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Lü D, Yan Z, Hu D, Zhao A, Wei S, Wang P, Yuan X, Li Y. RNA Sequencing Reveals the Potential Adaptation Mechanism to Different Hosts of Grapholita molesta. INSECTS 2022; 13:893. [PMID: 36292841 PMCID: PMC9604371 DOI: 10.3390/insects13100893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Grapholita molesta is an important fruit tree worldwide pest which feeds on hosts extensively and does serious harm. In this paper, the growth and development parameters and protease activities of G. molesta fed on different hosts were compared. Using Illumina RNA sequencing technology, 18 midgut samples from five different hosts (apple, pear, plum, peach and peach shoots) and artificial diet were sequenced and compared with the reference genome, resulting in 15269 genes and 2785 predicted new genes. From 15 comparative combinations, DEGs were found from 286 to 4187 in each group, with up-regulated genes from 107 to 2395 and down-regulated genes from 83 to 2665. KEGG pathway analysis showed that DEGs were associated with amino acid metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and hydrolase activity. A total of 31 co-expression gene modules of different hosts were identified by WGCNA. qRT-PCR showed that the expression pattern of the trypsin gene was consistent with RNA sequencing. In this study, growth and development parameters, protease activity, DEGs, enrichment analysis and qRT-PCR were combined to reveal the adaptation process to different hosts of G. molesta in many aspects. The results of this study provide a basis for further exploration of the molecular mechanism of host adaptation of G. molesta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongbiao Lü
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Zizheng Yan
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Di Hu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Aiping Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Shujun Wei
- Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, 9 Shuguanghuayuan Middle Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Geneva, NY 14456, USA
| | - Xiangqun Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
| | - Yiping Li
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
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Nuo SM, Yang AJ, Li GC, Xiao HY, Liu NY. Transcriptome analysis identifies candidate genes in the biosynthetic pathway of sex pheromones from a zygaenid moth, Achelura yunnanensis (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae). PeerJ 2021; 9:e12641. [PMID: 34993022 PMCID: PMC8679906 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In most moth species, sex pheromones responsible for mating and communication of both sexes are primarily produced by the pheromone glands (PGs) of female moths. Although the PG transcriptomes and pheromone production related genes from 24 moth species have been characterized, studies on the related information remain unknown in the Zygaenidae family. Here, we sequenced the PG transcriptome of a zygaenid moth, Achelura yunnanensis. Such the sequencing resulted in the yields of 47,632,610 clean reads that were assembled into 54,297 unigenes, coupled with RNA sequencing data from 12 other tissues. Based on the transcriptome, a total of 191 genes encoding pheromone biosynthesis and degradation enzymes were identified, 161 of which were predicted to have full-length sequences. A comparative analysis among 24 moth species of nine families indicated that the numbers of the genes were variable, ranging from 14 in two Grapholita species to 191 in A. yunnanensis. Phylogenetic analysis in parallel with the expression data highlighted some key genes, including three △9 and four △11 desaturases, four fatty acyl-CoA reductases (FARs) clustering in the pgFAR clade, and three significantly antennae-enriched aldehyde oxidases. An extensive tissue- and sex- expression profile revealed a broad distribution of the genes, in which 128 relatives were detected in the PGs and 127 in the antennae. This study reports, for the first time, the gene repertoires associated with the pheromone production in Zygaenidae, and provides a valuable resource for exploring putative roles of the PG-enriched genes in A. yunnanensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Mei Nuo
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - An-Jin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Gen-Ceng Li
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Hai-Yan Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Nai-Yong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Forest Disaster Warning and Control of Yunnan Province, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
