Ovicidal activity of juvenile hormone mimics in the bean bug, Riptortus pedestris.

Insect juvenile hormone (JH) mimics (JHMs) are known to have ovicidal effects if applied to adult females or eggs. Here, we examined the effects of exogenous JHMs on embryonic development of the bean bug, Riptortus pedestris. The expression profiles of JH early response genes and JH biosynthetic enzymes indicated that JH titer was low for the first 3 days of the egg stage and increased thereafter. Application of JH III skipped bisepoxide (JHSB3) or JHM on Day 0 eggs when JH titer was low caused reduced hatchability, and the embryos mainly arrested in mid- or late embryonic stage. Application of JHMs on Day 5 eggs also resulted in an arrest, but this was less effective compared with Day 0 treatment. Interestingly, ovicidal activity of synthetic JHMs was much lower than that of JHSB3. This study will contribute to developing novel insecticides that are selective among insect species.

Methoprene-tolerant is essential for embryonic development of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum.

Insect juvenile hormone (JH) is well known to regulate post-embryonic development and reproduction in concert with ecdysteroids in a variety of insect species. In contrast, our knowledge on the role of JH in embryonic development is limited and inconsistent. Preceding studies indicate that JH biosynthesis or JH signaling genes are dispensable in holometabolous Drosophila melanogaster and Bombyx mori, while essential in hemimetabolous Blattella germanica. In the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, we performed functional analyses of key factors in JH signaling, i.e. the JH receptor Methoprene-tolerant (Met) and the early JH-response gene Krüppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1) using parental RNA interference. Knockdown of Met resulted in a significant reduction in hatching rates and survival rates in the first and second larval instars. Meanwhile, knockdown of Kr-h1 caused no significant effect on hatching or survival. The unhatched embryos under Met knockdown developed up to the late embryonic stage, but their body shape was flat and tubby compared with the controls. Attempts to suppress JH biosynthesis by parental RNA interference of JH biosynthetic enzymes were unsuccessful due to insufficient knockdown efficiency. These results suggested that Met but not Kr-h1 is essential for the embryonic development of T. castaneum, although involvement of JH still remains to be examined. Taken together, the function of Met in embryonic development seems to be diverse among insect species.