Molecular Characterization of Vitellogenin and Its Receptor in <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> (J. E. Smith, 1797), and Their Function in Reproduction of Female
The fall armyworm <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> is a highly polyphagous invasive pest. The strong reproductive capacity is an important factor in the rapid colonization and expansion of <i>S. frugiperda.</i> Vitellogenin (Vg) and vitellogenin receptor (VgR) play important role...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/19/11972 |
| Summary: | The fall armyworm <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> is a highly polyphagous invasive pest. The strong reproductive capacity is an important factor in the rapid colonization and expansion of <i>S. frugiperda.</i> Vitellogenin (Vg) and vitellogenin receptor (VgR) play important roles in insect reproduction. As the precursor of vitellin (Vn), Vg provides essential nutrition for embryonic development, and VgR mediates the uptake of Vg by oocytes. In this context, we cloned and characterized these two genes of <i>S. frugiperda</i> (<i>SfVg</i> and <i>SfVgR</i>) and evaluated their expression profiles in different developmental stages and tissues. The RNA interference experiment was used to investigate their function in vitellogenesis. The ORF values of <i>SfVg</i> and <i>SfVgR</i> were 5250 and 5445 bp, encoding 1749 and 1815 amino acid residues, respectively. The qRT-PCR results revealed that both <i>SfVg</i> and <i>SfVgR</i> were highly expressed in female adults; <i>SfVg</i> was specifically expressed in the fat body, whereas <i>SfVgR</i> was highly expressed in the ovary. In addition, the depletion of either <i>SfVg</i> or <i>SfVgR</i> hindered oocyte maturation and ovarian development, leading to a significant decrease in fecundity. The present study reveals the importance of <i>SfVg</i> and <i>SfVgR</i> in the vitellogenesis of <i>S. frugiperda</i>, laying a theoretical foundation for the development of pollution-free pest control strategies with <i>SfVg</i> and <i>SfVgR</i> as new targets. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |