Functional characterization of a juvenile hormone esterase related gene in the moth Sesamia nonagrioides through RNA interference

Dimitrios Kontogiannatos; Luc Swevers; Katsumi Maenaka; Enoch Y Park; Kostas Iatrou; Anna Kourti

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0073834

Functional characterization of a juvenile hormone esterase related gene in the moth Sesamia nonagrioides through RNA interference

PLoS One. 2013 Sep 11;8(9):e73834. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073834. eCollection 2013.

Authors

Dimitrios Kontogiannatos¹, Luc Swevers, Katsumi Maenaka, Enoch Y Park, Kostas Iatrou, Anna Kourti

Affiliation

¹ Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

Abstract

Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE) is a carboxylesterase that has attracted great interest because of its critical role in regulating larval to adult transition in insects and other arthropods. Previously, we characterized an ecdysteroid sensitive and juvenile hormone non-susceptible juvenile hormone esterase related gene (SnJHER) in the corn stalk borer, Sesamia nonagrioides. SnJHER was rhythmically up-regulated close to each molt during the corn stalk borer's larval development. In this paper we attempted to functionally characterize SnJHER using several reverse genetics techniques. To functionally characterize SnJHER, we experimented with different dsRNA administration methods, including hemolymph, bacterial or baculovirus-mediated RNA interference, (RNAi). Our findings indicate the potential implication of SnJHER in the developmental programming of Sesamia nonagrioides. It is still unclear whether SnJHER is closely related to the authentic JHE gene, with different or similar biological functions.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Baculoviridae / genetics
Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / genetics*
Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / metabolism
Genetic Vectors / genetics
Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
Hemolymph / metabolism
Insect Proteins / genetics*
Insect Proteins / metabolism
Larva / genetics
Larva / growth & development
Larva / metabolism
Microscopy, Fluorescence
Moths / genetics*
Moths / growth & development
RNA Interference*
RNA, Messenger / genetics
RNA, Messenger / metabolism
Reverse Genetics / methods
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

Insect Proteins
RNA, Messenger
Green Fluorescent Proteins
Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases
juvenile hormone esterase

Grants and funding

Dimitrios Kontogiannatos is funded by the State Scholarships Foundation (Lifelong Learning Programme, European Social Fund, NSRF 2007–2013) http://www.iky.gr/. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.