Open AccessUltrabithorax is a key regulator for the dimorphism of wings, a main cause for the outbreak of planthoppers in rice
Author(s) -
Fangzhou Liu,
Xiang Li,
Muhua Zhao,
Mengjian Guo,
Kehong Han,
Xinxin Dong,
Jing Zhao,
Wanlun Cai,
Qifa Zhang,
Hongxia Hua
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
national science review/national science review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.433
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 2095-5138
pISSN - 2053-714X
DOI - 10.1093/nsr/nwaa061
Subject(s) - ultrabithorax , biology , wing , expression (computer science) , regulator , population , microbiology and biotechnology , botany , genetics , gene expression , gene , demography , hox gene , aerospace engineering , sociology , computer science , engineering , programming language
Rice planthoppers, the most devastating rice pests, occur in two wing forms: the short-wing form for rapid population growth and long-wing form for long-distance migration, which together create the mechanism for outbreak. Here we show that Ultrabithorax ( Ubx) is a key regulator for switching between the long- and short-wing forms of rice planthoppers. Ubx is expressed in both forewing and hindwing pads, which is different from the canonical model of Ubx expression. In brown planthoppers, expression of Ubx ( NlUbx ) is regulated by nutritional status of the rice host. High-quality young plants induce NlUbx expression leading to the short-wing form; low-quality ripe plants reduce NlUbx expression resulting in long-wing form. We also showed that NlUbx is regulated by the insulin receptors NlInR1 and NlInR2. The default expression of NlInR1 inhibits NlUbx resulting in long-wings, while high-quality hosts induce NlInR2 expression, which represses NlInR1 thus promoting NlUbx expression to produce short-wings.