Abstract
Locusta has strong fly wings to ensure its long distance migration, but the molecular mechanism that regulates the Locusta wing development is poorly understood. To address the developmental mechanism of the Locusta flying wing, we cloned the Dpp target gene spalt (sal) and analyzed its function in wing growth in the Locusta. The Locusta wing size is apparently reduced with vein defects when sal is interfered by injection of dsRNA, indicating that sal is required for locust wing growth and vein formation. This function is conserved during the Drosophila wing development. To better understand sal’s function in wing growth, we then used Drosophila wing disc as a model for further study. We found that sal promotes cell proliferation in the whole wing disc via positive regulation of a microRNA bantam. Our results firstly unravel sal’s function in the Locusta wing growth and confirm a highly conserved function of sal in Locusta and Drosophila.
Highlights
Locusta migratoria is one of the global destructive migratory agricultural pests
Based on forewing shape, grasshopper Trilophidia annulata can be divided into geographical groups[7] and mircoRNAs are associated with the polymorphism of adult wings[8]
The adult wings are developed from larval wing imaginal discs which are formed from late embryogenesis and undergo intricate cell proliferation, differentiation and morphogenesis during larval and pupal stage inside the body
Summary
Locusta migratoria is one of the global destructive migratory agricultural pests. Swarm formation and long-distance flight behavior are the two major reasons why Locusta plagues are so destructive even today[1,2]. Omb represses ban expression in the medial regions of the wing disc to promote cell proliferation while plays an opposite role in the lateral regions[20]. The two Drosophila sal homologues spalt major (salm) and spalt related (salr) are highly expressed in the central region of the wing pouch and mediate Dpp signaling pathway by promoting cell proliferation[21,22].
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