The insect HR38 nuclear receptor, a member of the NR4A subfamily, is a synchronizer of reproductive activity in a moth.

Abstract

In the male moth, Agrotis ipsilon, the behavioural response and neuron sensitivity within the olfactory centres, the antennal lobes (ALs), to female sex pheromone increase with age, in correlation with the maturation of sex accessory glands (SAGs). By contrast, newly mated males cease to be attracted to sex pheromone and remate when their SAGs are refilled during the next night. The insect hormone receptor 38 (HR38), an ortholog of the vertebrate NR4A receptors, is a component of ecdysteroid signalling pathway which controls adult male physiology and behaviour. Here, we cloned the A. ipsilon HR38 (AiHR38) and explored its function in the coordination of reproductive events in the male. AiHR38 was detected in SAGs and ALs, and where its amount raised with age, in parallel with SAG protein content and sex pheromone responsiveness. By contrast, the AL and SAG AiHR38 expressions declined at 0-2 h after mating, in linking with depletion of SAG protein reserves and loss of sensitivity to sex pheromone. The increased AL and SAG AiHR38 expressions at 20-24 h postmating coincided with replenishing of SAGs and recovery of sensitivity to sex pheromone for a new mating. Moreover, AiHR38 knockdown resulted in reduction in SAG protein amount and disruption of sex pheromone-orientated flight. These results show that the insect HR38 is essential both for SAG activity, probably by controlling the protein synthesis, and display of male sexual behaviour, and that the concomitant regulation of its expression within SAGs and olfactory centres contributes to synchronisation between fertility and sexual activity. DATABASE: The nucleotide sequence of Agrotis ipsilon HR38 is available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under the accession number MF402845.