Institute of Applied Biology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.
College of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.
Insect Sci. 2021 Jun;28(3):705-717. doi: 10.1111/1744-7917.12801. Epub 2020 Jul 22.
Wings are an important flight organ of insects and their morphogenesis depends on a series of cell-to-cell and cell-to-extracellular matrix interactions. Integrin as a transmembrane protein receptor mediates cell-to-cell adhesion, cell-to-extracellular matrix interactions and signal transduction. In the present study, we characterized an integrin gene that encodes integrinβ-PS protein in Locusta migratoria. LmIntegrinβ-PS is highly expressed in the wing pads and the middle stages of 5th instar nymphs. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the LmIntegrinβ-PS protein was localized at the cell base of the two layers of wings. After suppression of LmIntegrinβ-PS by RNA interference, the wing pads or wings were unable to form normally, with a blister wing appearance during nymph to nymph transition and nymph to adult transition. We further found that the dorsal and ventral epidermis of the wings after dsLmIntegrinβ-PS injection were improperly connected and formed huge cavities revealed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Furthermore, the morphology and structure of the wing cuticle was significantly disturbed which affected the stable arrangement and attachments of the wing epidermis. Moreover, the expression of related cell adhesion genes was significantly decreased in LmIntegrinβ-PS-suppressed L. migratoria, suggesting that LmIntegrinβ-PS is required for the morphogenesis and development of wings during molting by stabilizing cell adhesion and maintaining the cytoskeleton of these cells.
翅膀是昆虫重要的飞行器官，其形态发生取决于一系列细胞间和细胞外基质间的相互作用。整合素作为一种跨膜蛋白受体，介导细胞间黏附、细胞与细胞外基质的相互作用以及信号转导。在本研究中，我们对编码Locusta migratoria 整合素β-PS 蛋白的整合素基因进行了鉴定。LmIntegrinβ-PS 在翅垫和 5 龄若虫的中期高度表达。免疫组织化学分析显示，LmIntegrinβ-PS 蛋白定位于翅膀两层细胞的基底。用 RNA 干扰抑制 LmIntegrinβ-PS 后，翅垫或翅膀无法正常形成，在若虫到若虫转变和若虫到成虫转变期间出现水疱翅外观。我们进一步发现，dsLmIntegrinβ-PS 注射后的翅膀背侧和腹侧表皮连接不当，苏木精和伊红染色显示形成巨大的腔。此外，翅膀表皮的形态和结构受到严重干扰，影响了翅膀表皮的稳定排列和附着。此外，在 LmIntegrinβ-PS 抑制的 L. migratoria 中，相关细胞黏附基因的表达显著降低，表明 LmIntegrinβ-PS 通过稳定细胞黏附和维持这些细胞的细胞骨架，对于蜕皮期间翅膀的形态发生和发育是必需的。
