Identification and functional analysis of juvenile hormone acid methyltransferase in the Dermanyssus gallinae
Wanxiao Jin1, Bohan Wang1,2, Yanrui Sun1
1State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health Security, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Background:
Juvenile hormone (JH) has been demonstrated to play pivotal roles in diverse developmental and reproductive processes across insect taxa. Juvenile hormone acid methyltransferase (JHAMT), the terminal enzyme in the JH biosynthetic pathway, serves as the key rate-limiting enzyme. Previous studies on JHAMT have primarily focused on insects, with limited investigation in non-insect arthropods such as arachnids and crustaceans. Notably, JHAMT remains particularly understudied in Acari (ticks and mites). No JHAMT has been reported in Dermanyssus gallinae, a notorious blood-sucking ectoparasite on poultry farms, that causes huge economic losses.
Results:
In this study, one DgJHAMT, which contains the conserved S-adenosyl-l-methionine binding motif, was identified for the first time. Multiple alignment and phylogenetic analyses showed that DgJHAMT was grouped together with Acari JHAMTs with high similarities. RNA interference of DgJHAMT significantly suppressed vitellogenin expression, impaired female mite reproduction, caused egg malformations, reduced molting rate in deutonymphs, and increased adult mite sensitivity to pesticides. Furthermore, this protein also exhibited potential as a protective antigen candidate.
Conclusion:
This study reports the first identification and functional characterization of the JHAMT gene in D. gallinae, the poultry red mite. The findings elucidate the critical role of DgJHAMT in regulating mite development and reproduction, and demonstrate its potential as a novel target for the development of targeted mite control strategies. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.
