Abstract
Tissue homeostasis is critical for maintaining organ shape, size, and function. The condition is regulated by the balance between the generation of new cells and the loss of senescent cells, and it involves many factors and mechanisms. The midgut, an important part of the intestinal tract, is responsible for digestion and nutrient absorption in insects. LmDDX47, the ortholog of DEAD-box helicase 47 from Locusta migratoria, is indispensable for sustaining a normal midgut in the nymphs. However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, LmDDX47 knockdown resulted in atrophy of the midgut and gastric cecum in both nymph and adult locusts. After LmDDX47 knockdown, the number of regenerative and columnar cells in the midgut was significantly reduced, and cell death was induced in columnar tissue. LmDDX47 was localized to the nucleolus; this was consistent with the reduction in 18S rRNA synthesis in the LmDDX47 knockdown group. In addition, the acetylation and crotonylation levels of midgut proteins were significantly increased. Therefore, LmDDX47 could be a key regulator of midgut homeostasis, regulating 18S rRNA synthesis as well as protein acetylation and crotonylation in the migratory locust.
Highlights
Tissue homeostasis is required for the morphogenesis and maintenance of organ shape, size, and function [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
We dissected dsLmDDX47-treated fifth instar nymphs 7 days after dsRNA injection and found midgut and gastric cecum atrophy (Figure 1A), a phenotype similar to that observed in third instar locusts [34]
In the LmDDX47 knockdown group, the length of the midgut and gastric cecum was reduced to 3 mm (Figure 1B,C)
Summary
Tissue homeostasis is required for the morphogenesis and maintenance of organ shape, size, and function [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Tissue homeostasis is based on a tight balance between the generation of newly differentiated cells and the removal of senescent or damaged cells [1,4,9]. When this balance is disturbed, it results in physical defects [4,10,11]. In insects, this complex coordinated activity is involved in the regulation of programmed cell death, cell proliferation, and differentiation [1,2,3]. Multiple factors and mechanisms involved in midgut development and homeostasis have been identified in the holometabolous model Drosophila melanogaster [3,19,20,21,22,23,24,25]; the information in other insects is only fragmented [3,12,19,20,21,22,23,24,25]
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