Insect Science (2013) 20, 109-119

Shuo Rong, Da-Qi Li, Xue-Yao Zhang, Sheng Li, Kun Yan Zhu, Ya-Ping Guo, En-Bo Ma and Jian-Zhen Zhang (2013)
RNA interference to reveal roles of β-N-acetylglucosaminidase gene during molting process in Locusta migratoria
Insect Science 20 (1), 109-119
Abstract: β-N-acetylglucosaminidases are crucial enzymes involved in chitin degradation in insects. We identified a β-N-acetylglucosaminidase gene (LmNAG1) from Locusta migratoria. The full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) of LmNAG1 consists of 2 667 nucleotides, including an open reading frame (ORF) of 1 845 nucleotides encoding 614 amino acid residues, and 233- and 589-nucleotide non-coding regions at the 5'- and 3'-ends, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the cDNA-deduced LmNAG1 protein with the enzymatically characterized β-N-acetylglucosaminidases in group I. Analyses of stage- and tissue-dependent expression patterns of LmNAG1 were carried out by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Our results showed that LmNAG1 transcript level in the integument was significantly high in the last 2 days of the fourth and fifth instar nymphs. LmNAG1 was highly expressed in foregut and hindgut. RNA interference of LmNAG1 resulted in an effective silence of the gene and a significantly reduced total LmNAG enzyme activity at 48 and 72 h after the injection of LmNAG1 double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). As compared with the control nymphs injected with GFP dsRNA, 50% of the dsLmNAG1-injected nymphs were not able to molt successfully and eventually died. Our results suggest that LmNAG1 plays an essential role in molting process of L. migratoria.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): En-Bo Ma, Kun Yan Zhu

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Locusta migratoria