Knockdown of a putative insulin-like peptide gene LdILP2 in Leptinotarsa decemlineata by RNA interference impairs pupation and adult emergence

Five insulin-like peptide LdILP genes were identified in Leptinotarsa decemlineata. All of them contained three exons and two introns, with three genes tandemly arrayed and well separated from the other two. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the three LdILPs from three tandemly-arrayed genes grouped with TcILP1, whereas the other two resembled with TcILP2 and TcILP4 from Tribolium castaneum. Thus, the five LdILP genes were provisionally named LdILP1a, LdILP1b, LdILP1c, LdILP2 and LdILP4. LdILP2 was widely expressed in several tissues such as the brain-corpora cardiaca-corpora allata (BR-CC-CA) complex, gut and fat body. In contrast, LdILP1a and LdILP1b were only transcribed in BR-CC-CA, LdILP4 was in ovaries, and LdILP1c was in both BR-CC-CA and ovaries. Ingestion of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) targeting LdILP2 (dsLdILP2-1 and dsLdILP2-2) specifically knocked down LdILP2 and upregulated the transcription of both LdInR and Ld4EBP, indicating insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway (IIS) was inhibited. Approximately 50% of the LdILP2 RNAi larvae did not normally pupate and about 50% of the LdILP2 RNAi pupae did not emerge. Moreover, silencing LdILP2 reduced the expression of a juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis gene, lowered JH titer and disturbed JH signaling. Finally, knocking down LdILP2 inhibited an ecdysteroidogenesis gene, decreased 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) titer, and repressed the expression of two 20E-response genes LdHR3 and LdFTZ-F1. Thus, the IIS pathway is involved in larval-pupal metamorphosis by modification of both JH and 20E signaling in L. decemlineata.