title: Biological and biochemical characterization of a red-eye mutant in Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).
abstract: A red-eye colony was established in our laboratory in brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), a major rice pest in Asia. Except for the red-eye phenotype, no other differences were observed between the wild-type (brown eye) and the mutant-type (red eye) in external characters. Genetic analysis revealed that the red-eye phenotype was controlled by a single autosomal recessive allele. Biological studies found that egg production and egg viability in the red-eye mutant colony were not significantly different from those in the wild-type BPH. Biochemical analysis and electronic microscopy examination revealed that the red-eye mutants contained decreased levels of both xanthommatin (brown) and pteridine (red) and reduced number of pigment granules. Thus, the changes of amount and ratio of the two pigments is the biochemical basis of this red-eye mutation. Our results indicate that the red-eye mutant gene (red) might be involved in one common gene locus shared by the two pigments in pigment transportation, pigment granule formation or some other processes.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou.
authors: Shu-Hua
authors: SH
authors: Liu
authors: Jing
authors: J
authors: Yao
authors: Hong-Wei
authors: HW
authors: Yao
authors: Peng-Ling
authors: PL
authors: Jiang
authors: Bao-Jun
authors: BJ
authors: Yang
authors: Jian
authors: J
authors: Tang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054910:Compound Eye, Arthropod / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005298:Fertility; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation; D010078:Oxazines / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011621:Pteridines / Q000378:metabolism*; D014966:Xanthenes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010078:Oxazines; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D011621:Pteridines; D014966:Xanthenes; C002866:xanthommatin
keywords: Nilaparvata lugens; biological characterization; eye pigment; genetic analysis; pigment granule; red-eye mutant