds exclusively on rice sap. This insect pest causes serious damage to rice crops throughout East Asian countries. Chemical control remains the first choice for managing N. lugens populations; however, the use of insecticides has given rise to planthopper resurgence and additional environmental risks. Nilaparvata lugens is a model insect of Hemiptera because its whole genome sequence has been elucidated and is susceptible to RNA interference. In this study, our findings revealed that a superoxide-generating gene, NADPH oxidase 5 (Nox5), is essential for molting and oviposition in a Hemipteran insect Nilaparvata lugens. Knockdown of Nox5 transcript levels by RNA interference in 2nd–5th-instar nymphs results in significantly lethal deficits in the molting transitions from nymph–nymph and nymph–adult. Nox5 knockdown leads to a reduction of hydrogen peroxide in female ovaries and failure of oviposition from the insect ovipositor into the rice leaf sheath. Here, we provide in vivo evidence demonstrating that Nox5 is a key enzyme for regulating molting and oviposition in this insect species.

Evidence for a conserved queen‐worker genetic toolkit across slave‐making ants and their ant hosts

“…Six genes were consistently more highly expressed in all seven slave‐maker species compared to hosts (Figure S2), of which three were annotated: “protein DVR‐1 homologue”, plays a role in growth factor activity and response to organic substance (http://uniprot.org), “sulfotransferase family cytosolic 1B member 1‐like”, is involved in the sulfation of molecules (http://uniprot.org), and “ATP‐dependent DNA helicase II subunit 1‐like”, is involved in double strand break repair (http://uniprot.org). Only a single gene, “NADPH oxidase 5”, showed higher expression in all seven host species compared to slave‐makers (Figure S2), which seems to play a role in moulting and oviposition (Peng et al, 2020). Various metabolic processes were significantly enriched among the differentially expressed genes between lifestyles (total = 21 processes).…”

CPR Gene Contributes to Integument Function and Ovary Development in a Rice Planthopper

“…Oviposition was observed according to Peng et al [ 32 ]. Briefly, the 5th-instar nymphs were microinjected with ds CPR .…”