Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology最新文献

{"title":"Molecular mechanisms of dsRNA uptake and intracellular trafficking in the fat body of Locusta migratoria","authors":"Lin Yang ,&nbsp;Yanli Wang ,&nbsp;Shuai Li ,&nbsp;Mureed Abbas ,&nbsp;Zhangwu Zhao ,&nbsp;Xuekai Shi ,&nbsp;Kun Yan Zhu ,&nbsp;Jianzhen Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104432","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104432","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>RNA interference (RNAi) is a post-transcriptional gene silencing mechanism initiated by exogenous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), which leads to the degradation of target mRNA within the cell. Since its discovery, RNAi has become a powerful tool for functional genomics and a promising strategy for pest control. However, the cellular uptake and intracellular trafficking of dsRNA, especially in specific insect tissues, remain poorly understood. In this study, we systematically investigated the uptake, transport, and endosomal escape mechanisms of dsRNA in the fat body of <em>Locusta migratoria</em>. Our results reveal that <em>L. migratoria</em> apolipophorin III (LmApoLp-III), a lipid-binding protein, functions as a key carrier that facilitates the initial transport of dsRNA from the hemolymph to the fat body cell membrane. There, dsRNA is recognized and bound by a set of membrane receptors, including scavenger receptors (LmSRA, LmSRC) and lipoprotein receptors (LmLPR, LmLRP1, LmLRP2, and LmLRP3), forming receptor complexes that mediate cellular internalization via clathrin-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis. Intracellular trafficking of dsRNA is orchestrated by several <em>L. migratoria</em> small Rab GTPases (LmRab4, LmRab7, and LmRab9), which are critical for vesicular transport. Furthermore, vacuolar-type H⁺-ATPase (V-ATPase) facilitate the escape of dsRNA from endosomes, allowing its entry into the RNAi machinery to exert its gene-silencing function. Together, these findings provide the first comprehensive characterization of the dsRNA uptake pathway in insect fat body tissue, offering valuable insights into RNAi mechanisms and informing the development of more effective RNAi-based pest control strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 104432"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145429902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Heterologous expression of Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) voltage-gated sodium channels in Sf9 cells for electrophysiological and pyrethroid modulation studies","authors":"Piao Zhao ,&nbsp;Zhen Xiao ,&nbsp;Haihao Ma ,&nbsp;Hang Zhu ,&nbsp;Yong Zhou ,&nbsp;Jia Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaomao Zhou ,&nbsp;Zheming Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are essential for neuronal excitability and serve as primary targets of pyrethroid insecticides. Research on insect VGSCs has relied predominantly on the <em>Xenopus laevis</em> oocytes, yet splice variants containing exon <em>b</em> often fail to generate measurable currents, limiting functional and pharmacological characterization. In this study, we cloned two exon <em>b</em>–containing splice variants from the brown planthopper (<em>Nilaparvata lugens)</em>, NlNav7 (harboring exon <em>l</em>) and a previously uncharacterized NlNav25 (harboring exon <em>k</em>), and established an Sf9 insect cell expression system enabling robust functional expression of these challenging variants. NlNav25 exhibited high expression efficiency, reliable gating kinetics, and tetrodotoxin sensitivity even in the absence of NlTipE. Co-expression of NlTipE further increased current amplitude and slightly shifted voltage dependence, indicating a conserved auxiliary role in promoting channel stability and gating modulation. We further evaluated the sensitivity of NlNav7 and NlNav25 to three pyrethroids. Deltamethrin delayed tail currents with comparable efficacy in both variants. In contrast, transfluthrin delayed inactivation and tail currents: at a saturating concentration 50 μM, the I_45ms/I_peak and tail current modification ratios were 103.0 % and 93.2 % for NlNav7, but only 65.5 % and 56.3 % for NlNav25, despite similar apparent EC₅₀. At 100 μM, etofenprox modified NlNav7 tail currents (62.5 %) more effectively than NlNav25 (34.7 %). These finding indicate that exon <em>k</em>/<em>l</em> critically determines the efficacy of transfluthrin and etofenprox, but not deltamethrin. Collectively, this study establishes a high-efficiency Sf9-based heterologous expression system for <em>N. lugens</em> VGSCs, suitable for rapid functional analysis, high-throughput insecticide screening, and provide insights into splice variant-dependent pyrethroid resistance mechanisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 104430"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145426376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decaprenyl diphosphate synthases in Monolepta hieroglyphica: DPPS-mediated CoQ biosynthesis impacts juvenile hormone and gut microbiota","authors":"Xuan Song ,&nbsp;Jun-feng Kou ,&nbsp;Chang Liu ,&nbsp;Yong Yang ,&nbsp;Da-wei Zhang ,&nbsp;Chao-qun Yi ,&nbsp;Wen-tao Liu ,&nbsp;Run Chen ,&nbsp;Wei-hao Guo ,&nbsp;Yue-qin Wang ,&nbsp;Tian-tao Zhang ,&nbsp;Yong-jun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104431","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104431","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is essential for cellular metabolism, however its biosynthesis and function in insects remain largely unexplored. This study investigated decaprenyl diphosphate synthases (DPPSs) in CoQ biosynthesis in the polyphagous leaf beetle <em>Monolepta hieroglyphica</em>, an agricultural pest that acquires CoQ from host plants. