Multimodal Insecticidal Activity of α-Humulene Against Chilo suppressalis via Endocrine Disruption and Transcriptional Suppression of Cuticular Proteins
6 affiliations
- 1Laboratory for Conservation and Use of Important Biological Resources of Anhui Province, Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Enzymology and Mechanism of Major Diseases, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China
- 2Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China
- 3Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
- 4School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
- 5Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China
- 6Shaoxing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shaoxing 312000, China
Abstract
Striped rice stem borer (Chilo suppressalis, SSB) poses a substantial threat to global rice production, leading to considerable economic loss. In this study, we explored the insecticidal mechanism of α-humulene, a sesquiterpene derived from Humulus lupulus, against SSB larvae. Bioassays indicated that α-humulene markedly elevated larval mortality rates and extended developmental periods. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of genes involved in juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis and the downregulation of cuticle protein genes. Molecular docking experiments demonstrated that α-humulene could form putative binding interactions with both cuticular proteins and key enzymes in the JH biosynthesis pathway, suggesting a potential interaction that may influence the structural stability of the cuticle and hormonal balance. Furthermore, JH and ecdysone titer assays confirmed hormonal imbalance in treated larvae. This study identified α-humulene as a novel multimodal insecticidal compound targeting two critical systems, namely endocrine disruption via dysregulated JH biosynthesis, and structural integrity impairment through cuticle protein suppression, presenting a sustainable approach for the eco-friendly management of rice pests.
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BibTeX
@article{peng2026multimodal,
title = {{Multimodal Insecticidal Activity of α-Humulene Against Chilo suppressalis via Endocrine Disruption and Transcriptional Suppression of Cuticular Proteins}},
author = {Zhuo Peng and Wenhui Lu and Yue Meng and Junjie Lin and Xinyu Zhang and Zihan Guo and Rong Zhao and Xiaoying Li and Meican Liu and Qiaoying Zhou and Yuqian He and Rui Ji and Guirong Wang and Lei Yang and Yang Sun and Pengke Zhao},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27188322},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/18/8322},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Multimodal Insecticidal Activity of α-Humulene Against Chilo suppressalis via Endocrine Disruption and Transcriptional Suppression of Cuticular Proteins
AU - Zhuo Peng
AU - Wenhui Lu
AU - Yue Meng
AU - Junjie Lin
AU - Xinyu Zhang
AU - Zihan Guo
AU - Rong Zhao
AU - Xiaoying Li
AU - Meican Liu
AU - Qiaoying Zhou
AU - Yuqian He
AU - Rui Ji
AU - Guirong Wang
AU - Lei Yang
AU - Yang Sun
AU - Pengke Zhao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27188322
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/18/8322
AB - Striped rice stem borer (Chilo suppressalis, SSB) poses a substantial threat to global rice production, leading to considerable economic loss. In this study, we explored the insecticidal mechanism of α-humulene, a sesquiterpene derived from Humulus lupulus, against SSB larvae. Bioassays indicated that α-humulene markedly elevated larval mortality rates and extended developmental periods. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of genes involved in juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis and the downregulation of cuticle protein genes. Molecular docking experiments demonstrated that α-humulene could form putative binding interactions with both cuticular proteins and key enzymes in the JH biosynthesis pathway, suggesting a potential interaction that may influence the structural stability of the cuticle and hormonal balance. Furthermore, JH and ecdysone titer assays confirmed hormonal imbalance in treated larvae. This study identified α-humulene as a novel multimodal insecticidal compound targeting two critical systems, namely endocrine disruption via dysregulated JH biosynthesis, and structural integrity impairment through cuticle protein suppression, presenting a sustainable approach for the eco-friendly management of rice pests.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -