Feeding behavior is critical for insect survival and fitness.Most researchers have explored the molecular basis of feeding behaviors by identifying and elucidating the function of olfactory receptors(ORs)and gustatory...Feeding behavior is critical for insect survival and fitness.Most researchers have explored the molecular basis of feeding behaviors by identifying and elucidating the function of olfactory receptors(ORs)and gustatory receptors(GRs).Other types of genes,such as transcription factors,have rarely been investigated,and little is known about their potential roles.The silkworm(Bombyx mori)is a well-studied monophagic insect which primarily feeds on mulberry leaves,but the genetic basis of its monophagy is still not un-derstood.In this report,we focused on a transcription factor encoded by the Zfh3 gene,which is highly expressed in the silkworm central and peripheral nervous systems,in-cluding brain,antenna,and maxilla.To investigate its function,Zfh3 was abrogated using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein 9(Cas9)mutagenesis.Since Zfh3 knockout homozygotes are not viable,we stud-ied feeding behavior in heterozygotes,and found that disruption of Zfh3 affects both gus-tation and olfaction.Mutant larvae lose preference for mulberry leaves,acquire the ability to consume an expanded range of diets,and exhibit improved adaptation to the Mo artifi-cial diet,which contains no mulberry leaves.These results provide the first demonstration that a transcription factor modulates feeding behaviors in an insect.展开更多
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32202745 and U20A2058)Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing,China(Grant No.cstc2021jcyj-cxttx0005)Funds of China Agriculture Research System of Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs(No.CARS-18)。
文摘Feeding behavior is critical for insect survival and fitness.Most researchers have explored the molecular basis of feeding behaviors by identifying and elucidating the function of olfactory receptors(ORs)and gustatory receptors(GRs).Other types of genes,such as transcription factors,have rarely been investigated,and little is known about their potential roles.The silkworm(Bombyx mori)is a well-studied monophagic insect which primarily feeds on mulberry leaves,but the genetic basis of its monophagy is still not un-derstood.In this report,we focused on a transcription factor encoded by the Zfh3 gene,which is highly expressed in the silkworm central and peripheral nervous systems,in-cluding brain,antenna,and maxilla.To investigate its function,Zfh3 was abrogated using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR)/CRISPR associated protein 9(Cas9)mutagenesis.Since Zfh3 knockout homozygotes are not viable,we stud-ied feeding behavior in heterozygotes,and found that disruption of Zfh3 affects both gus-tation and olfaction.Mutant larvae lose preference for mulberry leaves,acquire the ability to consume an expanded range of diets,and exhibit improved adaptation to the Mo artifi-cial diet,which contains no mulberry leaves.These results provide the first demonstration that a transcription factor modulates feeding behaviors in an insect.
