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Updated: May 19, 2026

Injecting Gryllus bimaculatus Eggs

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Published on: August 22, 2019

An Evolutionarily Conserved Function of Grainyhead in Orchestrating Insect Wing Development.

Tianyi Du¹, Junzong He¹, Yangyun Wang¹

¹Laboratory of Evolutionary and Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.

FASEB Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

|May 18, 2026

Summary

The conserved transcription factor Grainyhead (Grh) is essential for insect wing development. Loss of Grh function causes severe wing defects and disrupts cuticle formation, offering a target for pest control.

Keywords:

Grh cuticle protein pest wing

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Published on: December 30, 2017

Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Genetics
Entomology

Background:

Insect appendage development relies on conserved genetic pathways despite evolutionary divergence.
The role of specific transcription factors in wing morphogenesis remains an active area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify conserved genetic regulators of insect wing development.
To investigate the function of the Grainyhead (Grh) transcription factor in wing morphogenesis across different insect species.

Main Methods:

CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in Bombyx mori.
Tissue-specific RNA interference (RNAi) in Drosophila melanogaster.
Comparative transcriptomics and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays.
RNAi in the white-backed planthopper (Sogatella furcifera).

Main Results:

BmGrh knockout in silkworms caused crumpled, non-expandable wings.
DmGrh knockdown in Drosophila resulted in pupal lethality, sex-biased eclosion, and crumpled wings with polarity defects.
Loss of Grh function downregulated genes involved in cuticle structure and extracellular matrix organization.
DmGrh directly regulates cuticle-related genes, with cpr65Ea identified as a key downstream effector.
SfGrh silencing in planthoppers impaired wing expansion and abolished flight.

Conclusions:

Grainyhead (Grh) is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of insect wing development.
Grh plays a critical role in cuticle formation and wing morphogenesis.
Grh represents a potential genetic target for insect pest management strategies aimed at disrupting flight and dispersal.