Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis Following LmRab11A Knockdown Reveals Its Role in Metabolic Regulation and Molting in Locusta migratoria
TL;DR
Findings indicate that LmRab11A functions as an important regulatory factor influencing gene expression, metabolic homeostasis, and developmental processes in Locusta migratoria, thereby contributing to normal growth and molting.
Abstract
Simple Summary In our previous study, we found that LmRab11A plays a critical role in the molting process of the migratory locust. To further investigate the function of LmRab11A, in this study, we employed RNA interference (RNAi) to silence the LmRab11A gene, followed by integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Transcriptomic analysis combined with RT-qPCR revealed that 9 genes were significantly downregulated following LmRab11A knockdown. Subsequent RNAi-mediated knockdown of these 9 genes showed that silencing only LOCMI11062 (β-tubulin) led to arrested molting and 100% mortality in locust nymphs, a phenotype reminiscent of that caused by LmRab11A knockdown, indicating the essential role of β-tubulin in development. Metabolomic analysis identified 11 significantly altered metabolites, 8 exhibiting decreased abundance and 3 exhibiting increased abundance. Spearman correlation analysis between the 9 downregulated genes and the metabolite suggested potential associations between 6 metabolites and specific genes. Taken together, these findings indicate that LmRab11A functions as an important regulatory factor influencing gene expression, metabolic homeostasis, and developmental processes in Locusta migratoria, thereby contributing to normal growth and molting. This study expands our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying LmRab11A function and identifies potential targets for the development of novel locust management strategies.