{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T10:33:43Z","timestamp":1785407623405,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,25]],"date-time":"2026-07-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784937600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["32001921"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32001921"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["32001921"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32001921"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Foundation of Henan Science and Technology Committee","award":["252102110322"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["252102110322"]}]},{"name":"Foundation of Henan Science and Technology Committee","award":["252102111149"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["252102111149"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Insects"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Members of the yellow gene family encode conserved Yellow proteins with diverse roles in insect pigmentation, cuticle formation, and reproduction, making them promising targets for RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated pest control strategies. However, little is known about their phylogeny and functions in the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens), a devastating rice pest that serves as a vector for viral rice diseases. Here, we identified and characterized 11 yellow genes in N. lugens, which showed distinct structures and expression profiles. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that N. lugens has retained orthologs of yellow-y, -b, -d, -e, -g, -g2, -h, and -x but lacks those of yellow-c and -f, suggesting lineage-specific gene loss. Nine of the eleven NlYellow genes were localized to chromosome 8, with several positioned in close genomic proximity. The clustering of these loci suggests that tandem duplication events contributed to the expansion of the NlYellow gene family. NlYellow-b exhibited the highest transcript levels among all identified NlYellow genes, particularly in the female ovipositor, and functional characterization via RNAi revealed that it is essential for molting, wing development, and female fertility. Knockdown of NlYellow-b in fourth-instar nymphs caused lethal molting defects and wing malformation and significantly reduced offspring production. These findings highlight the dual roles of NlYellow-b in development and reproduction, advance our understanding of yellow gene function in insects and highlight NlYellow-b as a candidate for RNAi-based management of N. lugens.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/insects17080766","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T14:08:14Z","timestamp":1785161294000},"page":"766","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Characterization of the Yellow Gene Family in Nilaparvata lugens and Functional Analysis of NlYellow-b"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Xiaohong","family":"Zheng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Molecular Breeding, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China"},{"name":"Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding and Bioreactor, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xinkai","family":"Liang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yiqian","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haitao","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shurui","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruixue","family":"Jia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yufan","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaoli","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Henan Plant Gene and Molecular Breeding Engineering Research Center, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Henan Crop Molecular Design Breeding and Cultivation Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kedong","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Molecular Breeding, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China"},{"name":"Henan Plant Gene and Molecular Breeding Engineering Research Center, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-0273-5381","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xinxin","family":"Shangguan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Molecular Breeding, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou 466001, China"},{"name":"Henan Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding and Bioreactor, Zhoukou 466001, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1385","DOI":"10.1101\/gr.5012006","article-title":"Evolution of the Yellow\/Major Royal Jelly Protein family and the emergence of social behavior in honey bees","volume":"16","author":"Drapeau","year":"2006","journal-title":"Genome Res."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1017\/S0016672300015044","article-title":"Genetic regulation and pattern formation: A study of the yellow locus in Drosophila melanogaster","volume":"24","author":"Nash","year":"1974","journal-title":"Genet. 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