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Updated: May 12, 2026
10:09
Isolation and Cultivation of Neural Progenitors Followed by Chromatin-Immunoprecipitation of Histone 3 Lysine 79 Dimethylation Mark
Published on: January 26, 2018
Stage-Specific H3K14 and H3K23 Succinylation Orchestrates Insect Metamorphosis and Oogenesis.
Yu-Pu Jing1, Lunjie Li1,2, Libin Yang1
1State Key Laboratory of Cotton Bio-Breeding and Integrated Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Summary
Histone succinylation regulates insect development and reproduction. Stage-specific succinylations of histone H3 (suc-H3K14 and suc-H3K23) control metamorphosis and oogenesis, respectively, with conserved effects across insect orders.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics and Molecular Biology
- Insect Physiology and Development
Background:
- Histone lysine succinylation is a key epigenetic mark, but its role in insect metamorphosis and reproduction is unclear.
- Protein succinylation is the most abundant acylation in the insect fat body, a vital metabolic tissue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the roles of histone H3 succinylation at lysine 14 (suc-H3K14) and lysine 23 (suc-H3K23) in insect metamorphosis and reproduction.
- To identify the enzymes responsible for these modifications and their regulatory pathways.
- To determine the target genes and evolutionary conservation of these epigenetic marks.
Main Methods:
- Utilized *Locusta migratoria* as a model organism.
- Employed genetic mutations (H3K14A, H3K23A), gene knockdown (GCN5), and pharmacological inhibition.
- Utilized Cut&Tag-sequencing (Cut&Tag-seq) to identify target genes.
- Investigated signaling pathways including GPCR-PLC-LTCC-PKCα and GPCR-PLC-TTCC-PKCε.
Main Results:
- suc-H3K14 is predominant in nymphs and regulates metamorphosis; suc-H3K23 is abundant in adults and crucial for reproduction.
- P300 and GCN5 act as succinyltransferases for suc-H3K14 and suc-H3K23, respectively, via distinct signaling cascades.
- Loss of P300/suc-H3K14 leads to precocious metamorphosis; GCN5 knockdown/suc-H3K23 suppression blocks oogenesis.
- suc-H3K14 and suc-H3K23 target genes involved in metamorphosis and vitellogenesis, respectively.
- These regulatory roles are conserved across different insect orders.
Conclusions:
- Stage-specific histone H3 succinylations (suc-H3K14 and suc-H3K23) are critical epigenetic regulators of insect metamorphosis and oogenesis.
- This study elucidates the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary significance of histone succinylation in controlling key insect life-history traits.
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