Shi JF, QK Sun, LL Mu, WC Guo, GQ Li. Appl Entomol Zool. 2017;52(1):37-49. doi: 10.1007/s13355-016-0451-2.
Trehalose is used primarily for the metabolic production of ATP energy and carbon sources. Its metabolic availability is regulated by trehalase (TRE). In the present paper, three TRE genes were identified in Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), and designated LdTRE1a, LdTRE1b, and LdTRE2 according to their Tribolium homologues. Within the first, second, and third larval instars, the expression levels of LdTREs were high just before and right after the molt, and were low in the mid instar. In the fourth larval instar, two peaks occurred at 24 h after ecdysis and at the wandering stage. In vitro culture of midguts and an in vivo bioassay revealed that 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) stimulated the expression of the three LdTREs. Conversely, a reduction of 20E by RNA interference (RNAi) of a prothoracicotropic hormone receptor gene LdTorso and an ecdysteroidogenesis gene LdSHD repressed the expression of the three LdTREs. Moreover, disruption of 20E signaling by RNAi of LdEcR, LdE75, and LdFTZ-F1 reduced the transcript levels of the three LdTREs. Similarly, in vitro culture and an in vivo bioassay showed that exogenous juvenile hormone (JH) or JH analogue methoprene and pyriproxyfen activated LdTREs expression. An increase of endogenous JH by RNAi of an allatostatin gene LdAS-C enhanced the transcription. In contrast, a decrease in JH by RNAi of a JH biosynthesis gene LdJHAMT downregulated the transcription. Moreover, knockdown of LdILP2 repressed the expression of the three LdTREs. The content of hemolymph trehalose was increased while the concentration of glucose was decreased. It seems that the transcription of LdTRE1a, LdTRE1b, and LdTRE2 is regulated by 20E, JH, and ILP signaling pathways in Leptinotarsa decemlineata.