Transferrins are multifunctional proteins, but their role in the interaction of rice and brown planthopper (BPH) remains unclear. In this study, the full-length cDNA of transferrin genes NlTsf1, NlTsf2, and NlTsf3 was cloned. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the expressions of NlTsf1 and NlTsf3 were significantly suppressed in BPH reared on the resistant rice R1 by 68.0 and 86.7%, respectively, compared with that on the susceptible S9. The survival rate decreased to 3.3% for dsNlTsf3-treated nymphs, to 58.9% for dsNlTsf1, and to 56.7% for dsNlTsf2 on day 11. RNAi of NlTsf3 against females largely reduced the number of eggs by 99.4%, and it decreased by 48.6% for dsNlTsf1 but did not significantly decrease for dsNlTsf2. Collectively, NlTsf1, NlTsf2, and NlTsf3 are essential for the survival and fecundity of BPH and are differentially involved in the interaction between rice and BPH. Therefore, NlTsf1 and NlTsf3 may be used as targets to control BPH.
Keywords: Nilaparvata lugens; RNA interference; fecundity; spatiotemporal expression; survival; transferrin.