At the invitation of Prof. Li Bin from School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Prof. Zhou Shutang from Henan University, who is under the ‘Hundred Talents Programme’ of Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a lecture on ‘Genetic Basis and Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Fertility’ on 15^th May 2025 in the Round Conference Room on the third floor of Xingzhi Building, Xianlin Campus, Nanjing Normal University. The lecture was hosted by Prof. Li Bin from School of Life Sciences, with the active participation of teachers and students from all related majors.

In this presentation, Prof Zhou Shutang introduced that insects have a strong reproductive capacity. Most insects reproduce in both sexes and lay eggs, and mass egg laying is a manifestation of insects' strong reproductive power, which provides the base for population formation, evolutionary adaptation and outbreaks of pests. Yolk production, i.e. the synthesis and transport of vitellogenin (Vg), is a key link in insect reproduction. In many insects, Vg is synthesised in large quantities in the fat body, transported by haemolymph to the ovary, and reaches the oocyte through the channels between follicular epithelial cells, where it is absorbed by the oocyte and then stored in the egg in the form of yolk. Thus, Vg is both a prerequisite for the development of the oocyte into a mature egg and a nutritional safeguard for the development of the embryo after egg laying. We also used flying locusts as a model to resolve the dual roles of juvenile preserving hormone (JH) in inhibiting larval metamorphosis and promoting adult reproduction, and interpreted the synergistic roles of nutrient signalling and endocrine hormones in promoting the synthesis of Vg in large quantities. Meanwhile, it was found that JH induced intracellular division and polyploidy in fat body cells by up-regulating the expression of DNA replication and cell cycle genes through Met/Tai and LCMT1-PP2A-FoxO, which promoted the large amount of Vg synthesis to meet the demand for Vg for the synchronous maturation of numerous eggs. We elucidated the mechanism by which JH activates Na⁺K⁺-ATPase through the GPCR/RTK-PLC-PKC pathway to open the follicle cell intercellular channels, and regulates the depolymerisation of adhesion zonules via the GPCR-Cdc42-aPKC-Par3 pathway, which in turn expands the follicle cell intercellular channels. The mechanism by which JH facilitates the entry of Vg into oocytes through the GPCR-PLC-PKCi-VgR pathway was revealed. These research results of Prof Zhou Shutang have greatly contributed to the development of the field of insect reproduction.

After the report, the participating teachers and students had a warm discussion and exchange around the report content of Professor Zhou Shutang, he answered the questions in detail, the atmosphere was warm, and everyone benefited a lot. The presentation was successfully concluded with warm applause.