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), CoQ10 (RT = 8.06 min) was identified in soybean, and CoQ9 (RT = 7.17 min) in maize. Notably, both CoQ9 and CoQ10 were detectable in adult <em>M. hieroglyphica</em>. Titration revealed significantly decreased JHIII but increased CoQ9 and CoQ10 levels in maize-fed versus soybean-fed beetles at day 11 (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001). Transcriptome analysis revealed that 79.79 % of differentiated expressed genes (DEGs) were upregulated and categorized into five functional groups via KEGG enrichment analysis. Notably, <em>MhieDPPS1</em> expression in maize-fed insects was significantly higher than in soybean-fed insects (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.05), while genes involved in juvenile hormone biosynthesis exhibited significantly reduced expression (<em>p</em> &lt; 0.001). Phylogenetic and sequence analysis confirmed that the DPPS1 and DPPS2 of <em>M. hieroglyphica</em> form a distinct clade separate from vertebrate homologous. Kinetic assays demonstrated that recombine <em>MhieDPPS1</em> catalyzed the synthesis of essential compounds, yielding (<em>E</em>)-GPP at concentrations of 28.42 ± 0.90 μM. RNA interference (RNAi) studies indicated that knockdown of <em>MhieDPPS1</em> and <em>MhieDPPS2</em> resulted in a 29.49 % and 34.06 % reduction in expression, respectively, accompanied by a significant increase in juvenile hormone III levels (27.13 % upregulation, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) and reductions in CoQ9 and CoQ10 (suppressed by 8.94 % and 6.64 %, respectively, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.05) and has also been validated through supplementary experiments. Additionally, microbial community analyses revealed significant shifts in gut microbiota composition in transgenic <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em> and <em>M. hieroglyphica</em>, respectively. DPPS manipulation also altered metabolic pathways, lifespan, and gut microbial composition, including increased <em>Wolbachia</em>. Overall, this study elucidates the complex regulatory mechanisms governing isoprenoid metabolism in insects and provides valuable insights into the biosynthetic pathways of coenzymes, potentially informing future research on metabolic functions and evolutionary adaptations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 104431"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145420783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"HSF-1 regulates FoxO expression to induce diapause in the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera via upstream HIF-1α and MNK signaling","authors":"Zhi-Ren Su,&nbsp;Xiao-Long Su,&nbsp;Song-Shan Jiang,&nbsp;Wei-Hua Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104429","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104429","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diapause is a widespread adaptation of insects that allows for them to survive under environmental stress by activating different gene clusters to inhibit metabolism and delay development. Previous studies have shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS) in brains of diapause-destined pupae of the cotton bollworm <em>Helicoverpa armigera</em> activate hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), a transcription factor, to induce diapause. However, the molecular mechanism by which HIF-1α induces diapause remains unclear. In this study, a high abundance of heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1) protein, a transcription factor, was detected in brains of diapause-destined pupae, and phosphorylated HSF-1 was its active form. HSF-1 was phosphorylated by the protein kinase MNK, a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family. Moreover, the transcription of <em>MNK</em> was regulated by HIF-1α. Activated HSF-1 then promoted the expression of <em>FoxO</em>, which is the master regulator that triggers slow development to induce diapause. These results suggest that the HIF-1α/MNK/HSF-1/FoxO regulatory pathway promotes insect diapause.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 104429"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145399245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the interplay between tanning, desiccation resistance, and calcium metabolism in cockroaches","authors":"Olga Volovych,&nbsp;Leah Khananashvili,&nbsp;Ariel D. Chipman","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104428","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104428","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The successful terrestrial adaptation of insects has been recently suggested to be significantly influenced by a novel cuticle modification mechanism mediated by the Laccase 2 (Lac-2) enzyme, introducing a new hypothesis in insect evolutionary biology. This enzyme enables rapid recovery following exoskeletons shedding during moulting and reduces the reliance on calcium sources. Although most insect species have abandoned mineral reinforcement in favour of Lac-2-driven tanning, some insects continue to use both processes concurrently, with a possible interplay between them. In this study, we investigated Lac-2-mediated tanning in <em>Blattella germanica</em>, a global pest and model organism, with a particular focus on its potential interactions with calcium metabolism. Our results show that cuticular maturation after moulting shows a trend of increasing duration throughout development. Notably, the timing of <em>BgerLac-2</em> expression peak differs between early, middle, and late instar nymphs and does not always coincide with the pre-moult phase. Deficiency of <em>BgerLac-2</em> had a significant impact on survival. However, supplementing the diet with high calcium content reduced the severity of these effects. The desiccation associated with <em>BgerLac-2</em> deficiency altered elemental calcium level in both the haemolymph and the cuticular surface in <em>B. germanica</em> on a high calcium diet. Since the molecular mechanisms underlying insect calcium metabolism are unexplored, we attempted to identify genes related to those involved in crustacean calcification. Among them, <em>BgerDD5</em>-like demonstrated a positive correlation between its expression and desiccation in the context of a calcium-rich diet.