Lethal giant larvae gene is required for normal nymphal development and midgut morphogenesis in Locusta migratoria

作     者：Xuekai Shi Xiaojian Liu Kristopher Silver Kun Yan Zhu Jianzhen Zhang Xuekai Shi;Xiaojian Liu;Kristopher Silver;Kun Yan Zhu;Jianzhen Zhang

作者机构：Institute of Applied BiologyShanxi UniversityTaiyuanShanxiChina College of Life ScienceShanxi UniversityTaiyuanShanxiChina Department of EntomologyKansas State UniversityManhattanKansasUSA 

出 版 物：《Insect Science》 (昆虫科学（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2022年第29卷第4期

页      面：1017-1029页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 07[理学] 

基　　金：This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC31730074).The authors de-clare that they have no conflicts of interest with the con-tents of this article. 

主　　题：development lethal giant larvae Locusita migratoria midgut morphogenesis RNA interference 

摘      要：Disruption of morphogenesis,an essential process in organismal development,can lead to disruption of biological processes,reduction in fitness,or even death of an organism.The roles of lethal giant larvae(Lgl)protein in maintaining tissue organization have been studied extensively in mammals,but little is known about this gene s roles in promoting correct tissue morphogenesis in insects.In this study,we identified an Lgl ortholog in Locusta migratoria.RT-qPCR results revealed that LmLgl was constitutively expressed during third,fourth,and fifth instar nymphs.Furthermore,LmLgl showed highest expression in the ovary followed by wing pads,midgut,hindgut,Malpighian tubules,and foregut of the third-instar nymphs.To examine the role of LmLgl in L.migratoria development,RNA interference was performed during nymphal stages.Silencing of LmLgl increased body size but decreased bodyweight by 9.0%.Histological sections of the midgut revealed abnormal large masses of disordered epithelial cells in dsLmLgl-injected nymphs.In addition,downregulation of LmLgl transcript levels significantly altered the morphological structure in midgut,resulting in the formation of tumor-like structures.Our results indicated that LmLgl may act as a tumor-suppressor gene,which plays an essential role in maintaining a normal morphological structure in the midgut of L.migratoria.Our results also suggest that LmLgl may be explored as a potential target for developing dsRNA-based biological pesticides for managing insect pests.