title: Bicaudal-C plays a vital role in oogenesis in Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).
abstract: Bicaudal-C (Bic-C) was originally identified in a Drosophila melanogaster mutagenesis screen and plays vital roles in embryogenesis. In this study, we characterized the Bic-C gene in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), an insect pest that undergoes incomplete metamorphosis. Our result showed that N. lugens Bic-C (NlBic-C) is a female-specific gene in this species. It is specifically expressed in developing oocytes and is not expressed in laid eggs. Ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) of NlBic-C arrested the uptake of vitelline by oocytes, and resulted in undeveloped ovaries and the complete inhibition of oocyte growth in the ovarioles, suggesting that NlBic-C is required for oogenesis and oocyte maturation. NlBic-C is extremely highly sensitive to RNAi, suggesting that it may be a potential target in RNAi-based insect pest management.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Bing-Xin
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Jian
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Han
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: chxzhang@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chuan-Xi
authors.initials: CX
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005260:Female; D017344:Genes, Insect; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009866:Oogenesis; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010802:Phylogeny; D034622:RNA Interference; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics
keywords: Bicaudal-C gene; Nilaparvata lugens; Oogenesis; Ribonucleic acid interference