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 104428"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145425077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of odorant binding proteins in the response of Tetranychus cinnabarinus to repellent activity of ethyl oleate","authors":"Yi-Juan Chen ,&nbsp;Tong-Yao Zhang ,&nbsp;Nian-Feng Wan ,&nbsp;Jie Zhao ,&nbsp;Jie-Xian Jiang ,&nbsp;Xiang-Yun Ji","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104427","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104427","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Novel pest population control strategies that use natural products to disrupt the host-seeking behaviors of pests are imperative in modern pest management. Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), which are responsible for odorant recognition and signal transduction in the pest olfactory system, play key roles in host localization. We previously reported that ethyl oleate (EO) exhibits significant repellent properties against the highly destructive polyphagous crop pest <em>Tetranychus cinnabarinus</em>; however, the molecular mechanism remains unknown. In the present study, two OBPs (TcinOBP1 and TcinOBP2) from <em>T. cinnabarinus</em> were identified and their EO-induced expression profiles were detected. The results suggested that <em>TcinOBP1</em> exhibited significant upregulation at 15 min and gradual decrease at 45 min post-EO-treatment. Microscale thermophoresis (MST) showed that the recombinant TcinOBP1 protein displayed a strong binding affinity to EO (Kd = 32.3 μM). RNA interference (RNAi) analysis demonstrated that a significant inhibition of <em>TcinOBP1</em> transcript led to a remarkable reduction in the sensitivity of <em>T. cinnabarinus</em> to the repellent activity of EO. Furthermore, computational simulations indicated that TcinOBP1 employed five α-helices and three disulfide bridges, forming a hydrophobic pocket composed of several nonpolar and polar amino acid residues to bind with EO, and hydrophobic interactions was the dominating driving force. Among these residues, six amino acid residues (Leu83, Trp132, Glu147, Ile148, Met190, and Ile194) were confirmed to be essential for the binding of TcinOBP1 to EO through site-directed mutagenesis and binding assays. These results demonstrated that TcinOBP1 is likely involved in mediating the responses of <em>T</em>. <em>cinnabarinus</em> to EO. This finding provides new insights into the olfactory molecular mechanism of OBPs with chemicals in mites and reveals that TcinOBP1 serves as a novel target for developing new and efficient mite control strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 104427"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145425136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A single Drosophila Dscam1 genomic locus generates a vast repertoire of circRNAs facilitated by RNA pairing","authors":"Zedong Li ,&nbsp;Bingbing Xu ,&nbsp;Zhechao Wang ,&nbsp;Wenjie Zhang ,&nbsp;Jiayan Fu ,&nbsp;Lili Wu ,&nbsp;Nengcheng Bao ,&nbsp;Jinpeng Xie ,&nbsp;Ru Yan ,&nbsp;Haiyang Dong ,&nbsp;Yongfeng Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104423","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104423","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Drosophila melanogaster Dscam1</em> gene has the potential to generate 38,016 linear isoforms through mutually exclusive alternative splicing. Here, using a tailored approach, we identified thousands of circRNA isoforms derived from the <em>Dscam1</em> locus, representing the highest number of circRNA isoforms produced by a single gene to date. The extensive organization of alternative circularization of <em>Dscam1</em>s is conserved within <em>Insecta</em>. Notably, the analysis of circRNA isoforms revealed that alternative back-splicing of variable exon 4s and 6s occurs in a proximity-dependent manner. Interestingly, unlike the classical “loop-in” model mediated by RNA pairing between flanking introns, we revealed a “loop-out” mechanism, in which RNA secondary structures between docking sites and selector sequences facilitate the back-splicing of exons located outside the loop. These findings expand the understanding of the mechanism underlying the generation of circRNA and provide new insights into the expression regulation of highly complex gene loci.