Abstract
Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is an important environmental factor. It is generally known that UVB exhibits high genotoxicity due to causing DNA damage, potentially leading to skin carcinogenesis and aging in mammals. However, little is known about the effects of UVB on the development and metamorphosis of insects, which are the most abundant terrestrial animals. In the present study, we performed dose-response analyses of the effects UVB irradiation on Tribolium castaneum metamorphosis, assessed the function of the T. castaneum prothoracicotropic hormone gene (Trcptth), and analyzed ecdysteroid pathway gene expression profile and ecdysterone titers post-UVB irradiation. The results showed that UVB not only caused death of T. castaneum larvae, but also delayed larval-pupal metamorphosis and reduced the size and emergence rate of pupae. In addition, we verified the function of Trcptth, which is responsible for regulating metamorphosis. It was also found that the expression profiles of Trcptth as well as ecdysteroidogenesis and response genes were influenced by UVB radiation. Therefore, a disturbance pulse of ecdysteroid may be involved in delaying development under exposure to irradiation. To our knowledge, this is the first report indicating that UVB can influence the metamorphosis of insects. This study will contribute to a better understanding of the impact of UVB on signaling mechanisms in insect metamorphosis.
Highlights
Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is an important environmental factor in ecosystem and is classified into three categories: UVA (315–400 nm), Ultraviolet B (UVB) (280–315 nm), and UVC (200–280 nm) [1]
The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) is an important stored grain pest which avoids light, and all stages of its life cycle develop within the food substrate [23]
To evaluate the effects of UVB radiation on the metamorphosis of T. castaneum, different doses of UVB radiation were applied to last-instar larvae (20 days from oviposition), and pupation was analyzed
Summary
Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is an important environmental factor in ecosystem and is classified into three categories: UVA (315–400 nm), UVB (280–315 nm), and UVC (200–280 nm) [1]. UVB constitutes only 5% of solar UV radiation, but it exhibits high. A considerable amount of research has mainly focused on detrimental effects on mammals, such as skin carcinogenesis and aging [5,6,7]. It is currently unclear how UVB radiation affects other important biological processes, such as development and metamorphosis, in other organisms. Little is known about the effects of UVB on the development and metamorphosis of insects, which are the most abundant group of terrestrial animals [11, 12]
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