Transmembrane channel-like (TMC) genes encode a family of evolutionarily conserved membrane proteins. Mutations in the TMC1 and TMC2 cause deafness in humans and mice. However, their functions in insects are is still not well known. Here we cloned three tmc genes, Nltmc3, Nltmc5, and Nltmc7 from brown planthoppers. The predicted amino acid sequences showed high identity with other species homologs and have the characteristic eight or nine transmembrane domains and TMC domain architecture. We detected these three genes in all developmental stages and examined tissues. Interestingly, we found Nltmc3 was highly expressed in the female reproductive organ especially in the oviduct. RNAi-mediated silencing of Nltmc3 substantially decreased the egg-laying number and impaired ovary development. Our results indicate that Nltmc3 has an essential role in the ovary development of brown planthoppers.

跨膜通道样（TMC）基因编码进化上保守的膜蛋白家族。TMC1和TMC2中的突变会导致人类和小鼠耳聋。然而，它们在昆虫中的功能仍不为人所知。在这里我们克隆了三个台积电 基因， Nltmc3， Nltmc5和 Nltmc7从棕色飞虱。预测的氨基酸序列与其他物种的同源物具有高度同一性，并具有特征性的八或九个跨膜结构域和TMC结构域结构。我们在所有发育阶段都检测到这三个基因，并检查了组织。有趣的是，我们发现Nltmc3在女性生殖器官，尤其是输卵管中高表达。RNAi介导的沉默Nltmc3大大降低了产卵数并损害了卵巢发育。我们的结果表明Nltmc3 在褐飞虱的卵巢发育中起重要作用。