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 104423"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145370080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Screening and evaluation of promoters for effective expression of fluorescent protein and high performance of the modified hyPBase in Zeugodacus cucurbitae","authors":"Siya Ma ,&nbsp;Lixin Wang ,&nbsp;Ying Yang ,&nbsp;Zhongshi Zhou ,&nbsp;Zizhen Fan ,&nbsp;Yan Wu ,&nbsp;Fengqin Cao ,&nbsp;Xianwu Lin ,&nbsp;Rihui Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104425","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104425","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The melon fly (<em>Zeugodacus cucurbitae</em>(Coquillett)) is a highly destructive quarantine pest that inflicts significant damage on the agricultural industry. However, the absence of efficient genetic research tools for this pest hinders its research progress and therefore its control. Among these, the selection of an appropriate promoter plays a central role. In this study, the activities of numerous promoter systems were examined by transfecting Drosophila S2 cells and microinjecting <em>Z. cucurbitae</em> embryos. The results reveal that native promoters drive higher expression within their respective species than in others and that the <em>ZcPUb</em> promoter effectively drives the expression of fluorescent proteins in <em>Z. cucurbitae</em>. A hyperactive <em>piggyBac</em> transposase (hyPBase) was also genetically modified to the control of the <em>ZcPUb</em> promoter and it significantly improved the transgenesis efficiency for constructs of different sizes. The temporal and spatial expression patterns of fluorescence regulated by the <em>ZcPUb</em> promoter in transgenic flies suggest that the <em>ZcPUb</em> promoter-controlled fluorescence can be used as a valuable marker for transgenic screening of <em>Z. cucurbitae</em>. These findings not only highlight the <em>ZcPUb</em> promoter as a crucial resource for future investigations in gene functions and developmental processes in <em>Z. cucurbitae</em>, but also emphasize the importance of identifying native promoters for research and practical application of organisms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 104425"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145367175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide analysis of the spider Pardosa pseudoannulata revealed the function of spliceosome components in cold adaptation","authors":"Jingjing Li ,&nbsp;Na Yu ,&nbsp;Yunru Chen ,&nbsp;Zewen Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104426","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104426","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organisms adapt to cold stress in winter with various molecular mechanisms. Alternative splicing (AS) is one of the most extensive mechanisms in response to cold stress in plants, but has been rarely reported in animals. Arthropods are widely distributed on earth, and overwintering poses a challenge for the population growth. Here, we investigated the role of AS in response to cold stress in arthropods using the spider <em>Pardosa pseudoannulata</em> as a model. We found that about 48.7 % of multi-exon genes underwent AS events in overwintering spiders collected from fields, and ∼35.3 % were alternatively spliced in cold-acclimated spiders in laboratory, showing a gradual increase as temperature decreases. Spliceosome components were concurrently regulated by cold stress in both transcription and AS aspects. Knockdown of <em>SMB/B′</em> and <em>SMFa</em> during cold acclimation impaired the regulation on AS of cold-responsive genes and led to reduced cold stress tolerance. SMB/B’ and SMFa improved cold adaptation probably through regulating AS events of genes from 4 enriched pathways (spliceosome, circadian rhythm, circadian rhythm-fly, and RNA degradation), which have been reported important in tolerance to cold stress. Taken together, spliceosome components contribute to cold acclimation by ensuring the adequate splicing patterns of cold-responsive genes in the spider, and enhanced its tolerance to cold stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 104426"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145367237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional analysis of ABCA3 transporters in lipid metabolism regulation of the silkworm, Bombyx mori","authors":"Qingsong Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaoyang Wang ,&nbsp;Hao Chen,&nbsp;Guoli Li,&nbsp;Hongni Li,&nbsp;Ping Zhao,&nbsp;Qingyou Xia","doi":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104421","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ibmb.2025.104421","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters form one of the most widespread membrane protein families. They move a wide range of substrates across biological membranes. While members of the ABCA subfamily have been extensively linked to lipid metabolism in mammals, their functions in insects remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the function of <em>Bombyx mori</em> ABCA3 (<em>BmABCA3</em>), a full-length ABCA transporter by bioinformatic analysis, CRISPR/Cas9 knockout, lipid staining, and proteomics analysis. <em>BmABCA3</em> was mainly expressed in metabolically active tissues such as the hemocytes and fat body. Loss of <em>BmABCA3</em> led to growth delay, lower body weight, abnormal integument pigmentation, and increased larval death. Lipid staining showed abnormal lipid buildup in hemocytes and lipid loss in other tissues. Free fatty acid levels were also strongly disrupted. Proteomic analysis revealed changes in fatty acid metabolism, cuticle formation, and vesicle-related transport. Supplementing the diet with cholesterol partly rescued the developmental defects in knockout larvae. These findings show that <em>BmABCA3</em> plays a central role in lipid metabolism and is likely involved in sterol regulation in insects. This study also broadens our understanding of the functional roles of ABC transporters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":330,"journal":{"name":"Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 104421"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145336280","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}