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Updated: May 22, 2026

In situ Protocol for Butterfly Pupal Wings Using Riboprobes
Published on: May 28, 2007
Ecdysone-inducible SP transcription factor SPTF3L controls wing development by regulating cell proliferation and
Yanan Zhang1, Weimin Liu1, Babar Hussain Chang2
1Shanxi Key Laboratory of Nucleic Acid Biopesticides, Institute of Applied Biology, Shanxi University, Shanxi, China; College of Life Science, Shanxi University, Shanxi, China.
Abstract:
Wing development is a critical process in the insect life cycle, yet its regulatory mechanisms in hemimetabolous insects remain incompletely understood. In this study, we identified a Cys2-His2-type zinc finger transcription factor, LmSPTF3L, belonging to the SP family, and characterized its essential role in wing morphogenesis of Locusta migratoria. LmSPTF3L is highly expressed in wing pads and exhibits cyclical upregulation preceding each nymphal molt. We demonstrated that LmSPTF3L is a primary response gene directly activated by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) signaling, with EcR binding to ecdysone response elements in its promoter. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of LmSPTF3L impaired wing development during both nymph-to-nymph and nymph-to-adult transitions, resulting in wing curling and significant size reduction. Transcriptomic and functional analyses further revealed that LmSPTF3L deficiency downregulated cell cycle-related genes, suppressed cell proliferation, and disrupted metabolic homeostasis, reducing amino acid, triglyceride, and sugar levels in wing pads. Notably, LmSPTF3L appears to function independently of canonical 20E response genes and classical wing development pathways. Collectively, this study uncovers a novel 20E/EcR-SPTF3L regulatory axis that controls wing development by coordinating cell proliferation and metabolic homeostasis, providing new insights into the transcriptional regulation of insect appendage formation.
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