Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental Biology and Applied Technology, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.
Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Insect Development Regulation and Application Research, Institute of Insect Science and Technology, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.
Genes (Basel). 2023 Jul 15;14(7):1452. doi: 10.3390/genes14071452.
Integrin members are cell adhesion receptors that bind to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins to regulate cell-cell adhesion and cell-ECM adhesion. This process is essential for tissue development and organogenesis. The fusion of two testes is a physiological phenomenon that is required for sperm production and effective reproduction in many Lepidoptera. However, the molecular mechanism of testicular fusion is unclear. In , two separated testes fuse into a single testis during the larva-to-pupa transformation. We identified five α and five β integrin subunits that were closely associated with testicular fusion. Integrin α1 and α2 belong to the position-specific 1 (PS1) and PS2 groups, respectively. Integrin α3, αPS1/αPS2, and αPS3 were clustered into the PS3 group. Integrin β1 belonged to the insect β group, and β2, β3, and β5 were clustered in the βν group. Among these integrins, α1, α2, α3, αPS1/PS2, αPS3, β1, and β4 subunits were highly expressed when the testes fused. However, their expression levels were much lower before and after the fusion of the testis. The qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry analyses indicated that integrin β1 mRNA and the protein were highly expressed in the peritoneal sheath of the testis, particularly when the testes fused. These results indicate that integrins might participate in testicular fusion.
整合素成员是细胞粘附受体，它们与细胞外基质（ECM）蛋白结合，调节细胞-细胞粘附和细胞-ECM 粘附。这个过程对组织发育和器官发生至关重要。两个睾丸的融合是许多鳞翅目昆虫中精子产生和有效繁殖所必需的生理现象。然而，睾丸融合的分子机制尚不清楚。在本文中，两个分离的睾丸在幼虫到蛹的转变过程中融合成一个睾丸。我们鉴定了五个与睾丸融合密切相关的α和β整合素亚基。整合素α1和α2分别属于位置特异性 1（PS1）和 PS2 组。整合素α3、αPS1/αPS2 和 αPS3 被聚类到 PS3 组。整合素β1 属于昆虫β组，β2、β3 和β5 被聚类到βν组。在这些整合素中，α1、α2、α3、αPS1/PS2、αPS3、β1 和β4 亚基在睾丸融合时高度表达。然而，它们的表达水平在睾丸融合前后都要低得多。qRT-PCR 和免疫组织化学分析表明，整合素β1 mRNA 和蛋白质在睾丸的腹膜鞘中高度表达，尤其是在睾丸融合时。这些结果表明整合素可能参与睾丸融合。
