< i > Vestigial < /i > mediates the effect of insulin signaling pathway on wing-morph switching in planthoppers

by Jin-Li Zhang, Sheng-Jie Fu, Sun-Jie Chen, Hao-Hao Chen, Yi-Lai Liu, Xin-Yang Liu, Hai-Jun Xu

Wing polymorphism is an evolutionary feature found in a wide variety of insects, which offers a model system for studying the evolutionary significance of dispersal. In the wing-dimorphic planthopperNilaparvata lugens, the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling (IIS) pathway acts as a ‘master signal’ that directs the development of either long-winged (LW) or short-winged (SW) morphs via regulation of the activity of Forkhead transcription factor subgroup O (NlFoxO). However, downstream effectors of the IIS –FoxO signaling cascade that mediate alternative wing morphs are unclear. Here we found thatvestigial (Nlvg), a key wing-patterning gene, is selectively and temporally regulated by the IIS –FoxO signaling cascade during the wing-morph decision stage (fifth-instar stage). RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated silencing ofNlfoxo increaseNlvg expression in the fifth-instar stage (the last nymphal stage), thereby inducing LW development. Conversely, silencing ofNlvg can antagonize the effects of IIS activity on LW development, redirecting wing commitment from LW to the morph with intermediate wing size. In vitro and in vivo binding assays indicated thatNlFoxO protein may suppressNlvg expression by directly binding to the first intron region of theNlvg locus. Our findings provide a first glimpse of the link connecting the IIS pathway to the wing-patterning network on the dev...

Source: PLoS Genetics - February 9, 2021 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Jin-Li Zhang Source Type: research