Figure 5.

ATG12 knockdown delayed 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E)-induced pupation. One µg of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and 500 ng 20E were injected into sixth instar 6 h larvae; 3 groups and 30 larvae in each group. After 24 h, 1 µg of dsRNA was injected again. (A,B) qRT-PCR and immunoblotting indicate the efficiency of ATG12 RNA interference at the mRNA and protein levels, respectively. (C) The phenotype of insects after ATG12 knockdown. (D) Statistical analysis of the phenotype shown in (C). (E) Statistical analysis of pupation time of 50% larvae (P₅₀) after injection of dsRNA. Bars represent mean ± SD of three independent experiments. Asterisks indicate significant differences determined by Student’s t-test: *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01.