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Zhang X, Miao Q, Xu X, Ji B, Qu L, Wei Y. Developments in Fatty Acid-Derived Insect Pheromone Production Using Engineered Yeasts. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:759975. [PMID: 34858372 PMCID: PMC8632438 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.759975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of traditional chemical insecticides for pest control often leads to environmental pollution and a decrease in biodiversity. Recently, insect sex pheromones were applied for sustainable biocontrol of pests in fields, due to their limited adverse impacts on biodiversity and food safety compared to that of other conventional insecticides. However, the structures of insect pheromones are complex, and their chemical synthesis is not commercially feasible. As yeasts have been widely used for fatty acid-derived pheromone production in the past few years, using engineered yeasts may be promising and sustainable for the low-cost production of fatty acid-derived pheromones. The primary fatty acids produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeasts are C16 and C18, and it is also possible to rewire/reprogram the metabolic flux for other fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives. This review summarizes the fatty acid biosynthetic pathway in S. cerevisiae and recent progress in yeast engineering in terms of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology strategies to produce insect pheromones. In the future, insect pheromones produced by yeasts might provide an eco-friendly pest control method in agricultural fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoling Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Qin Miao
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xia Xu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Boyang Ji
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Lingbo Qu
- Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yongjun Wei
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Xing Y, Thanasirungkul W, Aslam A, Niu F, Guo HR, Chi DF. Genes involved in the Type I pheromone biosynthesis pathway and chemoreception from the sex pheromone gland transcriptome of Dioryctria abietella. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2021; 40:100892. [PMID: 34428712 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2021.100892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Dioryctria abietella is a coniferous seed orchard pest that can damage a series of host plants and cause huge losses to the forest economy. Sex pheromones play an important role in lepidopteran sex communication for reproduction and can be used as biological control agents to monitor and trap pests. However, the genes involved in the biosynthesis, transportation, and degradation of D. abietella sex pheromones have not been studied extensively. Transcriptome analysis of female D. abietella sex pheromone glands (PGs) revealed that 210 candidate genes might be involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis (139 genes) and chemoreception systems (71 genes). The gene expression patterns exhibited four desaturase genes (DabiDES4-7) and one fatty acid reductase gene (DabiFAR6), which were more highly expressed in sex pheromone glands than in other tissues, suggesting that these enzymes play an important role in D. abietella sex pheromone synthesis. In addition, most DabiOBPs showed high expression in antennae, but only DabiOBP4 exhibited specific expression in sex pheromone glands, suggesting that they may play many physiological roles in D. abietella. We put forth a reasonable hypothesis about type I pheromone biosynthesis pathways based on these genes identified in the D. abietella sex pheromone gland transcriptome. Our findings lay a foundation for population monitoring, mating disruption, mass trapping, and the development of ecologically acceptable management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya Xing
- Key Laboratory for Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Wariya Thanasirungkul
- Key Laboratory for Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Asad Aslam
- Key Laboratory for Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Fang Niu
- Key Laboratory for Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong-Ru Guo
- Key Laboratory for Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - De-Fu Chi
- Key Laboratory for Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China.
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Development and fecundity performance of Grapholita molesta and Grapholita dimorpha (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) on different immature fruits. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217492. [PMID: 31150441 PMCID: PMC6544232 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Both Grapholita molesta (Busck) and Grapholita dimorpha Komai (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) are important pests of pome and stone fruits. Mature fruits of peach and plum have been tested as food sources for G. molesta, but no studies have examined the suitability of immature fruits, which are the fruit stage more likely to be available for the spring populations of both G. molesta and G. dimorpha. Thus, we evaluated immature fruits of peach, plum, and apple as food sources by assessing their effects on biological and behavioral attributes of these moths in the laboratory. Immature fruits were collected in May and June of 2016 and again in 2017. The first-instar larvae of G. molesta preferred either peach or plum, which showed exit rates of mature larvae of 81.0 and 100.0% for the two fruits, respectively. On peach, development time was shorter, and fecundity was lower than plum. However, G. dimorpha preferred plum and apple, showing the lowest fruit-boring rate and lowest mature larval exit rate on peach, from which only one female moth emerged but produced no eggs. In conclusion, it seems that at the immature fruit stage, plum and apple are better food sources for both G. molesta and G. dimorpha than is peach.
