Molecular Characterization of UDP--Acetylglucosamine Pyrophosphorylase and Its Role in the Growth and Development of the White-Backed Planthopper (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).

UDP--acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (UAP) is a key enzyme in the chitin biosynthesis pathway of insects. Here, we described the gene in the white-backed planthopper (Horváth) with an open reading frame of 1470 bp. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) suggested that exhibits a different developmental expression pattern and a higher expression after molting. The highest expression of was observed in the integument tissues of adults, whereas head tissues showed negligible expression. RNAi-based gene silencing decreased the mRNA transcript levels in nymphs injected with double-stranded RNA of . Finally, silencing led to 84% mortality and malformed phenotypes in nymphs. Thus, our results can help better understand the role of in .