Single-cell transcriptomics of the Drosophila ring gland identifies the SoxN–Vvl complex as a key regulator of juvenile hormone biosynthesis

Authors

• Yuhan Luo, South China Normal University
• Nan Chen, South China Normal University
• Yue Gao, South China Normal University
• Wei Luo, South China Normal University
• Shanshan Liu, South China Normal University
• Yang Li, South China Normal University
• Hanyue Wang, South China Normal University
• Xiangbin Gao, South China Normal University
• Jiawei Chen, South China Normal University
• Haosheng Ye, South China Normal University
• Kirst King-Jones, University of Alberta
• Subba Reddy Palli, University of KentuckyFollow
• Sheng Li, South China Normal UniversityFollow
• Suning Liu, South China Normal UniversityFollow

Abstract

Juvenile hormone (JH) is essential for maintaining juvenile status and promoting reproduction in insects, yet the transcriptional regulation of JH biosynthesis remains poorly understood. Previous transcriptomic studies of the Drosophila ring gland—which is composed of the corpus allatum (CA), prothoracic gland (PG), and corpora cardiaca (CC)—have treated the ring gland as a single tissue. As a result, these approaches lacked the resolution necessary to dissect JH biosynthesis and its regulation in a cell-type-specific manner. To overcome this limitation, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of 7,919 cells isolated from the larval ring glands. This analysis resolved distinct transcriptional profiles for the CA, PG, and CC, and enabled the identification of CA-specific transcription factors. Among them, SoxNeuro (SoxN), was found to be essential for JH biosynthesis and functionally important for both metamorphosis and reproduction. We further demonstrate that SoxN physically interacts with Ventral veins lacking (Vvl) to form a transcriptional complex that directly regulates Jhamt, a rate-limiting enzyme in JH biosynthesis, via a defined promoter region. Together, this work presents a single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the Drosophila ring gland and identifies the SoxN–Vvl complex as a critical regulator of JH biosynthesis, offering insight into the transcriptional control of insect endocrine function.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2026

Notes/Citation Information

Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2026 the Author(s).

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1073/pnas.2520504123

Archival?

Archival

Repository Citation

Luo, Yuhan; Chen, Nan; Gao, Yue; Luo, Wei; Liu, Shanshan; Li, Yang; Wang, Hanyue; Gao, Xiangbin; Chen, Jiawei; Ye, Haosheng; King-Jones, Kirst; Palli, Subba Reddy; Li, Sheng; and Liu, Suning, "Single-cell transcriptomics of the Drosophila ring gland identifies the SoxN–Vvl complex as a key regulator of juvenile hormone biosynthesis" (2026). Entomology Faculty Publications. 277.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/entomology_facpub/277