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Updated: Oct 10, 2026
Microsurgical Obstruction of Testes Fusion in Spodoptera litura
Published on: July 16, 2021
SfHsp20.2 is required for male fertility by controlling eupyrene sperm bundle morphogenesis and sperm migration in
Pei Wang1, Yuanyuan Chen1, Yuxuan Bai2
1Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on the Loess Plateau of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
Background:
The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a destructive pest threatening global food security. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a promising eco-friendly control strategy, which relies on exploring genes regulating male fertility. Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) act as molecular chaperones and participate in insect reproduction, yet their roles in lepidopteran dimorphic spermatogenesis remain poorly understood.
Results:
Here, we functionally characterized a testis-enriched sHSP gene, SfHsp20.2, in S. frugiperda. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout, we found that loss of SfHsp20.2 caused severe morphological defects in eupyrene sperm bundles and reduced the abundance of apyrene sperm bundles. Mutant sperm could be transferred normally to the female bursa copulatrix but failed to migrate to the spermatheca, eventually leading to male-specific near-sterility. Transcriptome analysis revealed that SfHsp20.2 mutation disturbed energy metabolism and stress response pathways in testes.
Conclusion:
Our results demonstrate that SfHsp20.2 is essential for dimorphic sperm development and sperm migration. This gene represents a potential candidate target for SIT-based management of S. frugiperda. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.
