School of Life Science, Institutes of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China.
College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
Sci China Life Sci. 2024 Jun;67(6):1242-1254. doi: 10.1007/s11427-023-2476-1. Epub 2024 Mar 7.
RNA N-methyladenosine (mA), as the most abundant modification of messenger RNA, can modulate insect behaviors, but its specific roles in aggregation behaviors remain unexplored. Here, we conducted a comprehensive molecular and physiological characterization of the individual components of the methyltransferase and demethylase in the migratory locust Locusta migratoria. Our results demonstrated that METTL3, METTL14 and ALKBH5 were dominantly expressed in the brain and exhibited remarkable responses to crowding or isolation. The individual knockdown of methyltransferases (i.e., METTL3 and METTL14) promoted locust movement and conspecific attraction, whereas ALKBH5 knockdown induced a behavioral shift toward the solitary phase. Furthermore, global transcriptome profiles revealed that mA modification could regulate the orchestration of gene expression to fine tune the behavioral aggregation of locusts. In summary, our in vivo characterization of the mA functions in migratory locusts clearly demonstrated the crucial roles of the mA pathway in effectively modulating aggregation behaviors.
RNA N6-甲基腺苷（m6A）作为信使 RNA 中最丰富的修饰物，可以调节昆虫的行为，但它在聚集行为中的具体作用仍未被探索。在这里，我们对迁移性蝗虫 Locusta migratoria 的甲基转移酶和去甲基酶的各个组成部分进行了全面的分子和生理学表征。我们的结果表明，METTL3、METTL14 和 ALKBH5 在脑中表达丰富，并对拥挤或隔离有明显的反应。甲基转移酶（即 METTL3 和 METTL14）的单独敲低促进了蝗虫的运动和同种吸引力，而 ALKBH5 的敲低则导致行为向独居阶段转变。此外，全转录组谱揭示了 m6A 修饰可以调节基因表达的协调，从而精细调节蝗虫的行为聚集。总之，我们对迁移性蝗虫中 m6A 功能的体内表征清楚地表明，m6A 途径在有效调节聚集行为方面起着至关重要的作用。
