Nocturnin promotes NADH and ATP production for juvenile hormone biosynthesis in adult insects

Abstract BACKGROUND Juvenile hormone (JH) is a key endocrine governing insect development, metamorphosis and reproduction. JH analogs have offered great potential for insect pest control. In adulthood, JH titer rapidly increases in the previtellogenic period and reaches a peak in the vitellogenic phase. However, the regulatory mechanisms of JH biosynthesis in corpora allata (CA) of adult insects remain largely unknown. RESULTS We observed that the mitochondrial abundance, as well as the levels of NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced form) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), increased in the CA of previtellogenic adults, peaking during the vitellogenic stage. The transcripts of Nocturnin (Noct), which converts nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) to NADH for ATP production, were more abundant in the CA compared to those of other enzymes involved in conventional NADH‐producing metabolic pathways. The developmental expression pattern of Noct was like that of ATP and NADH level. RNA interference‐mediated knockdown of Noct caused a significant decrease of NADH and ATP contents, along with markedly reduced expression levels of 12 genes involved in JH biosynthesis pathway. Loss of Noct function resulted in remarkably reduced expression of vitellogenin , accompanied by arrested ovarian growth and oocyte maturation. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrated that Noct plays a crucial role in high levels of JH biosynthesis in adult insects via regulating NADH and ATP production. The findings reveal a previously unknown aspect of mitochondrial metabolism in JH biosynthesis and provide valuable information for developing pest control strategies targeting hormone pathways. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.