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Tupec M, Buček A, Valterová I, Pichová I. Biotechnological potential of insect fatty acid-modifying enzymes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 72:387-403. [PMID: 28742527 DOI: 10.1515/znc-2017-0031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
There are more than one million described insect species. This species richness is reflected in the diversity of insect metabolic processes. In particular, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, such as defensive compounds and chemical signals, encompasses an extraordinarily wide range of chemicals that are generally unparalleled among natural products from other organisms. Insect genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes thus offer a valuable resource for discovery of novel enzymes with potential for biotechnological applications. Here, we focus on fatty acid (FA) metabolism-related enzymes, notably the fatty acyl desaturases and fatty acyl reductases involved in the biosynthesis of FA-derived pheromones. Research on insect pheromone-biosynthetic enzymes, which exhibit diverse enzymatic properties, has the potential to broaden the understanding of enzyme specificity determinants and contribute to engineering of enzymes with desired properties for biotechnological production of FA derivatives. Additionally, the application of such pheromone-biosynthetic enzymes represents an environmentally friendly and economic alternative to the chemical synthesis of pheromones that are used in insect pest management strategies.
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Li RT, Ning C, Huang LQ, Dong JF, Li X, Wang CZ. Expressional divergences of two desaturase genes determine the opposite ratios of two sex pheromone components in Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa assulta. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 90:90-100. [PMID: 28986331 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2017.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/30/2017] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The sympatric closely related species Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa assulta use 97:3 and 7:93 of (Z)-11-hexadecenal and (Z)-9-hexadecenal, respectively, as their sex pheromone to find/locate correct sex mates. Moreover, (Z)-11-hexadecenyl alcohol and (Z)-9-hexadecenyl alcohol are more abundant in the pheromone gland of H. assulta than in that of H. armigera. To clarify the molecular basis of these differences, we sequenced the pheromone gland transcriptomes of the two species and compared the expression patterns of the candidate enzyme genes involved in the pheromone biosynthetic pathways by FPKM values and quantitative RT-PCR analysis. We found that the desaturase gene LPAQ expressed about 70 times higher in H. armigera than in H. assulta, whereas another desaturase gene NPVE expressed about 60 times higher in H. assulta than in H. armigera. We also observed significantly higher expression of the fatty acyl reductase (FAR) gene FAR1 and the aldehyde reductase (AR) gene AR3 in H. assulta than in H. armigera. Examination of the pheromone glands of the backcross offspring of their hybrids to H. assulta showed a positive linear correlation between the expression level of LPAQ and the amount of Z11-16:Ald and between the expression level of NPVE and the amount of Z9-16:Ald in the pheromone glands. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the expressional divergences of LPAQ and NPVE determine the opposite sex pheromone component ratios in the two species and the divergent expression of FAR1 and AR3 may account for the greater accumulation of alcohols in the pheromone gland of H. assulta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Ting Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Ning
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ling-Qiao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jun-Feng Dong
- College of Forestry, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
| | - Xianchun Li
- Department of Entomology and BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Chen-Zhu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Guo Y, Chai Y, Zhang L, Zhao Z, Gao LL, Ma R. Transcriptome Analysis and Identification of Major Detoxification Gene Families and Insecticide Targets in Grapholita Molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2017; 17:3075266. [PMID: 28365764 PMCID: PMC5469388 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iex014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is an important pest of most stone and pome fruits and causes serious damage to the fruit industry worldwide. This insect pest has been primarily controlled through the application of insecticides; as a result, G. molesta has developed resistance to many different types of insecticides. To identify detoxification genes, we have, de novo, sequenced the transcriptome of G. molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and yielded 58,970 unigenes of which 26,985 unigenes matched to known proteins. In total, 2,040 simple sequence repeats have been identified. The comprehensive transcriptome data set has permitted us to identify members of important gene families related to detoxification in G. molesta, including 77 unigenes of putative cytochrome P450s, 28 of glutathione S-transferases, 46 of Carboxylesterases, and 31 of insecticide targets. Orthologs of some of these unigenes have shown to play a pivotal role in insecticide resistance in other insect species and those unigenes likely have similar functions in G. molesta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanqiong Guo
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, Shanxi 030801, China (; ; ; )
| | - Yanping Chai
