Biological and biochemical characterization of a red-eye mutant in Nilaparvata lugens （Hemiptera： Delphacidae）

• Published in: Insect science 2014-08, Vol.21 (4), p.469-476
• Main Authors: Liu, Shu‐Hua, Yao, Jing, Yao, Hong‐Wei, Jiang, Peng‐Ling, Yang, Bao‐Jun, Tang, Jian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alleles; biological characterization; Delphacidae; egg production; eye pigment; eyes; genetic analysis; genetic techniques and protocols; granules; Hemiptera; loci; microscopy; mutants; mutation; Nilaparvata lugens; Oryza sativa; pests; phenotype; pigment granule; pigments; red-eye mutant; rice; transportation; viability; 半翅目; 生化特性; 生物学; 突变体; 红眼; 褐飞虱; 颜料颗粒; 飞虱科
• ISSN: 1672-9609; 1744-7917
• DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12049

A red‐eye colony was established in our laboratory in brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), a major rice pest in Asia. Except for the red‐eye phenotype, no other differences were observed between the wild‐type (brown eye) and the mutant‐type (red eye) in external characters. Genetic analysis revealed that the red‐eye phenotype was controlled by a single autosomal recessive allele. Biological studies found that egg production and egg viability in the red‐eye mutant colony were not significantly different from those in the wild‐type BPH. Biochemical analysis and electronic microscopy examination revealed that the red‐eye mutants contained decreased levels of both xanthommatin (brown) and pteridine (red) and reduced number of pigment granules. Thus, the changes of amount and ratio of the two pigments is the biochemical basis of this red‐eye mutation. Our results indicate that the red‐eye mutant gene (red) might be involved in one common gene locus shared by the two pigments in pigment transportation, pigment granule formation or some other processes.