Functional Role of in the Reproduction of (Hemiptera: Miridae).

Jakovlev (Hemiptera: Miridae) is an omnivorous agricultural pest that has severe economic impacts on a diverse range of agricultural crops. Although the targeted disruption of reproductive development among insects has been proposed as a novel control strategy for pest species, the current understanding of the physiology and molecular mechanisms of reproduction is very limited. In this study, we isolated a putative () gene that is highly expressed in the fat body and ovaries of sexually mature females. The double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated knockdown of suppressed ovarian development and negatively impacted female fertility, which suggested that it plays an essential role in reproduction. The results of this study could help to expand our understanding of reproductive development and have the potential to facilitate the development of effective strategies for the better control of this pest species.