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Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus
Published on: December 28, 2016
The transcription factor Zfh1 acts as a wing-morph switch in planthoppers
Jin-Li Zhang1, Sun-Jie Chen1, Xin-Yang Liu1
1State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Insect Sciences, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yu-Hang-Tang Ave, Hangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Insect wing polyphenism is characterized by its ability to produce two or more distinct wing morphs from a single genotype in response to changing environments. However, the molecular basis of this phenomenon remains poorly understood. Here, we identified a zinc finger homeodomain transcription factor Zfh1 that acts as an upstream regulator for the development of long-winged (LW) or shorted-winged (SW) morphs in planthoppers. Knockdown of Zfh1 directs SW-destined nymphs to develop into LW morphs by down-regulating the transcriptional level of FoxO, a prominent downstream effector of the insulin/IGF signaling (IIS) pathway. The balance between transcriptional regulation via the Zfh1-FoxO cascade and post-translational regulation via the IIS-FoxO cascade provides a flexible regulatory mechanism for the development of alternative wing morphs. These findings help us understand how phenotypic diversity is generated by altering the activity of conserved proteins, and provide an extended framework for the evolution of wing morphological diversity in insects.
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