Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The pupal specifier broad directs progressive morphogenesis in a direct-developing insect.

Deniz F Erezyilmaz1, Lynn M Riddiford, James W Truman

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Washington, Box 351800, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA. denizere@u.washington.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|April 28, 2006
PubMed
Summary

The transcription factor broad (br) is crucial for insect development. In direct-developing insects, broad (br) regulates nymphal molts and prevents adult features, suggesting its role in the evolution of metamorphosis.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Juvenile Hormone and the Evolution of Insect Metamorphosis.

Integrative and comparative biology·2026
Same author

Regulation of metamorphosis in holometabolous insects.

Current opinion in insect science·2026
Same author

A library of lineage-specific driver lines connects developing neuronal circuits to behavior in the <i>Drosophila</i> ventral nerve cord.

eLife·2025
Same author

A split-GAL4 driver line resource for <i>Drosophila</i> neuron types.

eLife·2025
Same author

A library of lineage-specific driver lines connects developing neuronal circuits to behavior in the <i>Drosophila</i> Ventral Nerve Cord.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024
Same author

STEERING FROM THE REAR: COORDINATION OF CENTRAL PATTERN GENERATORS UNDERLYING NAVIGATION BY ASCENDING INTERNEURONS.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Entomology

Background:

  • The transcription factor broad (br) is essential for pupal development in insects with complete metamorphosis (holometabolous).
  • Its role in insects with direct development (hemimetabolous), which lack a pupal stage, remains largely unknown.
  • Understanding broad (br) function in hemimetabolous insects can shed light on the evolution of insect metamorphosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the function of the broad (br) gene in the hemimetabolous milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus.
  • To determine the regulatory mechanisms controlling broad (br) expression during development.
  • To explore the evolutionary origins of insect metamorphosis in relation to broad (br) gene regulation.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Cloning of the broad (br) gene from Oncopeltus fasciatus (Of'br).
  • Analysis of Of'br mRNA expression patterns during embryonic and nymphal development.
  • Manipulation of Of'br expression using juvenile hormone (JH) mimics and precocene II.
  • Functional analysis using RNA interference (RNAi) by injecting Of'br dsRNA into nymphs.

    • Main Results:

    • Of'br mRNA is expressed throughout embryonic development and maintained during nymphal molts, disappearing at the adult molt.
    • Juvenile hormone (JH) is necessary to maintain Of'br expression during nymphal stages.
    • Knockdown of Of'br using dsRNA resulted in repeated nymphal pigmentation and inhibited wing pad growth, but did not affect molting or overall growth.
    • Of'br is essential for stage-specific changes during hemimetabolous development.

    Conclusions:

    • The broad (br) gene plays a critical role in regulating mutable changes during hemimetabolous development, distinct from its role in holometabolous metamorphosis.
    • The evolution of insect metamorphosis may have involved the restriction of broad (br) expression to a single postembryonic instar, compressing developmental changes.
    • Juvenile hormone (JH) signaling is a key regulator of broad (br) expression, linking hormonal cues to developmental transitions.