Starvation Increases Insulin Sensitivity and Reduces Juvenile Hormone
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Florida International University FIU Digital Commons Department of Biological Sciences College of Arts, Sciences & Education 1-29-2014 Starvation Increases Insulin Sensitivity and Reduces Juvenile Hormone Synthesis in Mosquitoes Meritxell Perez-Hedo Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, [email protected] Crisalejandra Rivera-Perez Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, [email protected] Fernando G. Noriega Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cas_bio Part of the Biology Commons Recommended Citation Perez-Hedo M, Rivera-Perez C, Noriega FG (2014) Starvation Increases Insulin Sensitivity and Reduces Juvenile Hormone Synthesis in Mosquitoes. PLoS ONE 9(1): e86183. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0086183 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Arts, Sciences & Education at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Department of Biological Sciences by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Starvation Increases Insulin Sensitivity and Reduces Juvenile Hormone Synthesis in Mosquitoes Meritxell Perez-Hedo, Crisalejandra Rivera-Perez, Fernando G. Noriega* Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America Abstract Background: The interactions between the insulin signaling pathway (ISP) and juvenile hormone (JH) controlling reproductive trade-offs are well documented in insects. JH and insulin regulate reproductive output in mosquitoes; both hormones are involved in a complex regulatory network, in which they influence each other and in which the mosquito’s nutritional status is a crucial determinant of the network’s output. Previous studies reported that the insulin-TOR (target of rapamacyn) signaling pathway is involved in the nutritional regulation of JH synthesis in female mosquitoes. The present studies further investigate the regulatory circuitry that controls both JH synthesis and reproductive output in response to nutrient availability. Methods: We used a combination of diet restriction, RNA interference (RNAi) and insulin treatments to modify insulin signaling and study the cross-talk between insulin and JH in response to starvation. JH synthesis was analyzed using a newly developed assay utilizing fluorescent tags. Conclusions: Our results reveal that starvation decreased JH synthesis via a decrease in insulin signaling in the corpora allata (CA). Paradoxically, starvation-induced up regulation of insulin receptor transcripts and therefore ‘‘primed’’ the gland to respond rapidly to increases in insulin levels. During this response to starvation the synthetic potential of the CA remained unaffected, and the gland rapidly and efficiently responded to insulin stimulation by increasing JH synthesis to rates similar to those of CA from non-starved females. Citation: Perez-Hedo M, Rivera-Perez C, Noriega FG (2014) Starvation Increases Insulin Sensitivity and Reduces Juvenile Hormone Synthesis in Mosquitoes. PLoS ONE 9(1): e86183. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0086183 Editor: Immo A. Hansen, New Mexico State University, United States of America Received October 31, 2013; Accepted December 5, 2013; Published January 29, 2014 Copyright: ß 2014 Perez-Hedo et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant AI 45545 to FGN. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: [email protected] Introduction response to a positive nutritional status, tends to stimulate egg production in mosquitoes [10]. The correct allocation of nutrients between conflicting needs How these two hormonal signaling pathways (ISP and JH) such as reproduction, growth, maturation or flight is a vital interact to regulate all the physiological functions necessary for egg component of an insect’s life-history strategy [1]. Juvenile production is not totally clear. JH titers in female adult mosquitoes hormone (JH) is a remarkably versatile molecule with major are mainly determined by the rate at which the corpora allata (CA) effects on various aspects of development and life history in insects, synthesize JH [11]. Changes in JH synthesis in female adult A. including metamorphosis, behavior, reproduction, diapause, stress aegypti mosquito are very dynamic and nutrition-dependent [12]. resistance and aging [2]. The insulin signaling pathways (ISP) is an Previous studies reported that the insulin/target of rapamaycin evolutionary conserved systemic