{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T12:36:47Z","timestamp":1777466207232,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777334400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Key R&D Program of China \u201cResearch on Monitoring and Control Technology of Grassland Caterpillars and Other Important Pests\u201d","award":["2022YFD1401102"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022YFD1401102"]}]},{"name":"Qinghai Provincial Department of Science and Technology Key R&D and Transformation Project","award":["2023-NK-152"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023-NK-152"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The tanning hormone (Bursicon) is a heterodimer secreted by the insect nervous system, playing a crucial role in the process of cuticle darkening and hardening and wing expansion in insects. In this study, we knocked out the GqBurs gene using RNAi, thereby impairing the flight ability of adult males by affecting wing development, laying the groundwork for further control of the damage they cause to alpine meadows. The GqBurs gene was successfully characterized and expressed at all developmental stages of Gynaephora qinghaiensis, with higher expression in 5th instar larvae and wing primordia. In order to investigate the potential role of the Burs gene in wing development, we used RNAi technology to inhibit the expression of the GqBurs gene by in vivo injection of dsGqBurs into male adults of G. qinghaiensis, with the aim of affecting their flight ability. The silencing efficiency of the GqBurs gene was 86.12%, 97.27%, 65.61%, and 30.51% in each tissue (thorax, abdomen, wing, and wing base) 12 h after dsGqBurs injection. In addition, 12 h after injection of exogenous hormones (20E, JH, and Insulin) and a PKA inhibitor (H-89), we found that the GqBurs gene was affected by 20E, H-89, JH, and Insulin, and its overexpression and gene silencing were observed in the thorax, abdomen, wings, and wing primordia of male adults of G. qinghaiensis. These results indicate that the GqBurs gene plays a crucial role in the wing development of male adults of G. qinghaiensis. Furthermore, a decrease in GqBurs gene expression further affects the extension and expansion of the wings, thereby impacting the insect\u2019s flight ability.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27093929","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T13:26:41Z","timestamp":1777382801000},"page":"3929","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Gene Expression of GqBursicon in Gynaephora qinghaiensis (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) and Its Impact on Wing Expansion"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Guixiang","family":"Kou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"},{"name":"Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"},{"name":"Institute of Plant Protection, Qinghai Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yuantao","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhanling","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Haishun","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yaqi","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rongrong","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Youpeng","family":"Lai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"},{"name":"Institute of Plant Protection, Qinghai Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shujing","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grassland Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot 010010, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"23","article-title":"Taxonomic study of grassland caterpillars","volume":"1","author":"Zhou","year":"1979","journal-title":"Entomotaxonomia"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1396","DOI":"10.1007\/s10528-021-10065-8","article-title":"Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Gynaephora qinghaiensis in Yushu Prefecture, Qinghai Province Based on the Mitochondrial COI Gene","volume":"59","author":"Wang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Biochem. 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