Omar, M.A.A., Ao, Y., Li, M., He, K., Xu, L., Tong, H., Jiang, M., & Li, F. 2019 The functional difference of eight chitinase genes between male and female of the cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis. Insect Molecular Biology doi: 10.1111/imb.12572

Keywords:

genetics

Notes: Insect chitinases are required to remove the old cuticle to allow for continued growth and development. Here, we sequenced the transcriptomes of adult males and females, from which eight chitinase genes were identified. Knockdown of PsCht4 or PsCht4-1 led to the failure of moult and, silencing PsCht5 resulted in pupation defect, while silencing PsCht10 led to small body size, suggesting these genes have essential roles in development and can be used as a potential target for pest control.