Hexamerin and allergen are required for female reproduction in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana

• Published in: Insect science 2024-02, Vol.31 (1), p.186-200
• Main Authors: Zhu, Shiming, Chen, Xiaoyi, Xia, Sishi, Li, Qin, Ye, Ziqi, Zhao, Shaoting, Liu, Kexin, Liu, Fangfang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergens; Amino acids; Cockroaches; Fat body; Females; Gene expression; Genes; In vivo methods and tests; Insecticides; Insects; juvenile hormone; Juvenile hormones; Methoprene; Molecular weight; ovary; Periplaneta americana; Proteins; Reproduction; Reproductive cycle; RNA-mediated interference; storage protein; Storage proteins; Vitellogenesis
• ISSN: 1672-9609; 1744-7917
• DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13218

Reproduction is of great importance for the continuation of the species. In insects, the fat body is the major tissue for nutrient storage and involved in vitellogenesis, which is essential for female reproduction. Here, 2 proteins, hexamerin and allergen, were separated from the fat bodies of adult female American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) and identified as storage proteins, encoding for 733 amino acids with molecular weight of 87.88 kDa and 686 amino acids with molecular weight of 82.18 kDa, respectively. The encoding genes of these 2 storage proteins are mainly expressed in the fat body. RNA interference‐mediated knockdown of Hexamerin and Allergen in the early stage of the first reproductive cycle in females suppressed vitellogenesis and ovarian maturation, indicating that these storage proteins are involved in controlling reproduction. Importantly, the expression of Hexamerin and Allergen was repressed by knockdown of the juvenile hormone (JH) receptor gene Met and the primary response gene Kr‐h1, and was induced by methoprene, a JH analog, in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. Altogether, we have determined that hexamerin and allergen are identified as storage proteins and play an important role in promoting female reproduction in the American cockroach. The expression of their encoding genes is induced by JH signaling. Our data reveal a novel mechanism by which hexamerin and allergen are necessary for JH‐stimulated female reproduction. Two proteins, hexamerin and allergen, separated from the fat body of female adults of the American cockroach, were identified as storage proteins. They play an important role in the juvenile hormone‐stimulated female reproduction and may be involved via metabolism or nutrition.