Controlling Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is crucial for managing mosquito-transmitted diseases like dengue, zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. One of the efficient methods to control mosquitoes is to block their progression from the larval to the adult stage. Juvenile hormones (JH) maintain the larval stage and ensure proper developmental timing for transitioning from larval-pupal-adult stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHistone acetylation, a crucial epigenetic modification, is governed by histone acetyltransferases (HATs), that regulate many biological processes. Functions of HATs in insects are not well understood. We identified 27 HATs and determined their functions using RNA interference (RNAi) in the model insect, Tribolium castaneum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMethoprene, a juvenile hormone (JH) analog, is widely used for insect control, but its mode of action is not known. To study methoprene action in the yellow fever mosquito, , the (ecdysone-induced transcription factor) was knocked out using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. The E93 mutant pupae retained larval tissues similar to methoprene-treated insects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSignificanceJuvenile hormone (JH), a sesquiterpenoid, regulates many aspects of insect development, including maintenance of the larval stage by preventing metamorphosis. In contrast, ecdysteroids promote metamorphosis by inducing the transcription factor, which triggers apoptosis of larval cells and remodeling of the larval midgut. We discovered that JH suppresses precocious larval midgut-remodeling by inducing an epigenetic modifier, histone deacetylase 3 ().
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochim Biophys Acta Gene Regul Mech
August 2020
Juvenile hormones (JH) and ecdysone coordinately regulate metamorphosis in Aedes aegypti. We studied the function of an epigenetic regulator and multifunctional transactivator, CREB binding protein (CBP) in A. aegypti.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 2019
Posttranslational modifications, including acetylation and deacetylation of histones and other proteins, modulate hormone action. In TcA cells, Trichostatin A, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, mimics juvenile hormone (JH) in inducing JH response genes (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: RNA interference (RNAi) is a potential tool for functional characterization of genes and also in the management of insect pests. Accumulated literature reveals that the RNAi efficiency varies among insect species and is reported to be less efficient in lepidopteran insects.
Results: We attempted to enhance RNAi efficiency by concatemerizing short double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) sequence.
The Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata developed resistance to imidacloprid after exposure to this insecticide for multiple generations. Our previous studies showed that xenobiotic transcription factor, cap 'n' collar isoform C (CncC) regulates the expression of multiple cytochrome P450 genes, which play essential roles in resistance to plant allelochemicals and insecticides. In this study, we sought to obtain a comprehensive picture of the genes regulated by CncC in imidacloprid-resistant CPB.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF