Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
2011-2-18
pubmed:abstractText
During the maturation of insect cuticle, protein-protein and protein-chitin crosslinkages are formed by the action of diphenoloxidases. Two types of diphenoloxidases, laccases and tyrosinases, are present in the insect cuticle. In coleopteran and hymenopteran insects, laccase2 gene has been identified as encoding an enzyme principally responsible for cuticular pigmentation and hardening, whereas biological roles of laccase genes in hemimetabolous insects remain to be established. Here we identified laccase2 genes from three hemipteran stinkbugs, Riptortus pedestris (Alydidae), Nysius plebeius (Lygaeidae) and Megacopta punctatissima (Plataspidae). In R. pedestris, laccase2 gene was highly expressed in epidermal tissues prior to molting. When the gene expression was suppressed by an RNA interference technique, cuticular pigmentation after molting were blocked depending on the dose of injected double-stranded RNA targeting the laccase2 gene. Similar results were obtained for N. plebeius and M. punctatissima. In all the stinkbug species, injecting 20 ng of double-stranded RNA was sufficient to prevent the cuticular maturation. These results indicate that laccase2 gene is generally required for cuticular pigmentation in different stinkbug families, highlighting its conserved biological function across diverse insect taxa.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
1879-0240
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
41
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
191-6
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2011
pubmed:articleTitle
Laccase2 is required for cuticular pigmentation in stinkbugs.
pubmed:affiliation
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan. ryo-futahashi@aist.go.jp
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't