Abstract
Phosphoglucomutase (PGM) is a key enzyme in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, regulating both glycogen and trehalose metabolism in insects. In this study, we explored the potential function of phosphoglucomutase (PGM) using RNA interference technology in Nilaparvata lugens, the brown planthopper. PGM1 and PGM2 were found highly expressed in the midgut of brown planthoppers, with different expression levels in different instar nymphs. The glycogen, glucose, and trehalose levels were also significantly increased after brown planthoppers were injected with dsRNA targeting PGM1 (dsPGM1) or PGM2 (dsPGM2). In addition, injection of dsPGM1 or dsPGM2 resulted in increased membrane-bound trehalase activity but not soluble trehalase activity. Furthermore, the expression of genes related to trehalose and glycogen metabolism decreased significantly after injection with dsPGM1 and dsPGM2. The expression levels of genes involved in chitin metabolism in the brown planthopper were also significantly decreased and the insects showed wing deformities and difficulty molting following RNAi. We suggest that silencing of PGM1 and PGM2 expression directly inhibits trehalose metabolism, leading to impaired chitin synthesis.
Highlights
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most important cereal crop in China
The insects used for RNA interference (RNAi) microinjection experiments were nymphs grown to the fifth instar
NlPGM1 and NlPGM2 cDNA sequences were compared with other phosphoglucomutase sequences present in GenBank using the BLAST-N and BLAST-X tools available on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
Summary
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most important cereal crop in China. rice is threatened by various pests during production and storage, among which Nilaparvata lugens Stål (brown planthopper) is one of the most harmful (Zhang et al 2017b; Boddupally et al 2018). The use of pesticides kills the natural predators of brown planthopper and can induce resistance, eventually leading to their resurgence of crop disease (Becker et al 1996; Tanaka et al 2000; Nauen and Denholm 2005; Bottrell and Schoenly 2012). Trehalose plays a very important role in the development and physiological activities of insects as an important sugar in haemolymphs (Zhang et al 2017b; Becker et al 1996; Elbein et al 2003; Tang et al 2010).
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