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Effects of FABP knockdown on flight performance of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria
Author(s) -
Sanjeeva Rajapakse,
D. Qu,
Ahmed Sayed Ahmed,
Jutta RickersHaunerland,
Norbert H. Haunerland
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of experimental biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.367
H-Index - 185
eISSN - 1477-9145
pISSN - 0022-0949
DOI - 10.1242/jeb.203455
Subject(s) - schistocerca , gene knockdown , hemolymph , biology , biochemistry , skeletal muscle , in vivo , fatty acid binding protein , microbiology and biotechnology , locust , chemistry , anatomy , botany , gene
During migratory flight, desert locusts rely on fatty acids as their predominant source of energy. Lipids mobilized in the fat body are transported to the flight muscles and enter the muscle cells as free fatty acids. It has been postulated that muscle fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) is needed for the efficient translocation of fatty acids through the aqueous cytosol towards mitochondrial β-oxidation. To assess whether FABP is required for this process, dsRNA was injected into freshly emerged adult males to knockdown the expression of FABP. Three weeks after injection, FABP and its mRNA were undetectable in flight muscle, indicating efficient silencing of FABP expression. At rest, control and treated animals exhibited no morphological or behavioral differences. In tethered flight experiments, both control and treated insects were able to fly continually in the initial, carbohydrate-fueled phase of flight, and in both groups lipids were mobilized and released into the hemolymph. Flight periods exceeding thirty minutes, however, when fatty acids become the main energy source, were rarely possible for FABP-depleted animals, while control insects continued to fly for more than 2 h. These results demonstrate that FABP is an essential element of skeletal muscle energy metabolism in vivo.

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