FoxO Transcription Factor Regulate Hormone Mediated Signaling on Nymphal Diapause

Abstract

Diapause is a complex physiological adaptation phenotype, and the transcription factor Forkhead-box O (FoxO) is a prime candidate for activating many of its diverse regulatory signaling pathways. Hormone signaling regulates nymphal diapause in <i>Laodelphax striatellus</i>. Here, the function of the <i>FoxO</i> gene isolated from <i>L. striatellus</i> was investigated. After knocking-down <i>LsFoxO</i> in diapausal nymphs using RNA interference, the titers of juvenile hormone III and some cold-tolerance substances decreased significantly, and the duration of the nymphal developmental period was severely shorted to 25.5 days at 20°C under short day-length (10 L:14 D). To determine how <i>LsFoxO</i> affects nymphal diapause, analyses of RNA-sequencing transcriptome data after treatment with <i>LsFoxO</i>-RNA interference was performed. The differentially expressed genes affected carbohydrate, amino acid and fatty acid metabolism, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway. Thus, <i>LsFoxO</i> acts on <i>L. striatellus</i> nymphal diapause and is, therefore, a potential target gene for pest control. This study may lead to new information on the regulation of nymphal diapause in this important pest.