Hormonal Regulation of Insect Physiology and Behavior: Development, Reproduction, and Environmental Response

A Special Issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450) belonging to the section "Insect Physiology, Reproduction and Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 719

Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
Interests: arthropod molecular physiology; insect genetics; vector biology; insect hormone; tick physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hormonal regulation stands at the gateway to unlocking the secrets of insect life. Understanding the molecular pathways that drive metamorphosis, diapause, mating, feeding, social interactions, and more is crucial not only for advancing fundamental biological knowledge but also for addressing pressing global challenges in agriculture, health, and environmental sustainability. We invite you to contribute your insights, discoveries, and perspectives on the following: hormonal regulation of insect development and developmental transitions, endocrine control of reproduction and behavior, and hormonal responses to environmental stressors. We welcome original research papers, reviews, and case studies that deepen our understanding of how hormones orchestrate the intricate balance between physiology, behavior, and environment in insects.

Prof. Dr. Yoonseong Park
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • endocrinology
  • arthropods
  • development
  • behavior
  • feeding
  • mating
  • diapause
  • metamorphosis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 16640 KB  
Article
Reduced 20-Hydroxyecdysone Signaling Modulates Antifungal Immune Responses and Growth in Lymantria dispar Against Beauveria bassiana
by Jingyu Cao, Yue Zhang, Jingxin Cao, Jianyang Bai, Chuanwang Cao, Zhe Xu and Ling Ma
Insects 2026, 17(8), 839; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17080839 - 13 Aug 2026
Viewed by 318
Abstract
20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E) is the active form of the steroid hormone ecdysone and is responsible for regulating insect development, molting, and metamorphosis. Infection with the entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana enhances innate immunity and reduces 20E titers in Lymantria dispar. To further explore the role [...] Read more.
20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E) is the active form of the steroid hormone ecdysone and is responsible for regulating insect development, molting, and metamorphosis. Infection with the entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana enhances innate immunity and reduces 20E titers in Lymantria dispar. To further explore the role of the 20E signaling pathway in antifungal immunity, we combined exogenous hormone assays, proteomic profiling, and RNAi-mediated knockdown. In this study, exogenous hormone assays revealed that 20E accelerated the death of B. bassiana-infected larvae, whereas juvenile hormone (JH) markedly delayed it. 20E promoted larval weight gain and food utilization efficiency in L. dispar during fungal infection compared to the B. bassiana group. Moreover, the 20E + B. bassiana group significantly decreased the expression of the Toll pathway-related genes, Attacin2, Gloverin4, and Lysozyme4, while reducing hemocyte counts and Pvf2 expression. Furthermore, the 20E + B. bassiana group increased the number of hyphae in the hemolymph, but had no obvious effect on hemocyte encapsulation capacity compared to the B. bassiana group. Proteomic analysis showed that Cyp306a1 and Cyp314a1 were significantly down-regulated in L. dispar at 48 h post-infection with B. bassiana. Knockdown of Cyp306a1 delayed molting and increased larval mortality in L. dispar, but did not alter the mortality rate upon B. bassiana infection compared to the dsGFP group. Intriguingly, dsCyp306a1 + B. bassiana group had significantly increased the expression of Toll3, Toll5, Toll7, Gloverin4 and Cecropin5 compared to the B. bassiana group. In conclusion, these findings suggest that reduced 20E signaling shifts L. dispar from growth toward immune activation during B. bassiana infection. This study provides valuable insights into the 20E-mediated trade-off between growth and immunity. Full article
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