title: Silencing a sugar transporter gene reduces growth and fecundity in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).
abstract: The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, sugar transporter gene 6 (Nlst6) is a facilitative glucose/fructose transporter (often called a passive carrier) expressed in midgut that mediates sugar transport from the midgut lumen to hemolymph. The influence of down regulating expression of sugar transporter genes on insect growth, development, and fecundity is unknown. Nonetheless, it is reasonable to suspect that transporter-mediated uptake of dietary sugar is essential to the biology of phloem-feeding insects. Based on this reasoning, we posed the hypothesis that silencing, or reducing expression, of a BPH sugar transporter gene would be deleterious to the insects. To test our hypothesis, we examined the effects of Nlst6 knockdown on BPH biology. Reducing expression of Nlst6 led to profound effects on BPHs. It significantly prolonged the pre-oviposition period, shortened the oviposition period, decreased the number of eggs deposited and reduced body weight, compared to controls. Nlst6 knockdown also significantly decreased fat body and ovarian (particularly vitellogenin) protein content as well as vitellogenin gene expression. Experimental BPHs accumulated less fat body glucose compared to controls. We infer that Nlst6 acts in BPH growth and fecundity, and has potential as a novel target gene for control of phloem-feeding pest insects.
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Protection Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lin-Quan
authors.initials: LQ
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Protection Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yi-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Protection Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, 1-31 Agriculture Building, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
authors.forename: Qi-Sheng
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: USDA/Agricultural Research Service, Biological Control of Insects Research Laboratory, Columbia, Missouri.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stanley
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Protection Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuai
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Protection Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Protection Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guo-Qing
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Protection Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jin-Cai
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D020868:Gene Silencing; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D010053:Ovary / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D005947:Glucose