Early attainment of 20-hydroxyecdysone threshold shapes mosquito sexual dimorphism in developmental timing

Zhang Meichun, Wen Han, Sun Qiang, Zhang Dongjing, Li Yongjun, Xi Andrew, Zheng Xiaoying, Wu YU, Cao Jun, Bouyer Jérémy, Xi Zhiyong. 2025. Early attainment of 20-hydroxyecdysone threshold shapes mosquito sexual dimorphism in developmental timing. Nature Communications, 16 (1), 821, 17 p.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56224-y

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Résumé : In holometabolous insects, critical weight (CW) attainment triggers pupation and metamorphosis, but its mechanism remains unclear in non-model organisms like mosquitoes. Here, we investigate the role of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) in CW assessment and pupation timing in Aedes albopictus and Ae. aegypti, vectors of arboviruses including dengue and Zika. Our results show that the attainment of CW is contingent upon surpassing a critical 20E threshold, which results in entrance into a constant 22 h interval and the subsequent 20E pulse responsible for larval-pupal ecdysis. Sexual dimorphism in pupation time arises from higher basal 20E levels in males, enabling earlier CW attainment. Administering 20E at 50% of L3/L4 molt, when most of males but not females pass the pulse, results in female-specific lethality. These findings highlight the pivotal role of 20E thresholds in CW, pupation timing, and sexual dimorphism, suggesting that manipulating 20E levels can skew populations male, offering a potential mosquito sex separation strategy.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : Aedes albopictus, lutte anti-insecte, vecteur de maladie, contrôle de maladies, métamorphose, ecdysone

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : France, Chine

Mots-clés libres : Transgenic, Aedes, Larval development, Differentiation, Entomology, Hormones

Agences de financement hors UE : Michigan State University, U.S. Department of the Interior, United States Agency for International Development

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