nutritional sensor that plays a (TOR) pathway is involved in the nutritional regulation of JH central role in the transduction of nutritional signals that regulate synthesis in female mosquitoes [13]. Application of bovine insulin cell growth and metabolism [3,4]. JH and insulin are involved in a on the mosquito CA-CC incubated in vitro caused a strong and fast complex regulatory network, in which they influence each other stimulation on JH synthesis; while systemic depletion of TOR by and in which the insect’s nutritional status is a crucial determinant RNAi and rapamycin administration had inhibitory effects on JH of the network’s output [5]. synthesis [13]. In addition, reducing insulin signaling with PI3K The reproductive cycle of female mosquitoes proceeds through inhibitors rapidly reduced JH biosynthetic enzyme transcripts; a previtellogenic stage (PVGS), an ovarian resting stage (ORS) and validating that a transcriptional regulation of the genes encoding a vitellogenic stage (VGS) [6]. In Aedes aegypti JH is a key mediator JH biosynthetic enzymes is at least partially responsible for the of trade-offs between survival and reproduction during the PVGS dynamic changes of JH biosynthesis in mosquitoes [13]. and ORS [7,8]. Regardless of the nutritional status of a female Here diet restriction, in vivo depletion of INSr and FOXO using mosquito, topical application of JH will override other signaling RNA interference (RNAi) and insulin treatments were used to pathways and stimulate oogenesis even in isolated abdomens [9,7]. modify insulin signaling and study the cross-talk between insulin In addition, increased insulin production and signaling, in and JH in response to starvation. Our results reveal that starvation PLOS ONE | www.plosone.org 1 January 2014 | Volume 9 | Issue 1 | e86183 Insulin and JH decreased JH synthesis via a decrease in insulin signaling in the To obtain absolute transcript values, standard curves were made CA. Starvation-induced up regulation of the insulin receptor from serial dilutions of plasmids containing the mosquito genes increased CA insulin sensitivity and might ‘‘prime’’ the gland to (300,000; 30,000; 3,000; 300; 30 copies of a plasmid per reaction). respond rapidly to increases in insulin levels after feeding Real-time data were collected by the 7300 System SDS Software resumption. During this response to starvation the synthetic and analyzed in Microsoft Excel. Transcript levels were normal- potential of the CA remained unaffected, and the gland rapidly ized with rpL32 transcript levels in the same sample. Each qPCR and efficiently responded to insulin stimulation by increasing JH data point is the average of 4 to 6 independent experiments synthesis to rates similar to those of CA from non-starved females. analyzing either three groups of ten CA or three thoraxes. The primer probes sequences and accession numbers for the genes Materials and Methods studied, insulin receptor (INSr), Forkhead-box-binding protein (FOXO), target of rapamycin (TOR), translation initiation Insects inhibitor eIF4E-binding protein (4E-BP) and juvenile hormone Aedes aegypti of the Rockefeller strain were reared at 28uC and acid methyltransferase (JHAMT); as well as the housekeeping gene 80% relative humidity under a photoperiod of 16 h light: 8 h dark. 60S ribosomal protein L32 are included in Table S1. Female were offered a cotton pad soaked in 20% sucrose solution for the first 24 h after adult emergence. Afterwards, one day-old RNA interference females were separated into two experimental groups: starved Synthesis and microinjections of double-stranded RNA females were offered water, and sugar-fed females were main- (dsRNA) were performed as described by Perez-Hedo et al. [13]. tained on a 20% sucrose solution. All experiments were performed INSr, FOXO and YFP (yellow fluorescent protein) target with 4-day old virgin females. sequences for dsRNA synthesis were amplified by PCR using the To test the effect of starvation we used four days old females INSri, FOXOi and YFPi primers (Table S1). The resulting because our RNAi protocol requires waiting a 4-day period after amplicons were diluted 50-fold, and 1 ml of these diluted injection to be effective [13]. Starving newly emerged females for 4 amplicons were used as template in PCR reactions with primers days resulted in an elevated mortality. Feeding females on a high containing T7 promoter sequences (INSri _T7, FOXOi _T7 and sugar meal (20% sucrose) for 24 h before starving them for 3 days YFPi_T7) (Table