Role of Endocrine System in the Regulation of Female Insect Reproduction

Abstract

The proper synthesis and functioning of ecdysteroids and juvenile hormones (JHs) are very important for the regulation of vitellogenesis and oogenesis. However, their role and function contrast among different orders, and even in the same insect order. For example, the JH is the main hormone that regulates vitellogenesis in hemimetabolous insect orders, which include Orthoptera, Blattodea, and Hemiptera, while ecdysteroids regulate the vitellogenesis among the insect orders of Diptera, some Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera. These endocrine hormones also regulate each other. Even at some specific stage of insect life, they positively regulate each other, while at other stages of insect life, they negatively control each other. Such positive and negative interaction of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and JH is also discussed in this review article to better understand the role of these hormones in regulating the reproduction. Therefore, the purpose of the present review is to deeply understand the complex interaction of endocrine hormones with each other and with the insulin signaling pathway. The role of microbiomes in the regulation of the insect endocrine system is also reviewed, as the endocrine hormones are significantly affected by the compounds produced by the microbiota.

Evaluation of Resistance Development in Bemisia tabaci Genn. (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in Cotton against Different Insecticides

“…Age-specific expressions of resistance development are also very important, as they provide valuable information regarding the status of insect pests. Furthermore, a proper understanding of the insect endocrine system also helps to better understand the insect reproductive system, which in turn allows the development of new strategies to control insect pest [40]. If an immature stage is more sensitive, then such a stage can be targeted to not only control the insect pests, but also to keep the resistance development under control [21].…”

Kr-h1, a Cornerstone Gene in Insect Life History

“…In lepidopterans, hormone control of reproduction appears to have evolved independently in different lineages. For example, in H. armigera and Manduca sexta , which synthesize Vg in adults, JH plays a significant role in regulating female reproduction, whereas in B. mori , where vitellogenesis proceeds before adult emergence in the absence of JH, 20E is the essential hormone controlling egg development ( Roy et al, 2018 ; Khalid et al, 2021 ). Recent findings in B. mori showed that Kr-h1 was highly expressed in ovaries during the late pupal and adult stages and the expression was induced by 20E ( Zhu Z. et al, 2021 ).…”

From Mosquito Ovaries to Ecdysone; from Ecdysone to Wolbachia: One Woman’s Career in Insect Biology

“…Parallel studies in diverse insects showed that like ecdysone, the juvenile hormone, known for its role in larval development, also participates in egg development in adult insects. Details of the precise roles of these two key hormones, and the ease of investigating their interactions, vary considerably and are influenced by life history traits such as food source and feeding patterns, longevity, diapause and migration [ 45 ]. This diversity has been particularly well-investigated in several Lepidoptera [ 44 ], while in Diptera, the most detailed studies are based on the yellow fever mosquito Ae.…”