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Mechanism of threshold size assessment: Metamorphosis is triggered by the TGF-beta/Activin ligand Myoglianin.

Publication ,  Journal Article
He, LL; Shin, SH; Wang, Z; Yuan, I; Weschler, R; Chiou, A; Koyama, T; Nijhout, HF; Suzuki, Y
Published in: Insect biochemistry and molecular biology
November 2020

Although the mechanisms that control growth are now well understood, the mechanism by which animals assess their body size remains one of the great puzzles in biology. The final larval instar of holometabolous insects, after which growth stops and metamorphosis begins, is specified by a threshold size. We investigated the mechanism of threshold size assessment in the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta. The threshold size was found to change depending on the amount of exposure to poor nutrient conditions whereas hypoxia treatment consistently led to a lower threshold size. Under these various conditions, the mass of the muscles plus integuments was correlated with the threshold size. Furthermore, the expression of myoglianin (myo) increased at the threshold size in both M. sexta and Tribolium castaneum. Knockdown of myo in T. castaneum led to larvae that underwent supernumerary larval molts and stayed in the larval stage permanently even after passing the threshold size. We propose that increasing levels of Myo produced by the growing tissues allow larvae to assess their body size and trigger metamorphosis at the threshold size.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Insect biochemistry and molecular biology

DOI

EISSN

1879-0240

ISSN

0965-1748

Publication Date

November 2020

Volume

126

Start / End Page

103452

Related Subject Headings

  • Tribolium
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Metamorphosis, Biological
  • Manduca
  • Larva
  • Insect Proteins
  • Holometabola
  • Genes, Insect
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Entomology
 

Citation

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He, L. L., Shin, S. H., Wang, Z., Yuan, I., Weschler, R., Chiou, A., … Suzuki, Y. (2020). Mechanism of threshold size assessment: Metamorphosis is triggered by the TGF-beta/Activin ligand Myoglianin. Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 126, 103452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103452
He, Lorrie L., Sara H. Shin, Zhou Wang, Isabelle Yuan, Ruthie Weschler, Allison Chiou, Takashi Koyama, H Frederik Nijhout, and Yuichiro Suzuki. “Mechanism of threshold size assessment: Metamorphosis is triggered by the TGF-beta/Activin ligand Myoglianin.Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 126 (November 2020): 103452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103452.
He LL, Shin SH, Wang Z, Yuan I, Weschler R, Chiou A, et al. Mechanism of threshold size assessment: Metamorphosis is triggered by the TGF-beta/Activin ligand Myoglianin. Insect biochemistry and molecular biology. 2020 Nov;126:103452.
He, Lorrie L., et al. “Mechanism of threshold size assessment: Metamorphosis is triggered by the TGF-beta/Activin ligand Myoglianin.Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, vol. 126, Nov. 2020, p. 103452. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103452.
He LL, Shin SH, Wang Z, Yuan I, Weschler R, Chiou A, Koyama T, Nijhout HF, Suzuki Y. Mechanism of threshold size assessment: Metamorphosis is triggered by the TGF-beta/Activin ligand Myoglianin. Insect biochemistry and molecular biology. 2020 Nov;126:103452.
Journal cover image

Published In

Insect biochemistry and molecular biology

DOI

EISSN

1879-0240

ISSN

0965-1748

Publication Date

November 2020

Volume

126

Start / End Page

103452

Related Subject Headings

  • Tribolium
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Metamorphosis, Biological
  • Manduca
  • Larva
  • Insect Proteins
  • Holometabola
  • Genes, Insect
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Entomology