Silencing PsASH2 affects embryo development in the cotton mealybug

Here, we identified a novel histone lysine methyltransferase
(KMT) gene, PsASH2, in the cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus
solenopsis Tinsley. This gene was highly expressed in the ovary
of female adults. Through RNA interference (RNAi) of
PsASH2 by dsRNA microinjection, we found a reduction in the
number of male embryos and total embryos in the ovaries of
pregnant females. Continuous downregulation of PsASH2 in mated females
until their death resulted in few changes in sex ratio but significant
decreases in the number of both male and female offspring.