Receptor tyrosine kinases CAD96CA and FGFR1 function as the cell membrane receptors of insect juvenile hormone

• Published in: eLife Vol. 13
• Main Authors: Li, Yan-Xue, Kang, Xin-Le, Li, Yan-Li, Wang, Xiao-Pei, Yan, Qiao, Wang, Jin-Xing, Zhao, Xiao-Fan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England eLife Science Publications, Ltd 14.03.2025; eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
• Subjects: agricultural pest; Animals; Biological research; Biology, Experimental; Cadherins - genetics; Cadherins - metabolism; Calcium (intracellular); Cell Membrane - metabolism; Cell membranes; Cell receptors; Cell surface receptors; Cotton; CRISPR; Efficiency; Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1; Gene expression; Genomes; Genotype & phenotype; Growth factors; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Insect cells; Insect Proteins - genetics; Insect Proteins - metabolism; Insects; Intracellular; Juvenile hormones; Juvenile Hormones - metabolism; Kinases; Larva - genetics; Larva - metabolism; Lepidoptera; metamorphosis; Moths - enzymology; Moths - genetics; Moths - metabolism; Phosphorylation; Phylogenetics; Protein tyrosine kinase; Proteins; Receptor mechanisms; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - genetics; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - metabolism; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1 - genetics; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1 - metabolism; Signal Transduction; Transcription factors; Tyrosine; China; agricultural pest; metamorphosis; developmental biology; Lepidoptera
• ISSN: 2050-084X; 2050-084X
• DOI: 10.7554/eLife.97189

Juvenile hormone (JH) is important to maintain insect larval status; however, its cell membrane receptor has not been identified. Using the lepidopteran insect Helicoverpa armigera (cotton bollworm), a serious agricultural pest, as a model, we determined that receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) cadherin 96ca (CAD96CA) and fibroblast growth factor receptor homologue (FGFR1) function as JH cell membrane receptors by their roles in JH-regulated gene expression, larval status maintaining, rapid intracellular calcium increase, phosphorylation of JH intracellular receptor MET1 and cofactor Taiman, and high affinity to JH III. Gene knockout of Cad96ca and Fgfr1 by CRISPR/Cas9 in embryo and knockdown in various insect cells, and overexpression of CAD96CA and FGFR1 in mammalian HEK-293T cells all supported CAD96CA and FGFR1 transmitting JH signal as JH cell membrane receptors.