Hexamerin and allergen are required for female reproduction in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana

Two proteins, hexamerin and allergen, separated from the fat body of female adults of the American cockroach, were identified as storage proteins. They play an important role in the juvenile hormone-stimulated female reproduction and may be involvedvia metabolism or nutrition. AbstractReproduction is of great importance for the continuation of the species. In insects, the fat body is the major tissue for nutrient storage and involved in vitellogenesis, which is essential for female reproduction. Here, 2 proteins, hexamerin and allergen, were separated from the fat bodies of adult female American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) and identified as storage proteins, encoding for 733 amino acids with molecular weight of 87.88  kDa and 686 amino acids with molecular weight of 82.18 kDa, respectively. The encoding genes of these 2 storage proteins are mainly expressed in the fat body. RNA interference-mediated knockdown ofHexamerin andAllergen in the early stage of the first reproductive cycle in females suppressed vitellogenesis and ovarian maturation, indicating that these storage proteins are involved in controlling reproduction. Importantly, the expression ofHexamerin andAllergen was repressed by knockdown of the juvenile hormone (JH) receptor geneMet and the primary response geneKr-h1, and was induced by methoprene, a JH analog, in bothin vivo andin vitro experiments. Altogether, we have determined that hexamerin and allergen are identified as storage proteins and play an...

Source: Insect Science - June 17, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Shiming Zhu, Xiaoyi Chen, Sishi Xia, Qin Li, Ziqi Ye, Shaoting Zhao, Kexin Liu, Fangfang Liu Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research