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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Construction of Homozygous Mutants of Migratory Locust Using CRISPR/Cas9 Technology
Published on: March 16, 2022
Endocrinology of reproduction and phase transition in locusts
Heleen Verlinden1, Liesbeth Badisco, Elisabeth Marchal
1Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, K.U.Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium.
Abstract:
In the last decade, important progress has been made in the experimental analysis of the endocrine mechanisms controlling reproduction and phase transition in locusts. Phase transition is a very fascinating, but complex, phenomenon of phenotypic plasticity that is triggered by changes in population density and can lead to the formation of extremely devastating hopper bands and adult gregarious locust swarms. While some phase characteristics change within hours, others appear more gradually in the next stage(s), or even in the next generation(s). In adults, the phase status also has a major influence on the process of reproduction. A better understanding of how solitarious locusts become gregarious and how this switch affects reproductive physiology may result in novel strategies to fight locust plagues. In this paper, we will review the current knowledge concerning this close interaction between locust phase polyphenism and reproduction.
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