Insulin and 20-hydroxyecdysone oppose each other in the regulation of phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 expression during insect pupation.

ABSTRACT: Insulin promotes larval growth of insects by stimulating the synthesis of the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), which induces pupation and apoptosis. However, the mechanism underlying the coordinate regulation of insect pupation and apoptosis by these two functionally opposing hormones is still unclear. Here, using the lepidopteran insect and serious agricultural pest Helicoverpa armigera (cotton bollworm) as a model, we report that phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK1) and forkhead box O (FoxO) play key roles in these processes. We found that the transcript levels of the PDK1 gene are increased during the larval feeding stages. Moreover, PDK1 expression was increased by insulin, but repressed by 20E. dsRNA-mediated PDK1 knockdown in the H. armig

SUBMITTER: Pan J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6290142 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature