The steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone binds to dopamine receptor to repress lepidopteran insect feeding and promote pupation.

ABSTRACT: Holometabolous insects stop feeding at the final larval instar stage and then undergo metamorphosis; however, the mechanism is unclear. In the present study, using the serious lepidopteran agricultural pest Helicoverpa armigera as a model, we revealed that 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) binds to the dopamine receptor (DopEcR), a G protein-coupled receptor, to stop larval feeding and promote pupation. DopEcR was expressed in various tissues and its level increased during metamorphic molting under 20E regulation. The 20E titer was low during larval feeding stages and high during wandering stages. By contrast, the dopamine (DA) titer was high during larval feeding stages and low during the wandering stages. Injection of 20E or blocking dopamine receptors using the inhibitor flupentixol decreased la

SUBMITTER: Kang XL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6693746 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature