| Summary: | <i>Rhyzopertha dominica</i> Prip (<i>RdPrip</i>) cDNA was cloned (GenBank accession no. OK318454), and the encoded 276-amino-acid protein indicated the typical aquaporin structure, including six transmembrane regions and two NPA motifs. The developmental and tissue profiles of <i>RdPrip</i> transcription were determined. <i>RdPrip</i> was highly transcribed in female adults, followed by larvae, pupae, and male adults. The transcriptional expression levels of <i>RdPrip</i> were significantly high in the ovary and hindgut (including cryptonephridial systems) compared with the foregut, testis, midgut, and Malpighian tubules. Knockdown of <i>RdPrip</i> in female adults did not decrease fecundity, but significantly decreased the hatching rate of eggs laid by the females. The results suggest that <i>RdPrip</i> functions in embryonic development, not in egg formation. In addition, the transcriptional expression level of <i>RdPrip</i> was lower in the spinosad-resistant strain than in the susceptible one, and the resistant strain produced fewer progeny than the susceptible strain did. These studies support the functional role of <i>RdPrip</i> in female reproduction. The absence of significant mortality reduction in the <i>R. dominica</i> exposed to spinosad after <i>RdPrip</i> RNAi suggests that other aquaporins that were not knocked down may exist for the excretion of metabolized pesticides.
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