Molecular Mechanisms of Wing Polymorphism in Insects

Many insects are capable of developing into either long-winged or short-winged (or wingless) morphs, which enables them to rapidly match heterogeneous environments. Thus, the wing polymorphism is an adaptation at the root of their ecological success. Wing polymorphism is orchestrated at various levels, starting with the insect's perception of environmental cues, then signal transduction and signal execution, and ultimately the transmitting of signals into physiological adaption in accordance with the particular morph produced. Juvenile hormone and ecdysteroid pathways have long been proposed to regulate wing polymorphism in insects, but rigorous experimental evidence is lacking. The breakthrough findings of ecdysone receptor regulation on transgenerational wing dimorphism in the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum and of insulin signaling in the planthopper Nilaparvata lugens greatly broaden our understanding of wing polymorphism at the molecular level. Recently, the advent of high-throughput sequencing coupled with functional genomics provides powerful genetic tools for future insights into the molecular bases underlying wing polymorphism in insects.