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Gao Y, Xu H, Jia B, Liu Y, Hassan A, Huang Q. Circadian Rhythms of Locomotor Activity Mediated by Cryptochrome 2 and Period 1 Genes in the Termites Reticulitermes chinensis and Odontotermes formosanus. INSECTS 2023; 15:1. [PMID: 38276815 PMCID: PMC10816429 DOI: 10.3390/insects15010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Locomotor activity rhythms are crucial for foraging, mating and predator avoidance in insects. Although the circadian rhythms of activity have been studied in several termite species, the molecular mechanisms of circadian rhythms in termites are still unclear. In this study, we found that two termite species, R. chinensis and O. formosanus, exhibited clear circadian rhythms of locomotor activity in constant darkness along with rhythmically expressed core clock genes, Cry2 and Per1. The knockdown of Cry2 or Per1 expression in the two termite species disrupted the circadian rhythms of locomotor activity and markedly reduced locomotor activity in constant darkness, which demonstrates that Cry2 and Per1 can mediate the circadian rhythms of locomotor activity in termites in constant darkness. We suggest that locomotor activity in subterranean termites is controlled by the circadian clock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongyong Gao
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.G.); (H.X.); (B.J.); (Y.L.); (A.H.)
- Research and Development Centre of Ecological and Sustainable Application of Microbial Industry of the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province, College of Life Science, Yan’an University, Yan’an 716000, China
- Key Laboratory of Termite Control of Ministry of Water Resources, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Huan Xu
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.G.); (H.X.); (B.J.); (Y.L.); (A.H.)
- Research and Development Centre of Ecological and Sustainable Application of Microbial Industry of the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province, College of Life Science, Yan’an University, Yan’an 716000, China
- Key Laboratory of Termite Control of Ministry of Water Resources, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Bao Jia
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.G.); (H.X.); (B.J.); (Y.L.); (A.H.)
| | - Yutong Liu
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.G.); (H.X.); (B.J.); (Y.L.); (A.H.)
| | - Ali Hassan
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.G.); (H.X.); (B.J.); (Y.L.); (A.H.)
| | - Qiuying Huang
- Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; (Y.G.); (H.X.); (B.J.); (Y.L.); (A.H.)
- Key Laboratory of Termite Control of Ministry of Water Resources, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
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