IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v16y2025i1d10.1038_s41467-025-56224-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • Meichun Zhang

    (Michigan State University
    Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases)

  • Han Wen

    (Michigan State University)

  • Qiang Sun

    (Michigan State University)

  • Dongjing Zhang

    (Sun Yat-sen University)

  • Yongjun Li

    (Jinan University)

  • Andrew Xi

    (Michigan State University)

  • Xiaoying Zheng

    (Sun Yat-sen University)

  • Yu Wu

    (Sun Yat-sen University)

  • Jun Cao

    (Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases)

  • Jeremy Bouyer

    (Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture
    CIRAD
    Sainte-Clotilde)

  • Zhiyong Xi

    (Michigan State University)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Meichun Zhang & Han Wen & Qiang Sun & Dongjing Zhang & Yongjun Li & Andrew Xi & Xiaoying Zheng & Yu Wu & Jun Cao & Jeremy Bouyer & Zhiyong Xi, 2025. "Early attainment of 20-hydroxyecdysone threshold shapes mosquito sexual dimorphism in developmental timing," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-56224-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56224-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56224-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-025-56224-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xiaoying Zheng & Dongjing Zhang & Yongjun Li & Cui Yang & Yu Wu & Xiao Liang & Yongkang Liang & Xiaoling Pan & Linchao Hu & Qiang Sun & Xiaohua Wang & Yingyang Wei & Jian Zhu & Wei Qian & Ziqiang Yan , 2019. "Incompatible and sterile insect techniques combined eliminate mosquitoes," Nature, Nature, vol. 572(7767), pages 56-61, August.
    2. Duo Peng & Evdoxia G. Kakani & Enzo Mameli & Charles Vidoudez & Sara N. Mitchell & Gennifer E. Merrihew & Michael J. MacCoss & Kelsey Adams & Tasneem A. Rinvee & W. Robert Shaw & Flaminia Catteruccia, 2022. "A male steroid controls female sexual behaviour in the malaria mosquito," Nature, Nature, vol. 608(7921), pages 93-97, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xiaomei Sun & Yanhong Wang & Fei Yuan & Yanan Zhang & Xun Kang & Jian Sun & Pengcheng Wang & Tengfei Lu & Fanny Sae Wang & Jinbao Gu & Jinglin Wang & Qianfeng Xia & Aihua Zheng & Zhen Zou, 2024. "Gut symbiont-derived sphingosine modulates vector competence in Aedes mosquitoes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Xingtong Liu & Yuanshun Tan & Bo Zheng, 2022. "Dynamic Behavior of an Interactive Mosquito Model under Stochastic Interference," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(13), pages 1-18, June.
    3. Qiming Huang & Lijie Chang & Zhaowang Zhang & Bo Zheng, 2023. "Global Dynamics for Competition between Two Wolbachia Strains with Bidirectional Cytoplasmic Incompatibility," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-21, April.
    4. Zhongcai Zhu & Yantao Shi & Rong Yan & Linchao Hu, 2022. "Periodic Orbits of a Mosquito Suppression Model Based on Sterile Mosquitoes," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-21, January.
    5. Dongjing Zhang & Hamidou Maiga & Yongjun Li & Mame Thierno Bakhoum & Gang Wang & Yan Sun & David Damiens & Wadaka Mamai & Nanwintoum Séverin Bimbilé Somda & Thomas Wallner & Odet Bueno-Masso & Claudia, 2024. "Mating harassment may boost the effectiveness of the sterile insect technique for Aedes mosquitoes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Chloé Hérault & Thomas Pihl & Bruno Hudry, 2024. "Cellular sex throughout the organism underlies somatic sexual differentiation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    7. Dan Wen & Limin S. Ding & Yanan Zhang & Xiaoye Li & Xing Zhang & Fei Yuan & Tongbiao Zhao & Aihua Zheng, 2022. "Suppression of flavivirus transmission from animal hosts to mosquitoes with a mosquito-delivered vaccine," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    8. Haramboure, Marion & Labbé, Pierrick & Baldet, Thierry & Damiens, David & Gouagna, Louis Clément & Bouyer, Jérémy & Tran, Annelise, 2020. "Modelling the control of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes based on sterile males release techniques in a tropical environment," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 424(C).
    9. Yijie Li & Zhiming Guo, 2022. "Wolbachia Invasion Dynamics by Integrodifference Equations," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(22), pages 1-13, November.
    10. Xiaomei Sun & Xueli Wang & Kai Shi & Xiangyang Lyu & Jian Sun & Alexander S. Raikhel & Zhen Zou, 2024. "Leucine aminopeptidase1 controls egg deposition and hatchability in male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    11. Lijie Chang & Yantao Shi & Bo Zheng, 2021. "Existence and Uniqueness of Nontrivial Periodic Solutions to a Discrete Switching Model," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(19), pages 1-13, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-56224-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.