N(alpha)-acetyltransferase 40-mediated histone acetylation plays an important role in ecdysone regulation of metamorphosis in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

Authors

Sharath Chandra Gaddelapati, University of Kentucky
Smitha George, University of KentuckyFollow
Anilkumar Moola, University of Kentucky
Karthi Sengodan, University of Kentucky
Subba Reddy Palli, University of KentuckyFollow

Abstract

Histone acetylation, a crucial epigenetic modification, is governed by histone acetyltransferases (HATs), that regulate many biological processes. Functions of HATs in insects are not well understood. We identified 27 HATs and determined their functions using RNA interference (RNAi) in the model insect, Tribolium castaneum. Among HATs studied, N-alpha-acetyltransferase 40 (NAA40) knockdown caused a severe phenotype of arrested larval development. The steroid hormone, ecdysone induced NAA40 expression through its receptor, EcR (ecdysone receptor). Interestingly, ecdysone-induced NAA40 regulates EcR expression. NAA40 acetylates histone H4 protein, associated with the promoters of ecdysone response genes: EcR, E74, E75, and HR3, and causes an increase in their expression. In the absence of ecdysone and NAA40, histone H4 methylation by arginine methyltransferase 1 (ART1) suppressed the above genes. However, elevated ecdysone levels at the end of the larval period induced NAA40, promoting histone H4 acetylation and increasing the expression of ecdysone response genes. NAA40 is also required for EcR, and steroid-receptor co- activator (SRC) mediated induction of E74, E75, and HR3. These findings highlight the key role of ecdysone-induced NAA40-mediated histone acetylation in the regulation of metamorphosis.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

Notes/Citation Information

© The Author(s) 2024

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06212-7

Funding Information

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01GM070559 and the US Department of Agriculture (under HATCH Project 2353057000). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the US Department of Agriculture.

Repository Citation

Gaddelapati, Sharath Chandra; George, Smitha; Moola, Anilkumar; Sengodan, Karthi; and Palli, Subba Reddy, "N(alpha)-acetyltransferase 40-mediated histone acetylation plays an important role in ecdysone regulation of metamorphosis in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum" (2024). Entomology Faculty Publications. 251.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/entomology_facpub/251