Fig. 4: Density-dependent 4VPMTs regulate locust gregarious behaviour via controlling 4VA production.
From: Decoding 4-vinylanisole biosynthesis and pivotal enzymes in locusts
a, Tissue-specific expression of 4VPMT1 and 4VPMT2. Br, brain; HI, head integument; Te, tergum; F+M leg, fore- and mid-leg; H leg, hind leg; AI, abdominal integument; Mu, muscle. FB, fat body; AD, abdomen; An, antenna; Th, thorax; TG, thoracic ganglia; G, gut; Ov, ovary; Te, testis. n = 8 biological replicates. b, Cellular localization of 4VPMT1 and 4VPMT2 in locust hind leg. c,d, Relative mRNA levels of 4VPMT1 and 4VPMT2 during crowding of solitary locusts (c) and isolation of gregarious locusts (d). n = 8 biological replicates. e,f, Relative protein levels of 4VPMT1 and 4VPMT2 during crowding of solitary locusts (e) and isolation of gregarious locusts (f). n = 6 biological replicates. g, 4VA emissions in gregarious locusts after double RNAi knockdown of 4VPMT1 and 4VPMT2. n = 5 biological replicates. h, Behavioural states of gregarious locusts after double RNAi knockdown of 4VPMT1 and 4VPMT2 (ds4VPMT1+2). n = 25 locusts (dsGFP and ds4VPMT1+2). Pgreg, probabilistic metric of gregariousness. Arrows indicate median Pgreg values. Different letters indicate statistically significant differences between groups using one-way ANOVA (Tukey’s multiple comparisons test, P < 0.05) (a,c–f); P values were determined by a two-tailed unpaired t-test (g); median Pgreg were compared using Mann–Whitney U-test (two-sided) (h). Data are mean ± s.e.m.
