2. Academic Validation
  3. The role of insulin receptor InR in photoperiod-regulated reproductive diapause of Chrysoperla nipponensis

The role of insulin receptor InR in photoperiod-regulated reproductive diapause of Chrysoperla nipponensis

  • Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2025 May:180:104305. doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104305.
Xiao Wang 1,  Minghui Xu 1,  Xue Kong 1,  Shaofeng Zhong 1,  Jeremiah Joe Kabissa 2,  Dandan Li 1,  Zhiwei Kang 3,  Yongyu Xu 4,  Zhenzhen Chen 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 College of Plant Protection, State Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271000, PR China.
  • 2 College of Plant Protection, State Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271000, PR China; Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Mwanza, 999132, Tanzania.
  • 3 College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, 071000, PR China. Electronic address: zwkang2010@126.com.
  • 4 College of Plant Protection, State Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271000, PR China. Electronic address: Xuyy@sdau.edu.cn.
  • 5 College of Plant Protection, State Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271000, PR China. Electronic address: chenzz0327@163.com.
PMID: 40158640 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104305
Abstract

Insects usually diapause, a process regulated by hormonal signals as an adaptive mechanism developed through long-term evolution to survive unfavorable environmental conditions. Chrysoperla nipponensis is classified as a photoperiod-sensitive insect. Treatments with short-day (SD) and long-day (LD) conditions have distinct effects on ovarian development and lipid accumulation in adults, with SD condition inducing diapause. Injecting bovine Insulin promoted ovarian development and egg formation in diapause females, while injecting Insulin Receptor induced diapause-like traits in reproductive females. This study investigate the biological function of Insulin signaling in the reproductive diapause of females of C. nipponensis. Under SD treatment the mRNA expression level of InR1 and InR2, as well as the protein expression level of InR1 were significantly reduced. This reduction led to stagnant ovarian development, increased adipose tissue mass, and a significant rise in triglyceride (TG) content. Silencing InR1 under LD conditions resulted in halted ovarian development and enhanced lipid accumulation, with the expression levels of Akt, Kr-h1, and Vg significantly decreased mirroring those observed under SD conditions. Interestingly, silencing InR2 under LD condition did not affect ovarian development. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis identified six genes (Akt, PkN, Skp2, CycB3, BTrC, and AurkA) associated with reproductive regulation and eight genes (FadΔ11, EchA, EcI, Ugts (2A3, 1-9), AR, Gpdh and Cbr) linked to lipid metabolism, all of which are involved in InR1 mediated regulation of C. nipponensis reproduction.

Keywords

Chrysoperla nipponensis; Diapause; Insulin receptor InR; Lipid metabolism; Reproduction.

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