Knockdown of Two Trehalase Genes by RNA Interference Is Lethal to the White-Backed Planthopper (Horváth) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).

Trehalase (Tre) is a crucial enzyme involved in trehalose metabolism, and it plays pivotal roles in insect development and metamorphosis. However, the biological function of genes in remains unclear. In the present study, two genes- and -were cloned and identified based on the transcriptome data. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the full-length complementary DNA of and genes were 3700 and 2757 bp long, with 1728- and 1902-bp open reading frame encoding 575 and 633 amino acid residues, respectively. Expression analysis indicated that and were expressed at all developmental stages, with the highest expression in day two adults. Furthermore, the highest expression levels of and were observed in the ovary; enriched expression was also noted in head tissues. The knockdown of and via injecting double-stranded RNAs decreased the transcription levels of the corresponding mRNAs and led to various malformed phenotypes and high lethality rates. The results of our present study indicate that and play crucial roles in growth and development, which can provide referable information for genes as a potential target for planthopper control.