Methoprene‐Tolerant Orchestrates the Number of Larval Molts at the Second Instar Stage in an Herbivorous Ladybird

Yi‐Kuan Wu; Jia‐Qing Yu; Lin Jin; Guo‐Qing Li

doi:10.1002/arch.70099

journal article Sep 30, 2025

Methoprene‐Tolerant Orchestrates the Number of Larval Molts at the Second Instar Stage in an Herbivorous Ladybird

Yi‐Kuan Wu Jia‐Qing Yu Lin Jin

Guo‐Qing Li

Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology Vol. 120 No. 2 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1002/arch.70099

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Insect nymphal/larval instars vary widely across insect taxa and at the intraspecific level, they are orchestrated by two hormones, juvenile hormones (JH) and 20‐hydroxyecdysone (20E). For insects whose nympha/larva molting events are more than 3, lack of JH signal causes premature metamorphosis and additional JH exposure induces supernumerary juvenile molts. In
Drosophila melanogaster
, the number of larval molts is fixed at two (dimolter) and is not affected by either JH or 20E signals. Larvae of a subset of Coleopterans are trimolters. Whether JH signal governs the number of larval molts in these Coleopteran trimolters deserves investigation. In the current study, we found that Methoprene‐tolerant (Met) gene was actively transcribed from the first instar to pupal stages in an herbivorous ladybird
Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata
. An injection of ds
Met
at the second, third and fourth (final) larval stages successfully knocked down the target gene, and disrupted the expression of both JH and 20E signaling genes. RNA interference for
Met
at the second instar larval stage reduced the number of larval molts from 3 to 2, and consequently caused premature metamorphosis and miniature pupae, as well as the impairment of larval‐pupal transition. Contrarily, depletion of
Met
at the third and fourth instar larval periods arrested the larval development at the prepupal stage. Our findings suggest that JH signaling orchestrates the number of larval molts at the second instar stage in the
H. vigintioctomaculata
larvae.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

56

[1]

10.1016/j.ibmb.2011.09.003

[2]

10.1303/aez.22.424

[3]

10.1016/j.jinsphys.2010.05.001

[4]

10.1002/arch.21609

[5]

10.1016/0012-1606(92)90268-l

[6]

10.1111/brv.12033

[7]

10.1093/aesa/76.3.319

[8]

10.1016/j.celrep.2019.03.094

[9]

10.1073/pnas.1116123109

[10]

10.1139/z79-131

[11]

10.1002/ece3.70188

[12]

10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.017

[13]

10.1371/journal.pgen.1002486

[14]

10.1093/jee/100.3.627

[15]

10.1093/aesa/76.3.316

[16]

10.1002/ps.4103

[17]

Fukuda S. "The Hormonal Mechanism of Larval Molting and Metamor Phosis in the Silkworm" Journal of the Faculty of Science, the University of Tokyo, Section IV (1944)

[18]

10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150276

[19]

10.3389/fphys.2022.905441

[20]

10.1046/j.1440-6055.2002.00319.x

[21]

10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101387

[22]

10.1016/j.cois.2024.101234

[23]

10.1371/journal.pgen.1005394

[24]

10.1093/aesa/76.3.320

[25]

10.1016/j.ibmb.2011.05.009

[26]

10.1038/s41467-024-54439-z

[27]

Nonparametric Estimation from Incomplete Observations

E. L. Kaplan, Paul Meier

Journal of the American Statistical Association 10.1080/01621459.1958.10501452

[28]

10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.01.022

[29]

10.1073/pnas.0703719104

[30]

10.1371/journal.pone.0028728

[31]

Kuwano E. "Synthesis and Anti‐Juvenile Hormone Activity of 1‐substituted‐5‐[(E)−2, 6‐dimethyl‐1, 5‐heptadienyl]imidazoles" Agricultural and Biological Chemistry (1985)

[32]

10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.10.001

[33]

10.1016/j.mce.2024.112211

[34]

10.1016/j.mce.2014.06.021

[35]

10.1016/j.jinsphys.2024.104696

[36]

10.1038/srep00163

[37]

10.3390/ijms161125945

[38]

10.1016/j.ibmb.2018.04.003

[39]

10.1016/j.ydbio.2008.10.016

[40]

10.7717/peerj.16814

[41]

10.2307/1540491

[42]

10.1016/j.cois.2020.09.004

[43]

10.1242/dev.037218

[44]

Roberts P. E. "Effects of Juvenile Hormone, Ecdysterone, Actinomycin D, and Mitomycin C on the Cuticular Proteins of Tenebrio molitor" Journal of Embryology and Experimental Morphology (1980)

[45]

10.1371/journal.pgen.1010924

[46]

10.1016/j.jinsphys.2023.104487

[47]

10.1073/pnas.0500954102

[48]

10.1111/febs.16719

[49]

10.3390/biology11111640

[50]

10.1111/1744-7917.12777

Showing 50 of 56 references

Metrics

2

Citations

56

References

Details

Published: Sep 30, 2025
Vol/Issue: 120(2)
License: View

Authors

Y

Yi‐Kuan Wu

State Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Forestry Biosecurity, College of Plant Protection Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China

J

Jia‐Qing Yu

State Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Forestry Biosecurity, College of Plant Protection Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China

L

Lin Jin

State Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Forestry Biosecurity, College of Plant Protection Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China

G

Guo‐Qing Li

State Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Forestry Biosecurity, College of Plant Protection Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing China

Cite This Article

Yi‐Kuan Wu, Jia‐Qing Yu, Lin Jin, et al. (2025). Methoprene‐Tolerant Orchestrates the Number of Larval Molts at the Second Instar Stage in an Herbivorous Ladybird. Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology, 120(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/arch.70099

Methoprene‐Tolerant Orchestrates the Number of Larval Molts at the Second Instar Stage in an Herbivorous Ladybird

You May Also Like