Silencing of Chitin-Binding Protein with PYPV-Rich Domain Impairs Cuticle and Wing Development in the Asian Citrus Psyllid, .

Chitin is a major component of the arthropod exoskeleton, always working together with chitin-binding proteins to maintain the functions of extracellular structures. In the present study, we identified a cuticle protein 64 from using a chitin-binding assay. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that DcCP64 contained eight conserved PYPV motifs but lacked a Rebers-Riddiford (R-R) consensus and other chitin-binding domains. RT-qPCR analysis suggested that had the highest expression level in the wing and fifth-instar nymph stage. Knockdown of by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in a malformed-wing phenotype, higher mortality and decreased molting rate. Furthermore, transcriptomics analysis revealed that 1244 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were up-regulated and 580 DEGs were down-regulated, compared with ds groups and ds groups. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that up-regulated DEGs were mainly related to oxidative phosphorylation, whereas down-regulated DEGs were mainly involved in the MAPK and FoxO signaling pathways. Moreover, inhibition of significantly affected the cuticle surface, and increased the permeability of the abdomen and wings. Further chitin- and cellulose-binding assay confirmed the chitin-binding properties of recombinant DcCP64 in vitro. These results indicate that might play an important role in the cuticle and wing development of .