Deficiency of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase Impairs Digestion, Lipid Synthesis, and Reproduction in the Kissing Bug Rhodnius prolixus.

ABSTRACT: Rhodnius prolixus is a hematophagous insect, vector of Chagas disease. After feeding, as blood is slowly digested, amino acids are used as substrates to fuel lipid synthesis, and adult females accumulate lipids in the fat body and produce eggs. In order to evaluate the importance of de novo fatty acid synthesis for this insect metabolism, we generated acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) deficient insects. The knockdown (AccKD) females had delayed blood digestion and a shorter lifespan. Their fat bodies showed reduced de novo lipogenesis activity, did not accumulate triacylglycerol during the days after blood meal, and had smaller lipid droplets. At 10 days after feeding, there was a general decrease in the amounts of neutral lipids and phospholipids in the fat body. In the he

SUBMITTER: Moraes B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9353303 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature