Establishment of reporter assay yeast strain for detecting ligands of Daphnia magna juvenile hormone receptor via upstream E-box and E-box-like elements of the Vrille gene

Abstract

Juvenile hormones (JHs), which control growth and development of arthropods, induce male offspring production in daphnids by activating JH receptor methoprene-tolerant (Met). However, target genes of Met have been unidentified. In this study, we showed that JH activities were detectable in yeast expressing Daphnia magna Met via upstream E-box/E-box-like elements of Vrille (Vri) gene, which encodes transcriptional activator of sex-determining factor Doublesex1. We also showed that Vri was an early JH-responsive gene in vivo. These observations suggested that Vri is a target of Met in D. magna.