Yorkie/Scalloped-OVOL-Rac1 axis controls insect wing development by promoting cell proliferation

Jing Zhang; Yanan Zhang; Babar Hussain Chang; Caiyan Huo; Weimin Liu; Jianzhen Zhang; Xiaoming Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.jgg.2026.06.010

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Yorkie/Scalloped-OVOL-Rac1 axis controls insect wing development by promoting cell proliferation

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2026.06.010

a. Shanxi Key Laboratory of Nucleic Acid Biopesticides, Institute of Applied Biology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China;
b. College of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China;
c. School of Synthetic Biology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China;
d. Department of Plant Protection, Sub-Campus Umerkot, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam 7600, Pakistan

Funds:

We are grateful to Prof. Zizhang Zhou (Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong, China), Dr. Xubo Zhang and Prof. Zhangwu Zhao (Shanxi University, Shanxi, China), as well as Prof. Sheng Li (South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China) for their valuable comments and constructive suggestions. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32470507), the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province in China (202403021211033), and the Postgraduate Education Innovation Program of Shanxi Province (2024TD05).

Received Date: 2026-01-29
Accepted Date: 2026-06-17
Rev Recd Date: 2026-06-16

Available Online: 2026-06-22

Abstract

Abstract

The regulation of organ size is a fundamental question in developmental biology, and insect wings provide a powerful model for elucidating the genetic mechanisms underlying morphogenesis. Although the conserved Hippo signaling pathway plays a central role in controlling tissue growth, its precise regulatory network during wing development remains incompletely understood. Here, we identify the zinc finger transcription factor OVOL as a critical mediator of Hippo signaling in insect wing development. We indicate that OVOL is essential for normal wing formation in both Locusta migratoria and Drosophila melanogaster, regulating cell proliferation and trichome patterning. Through transcriptomic analysis and functional validation, we further identify the small GTPase Rac1 as a key downstream effector of OVOL that promotes proliferative growth. Moreover, we find that OVOL expression is directly activated by the Yorkie/Scalloped (Yki/Sd) complex, the core transcriptional effector of the Hippo pathway, without forming a feedback loop. This regulation is mediated through a specific Sd-binding motif (GATAA) within the OVOL promoter. Importantly, Yki/Sd-induced Rac1 expression is dependent on OVOL. Collectively, our findings establish the Yorkie/Sd-OVOL-Rac1 pathway that governs insect wing development by promoting cell proliferation, providing mechanistic insights into organ size regulation in animals.
- OVO-like,
- Hippo signaling,
- Rac1,
- Cell proliferation,
- Wing development

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References

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