Lacking of sex-lethal gene lowers the fertility of male reproduction in Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera).
Pestic Biochem Physiol
; 184: 105087, 2022 Jun.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35715034
ABSTRACT
Sex-lethal (Sxl) encodes an RNA-binding protein that acts as the switch of sex determination in Drosophila and influences the genitalia formation and gonadal development. However, its sex-determination roles are not conserved in all insects and its role in the gonadal development of Lepidoptera is not well documented. In this study, three splicing variants of Sxl mRNA were identified in Spodoptera litura and they highly expressed in gonads, particularly in the testis. The mRNA levels of SlSxl exhibited higher expression in the spermatid than the testis sheaths, and gradually increased with the spermiogenesis. Sex-lethal protein (SlSXL) is mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of spermatocytes and the head of spermatid. Knockout of SlSxl resulted in fewer eupyrene sperm bundles and apyrene sperm bundles in the testes of moth and a large number of undeveloped spermatocysts retained in the moth of mutant testis, and leading to the reduction of oviposition and hatch rate in the offsprings after mating with female. These results suggest that SlSxl is a critical player in the spermiogenesis of S. litura.
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Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Fertilidade
/
Genes Letais
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Pestic Biochem Physiol
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China