Identification and Expression of Inward-Rectifying Potassium Channel Subunits in .

In insects, inward-rectifying potassium (Kir) channels regulate vital physiological functions, such as feeding behavior, silk secretion, renal excretion, and immune function. Therefore, they offer promising potential as targets for insecticides. Three types of Kir subunits have been identified in Diptera and Hemiptera, but the Kir subunits of Lepidoptera still remain unclear. This study identified five Kir subunit genes (, , , , and ) in the transcriptome of . Phylogenetic analysis identified , , , and as orthologous genes of - in other insects. Interestingly, may be encoding a new class of Kir subunit in Lepidoptera that has not been reported to date. To identify further Kir channel subunits of , the gene expression profiles of five genes were studied by quantitative real-time PCR. These genes are expressed throughout the development of . and were highly expressed in thoraxes and legs, while (3A and 3B) and had high expression levels in the midgut and Malpighian tubules. This study identified the composition and distribution of Kir subunits in for the first time, and provides useful information for the further study of Kir channel subunits in Lepidoptera.