Feng Shanshan, Wang Da, Qin Qiuju, Chen Ke, Zhang Wenjing, He Yunzhuan
College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, China.
Insects. 2024 Dec 11;15(12):981. doi: 10.3390/insects15120981.
Insulin-like peptides (ILPs) are important peptide hormones in insects, particularly involved in regulating physiological processes such as growth, development, and reproduction. However, the specific roles of ILPs in the reproduction of natural enemy insects remain unknown. In this study, two ILP genes, and , were cloned and their functions were analyzed in female L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). The open reading frames (ORFs) of and were 384 bp and 357 bp, respectively. The expression of increased on the 6th day after eclosion, reaching its peak on the 12th day, while levels showed a significant increase on the 6th day and then stabilized. In different tissues, was highly expressed in ovaries, while predominated in elytra. Injection of dsRNA targeting and resulted in the down-regulation of insulin pathway genes. The relative expression of ovarian development-related genes , and was reduced by 82.50%, 89.55%. and 96.98% in -treated females, and by 42.55%, 91.36%, and 55.63% in -treated females. Furthermore, substantial decreases in 14-day fecundity were observed, with reductions of 89.99% for and 83.45% for . These results confirm the regulatory functions of and in female reproduction.
胰岛素样肽（ILPs）是昆虫体内重要的肽类激素，尤其参与调节生长、发育和繁殖等生理过程。然而，ILPs在天敌昆虫繁殖中的具体作用仍不清楚。在本研究中，克隆了两个ILP基因，并在雌性七星瓢虫中分析了它们的功能。和的开放阅读框（ORF）分别为384 bp和357 bp。的表达在羽化后第6天增加，在第12天达到峰值，而水平在第6天显著增加，然后稳定下来。在不同组织中，在卵巢中高表达，而在鞘翅中占主导。注射靶向和的dsRNA导致胰岛素信号通路基因的下调。在处理的雌性中，卵巢发育相关基因、和的相对表达分别降低了82.50%、89.55%和96.98%，在处理的雌性中分别降低了42.55%、91.36%和55.63%。此外，观察到14天的繁殖力大幅下降，处理组下降了89.99%，处理组下降了83.45%。这些结果证实了和在雌性七星瓢虫繁殖中的调节功能。
