Involvement of <i>Laccase2</i> in Cuticle Sclerotization of the Whitefly, <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> Middle East–Asia Minor 1
Chun-Hong Yang,
Qi Zhang,
Wan-Qing Zhu,
Yan Shi,
He-He Cao,
Lei Guo,
Dong Chu,
Zhaozhi Lu,
Tong-Xian Liu
Affiliations
Chun-Hong Yang
Key Laboratory of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Qi Zhang
Key Laboratory of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Wan-Qing Zhu
Key Laboratory of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Yan Shi
Key Laboratory of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
He-He Cao
Key Laboratory of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Lei Guo
Key Laboratory of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Dong Chu
Key Laboratory of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Zhaozhi Lu
Key Laboratory of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Tong-Xian Liu
Key Laboratory of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Cuticle sclerotization is critical for insect survival. Laccase2 (Lac2) is a phenol oxidase that plays a key role in cuticle formation and pigmentation in a variety of insects. However, the function of Lac2 in whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, remains unclear. In this study, we identified a BtLac2 gene in B. tabaci MEAM1 and found that BtLac2 was expressed in all stages. It was highly expressed in the egg stage, followed by nymph and adult. Moreover, the expression of BtLac2 was higher in the cuticle than in other tissues. Knockdown of BtLac2 in nymphs produced thinner and fragile cuticles, which significantly increased the mortality rate, extended the development duration of nymphs, and decreased the emergence rate of adults. This result demonstrates that BtLac2 plays an important role in the cuticle hardening of B. tabaci and suggests a potential management strategy using RNAi to knock down BtLac2 expression.