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, Shanxi 030801, China (; ; ; )
| | - Lijun Zhang
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, Shanxi 030801, China (; ; ; )
| | - Zhiguo Zhao
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, Shanxi 030801, China (; ; ; )
| | - Ling-Ling Gao
- CSIRO Agriculture & Food, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA 6913, Australia, and
| | - Ruiyan Ma
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, Shanxi 030801, China (; ; ; )
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Spiegel CN, Dias DBDS, Araki AS, Hamilton JGC, Brazil RP, Jones TM. The Lutzomyia longipalpis complex: a brief natural history of aggregation-sex pheromone communication. Parasit Vectors 2016; 9:580. [PMID: 27842601 PMCID: PMC5109651 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1866-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper we review the natural history of pheromone communication and the current diversity of aggregation-sex pheromones in the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis. This species complex is the main vector of Leishmania infantum, the agent of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas. The identification of variation in pheromone chemotypes combined with molecular and sound analyses have all contributed to our understanding of the extent of divergence among cryptic members of this complex. The importance of chemical signals as pre-mating barriers and drivers of speciation is discussed. Moreover, the importance of aggregation-sex pheromones as sexually selected signals is highlighted with evidence from the literature suggesting their potential role in species and mate recognition as well as mate assessment. The distinct evolutionary forces possibly involved are briefly reviewed and discussed in the context of this intriguing insect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina N. Spiegel
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Outeiro de São João Batista s/n, Valonguinho, Centro, Niterói, 24.020-150 RJ Brazil
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, 21040-360 RJ Brazil
| | - Denise B. dos Santos Dias
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, CEP: 20.551-030 RJ Brazil
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, 21040-360 RJ Brazil
| | - Alejandra S. Araki
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, 21040-360 RJ Brazil
| | - James G. C. Hamilton
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, School of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Reginaldo P. Brazil
- Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, 21040-900 RJ Brazil
| | - Théresa M. Jones
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010 Australia
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Abstract
Moth sexual pheromones are widely studied as a fine-tuned system of intraspecific sexual communication that reinforces interspecific reproductive isolation. However, their evolution poses a dilemma: How can the female pheromone and male preference simultaneously change to create a new pattern of species-specific attraction? Solving this puzzle requires us to identify the genes underlying intraspecific variation in signals and responses and to understand the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for their interspecific divergence. Candidate gene approaches and functional analyses have yielded insights into large families of biosynthetic enzymes and pheromone receptors, although the factors controlling their expression remain largely unexplored. Intra- and interspecific crosses have provided tantalizing evidence of regulatory genes, although, to date, mapping resolution has been insufficient to identify them. Recent advances in high-throughput genome and transcriptome sequencing, together with established techniques, have great potential to help scientists identify the specific genetic changes underlying divergence and resolve the mystery of how moth sexual communication systems evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid T Groot
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany;
| | - Teun Dekker
- Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-230 53 Alnarp, Sweden;
| | - David G Heckel
- Department of Entomology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745 Jena, Germany;
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Antony B, Soffan A, Jakše J, Alfaifi S, Sutanto KD, Aldosari SA, Aldawood AS, Pain A. Genes involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis of Ephestia cautella, an important food storage pest, are determined by transcriptome sequencing. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:532. [PMID: 26187652 PMCID: PMC4506583 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1710-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Insects use pheromones, chemical signals that underlie all animal behaviors, for communication and for attracting mates. Synthetic pheromones are widely used in pest control strategies because they are environmentally safe. The production of insect pheromones in transgenic plants, which could be more economical and effective in producing isomerically pure compounds, has recently been successfully demonstrated. This research requires information regarding the pheromone biosynthetic pathways and the characterization of pheromone biosynthetic enzymes (PBEs). We used Illumina sequencing to characterize the pheromone gland (PG) transcriptome of the Pyralid moth, Ephestia cautella, a destructive storage pest, to reveal putative candidate genes involved in pheromone biosynthesis, release, transport and degradation. RESULTS We isolated the E. cautella pheromone compound as (Z,E)-9,12-tetradecadienyl acetate, and the major pheromone precursors 16:acyl, 14:acyl, E14-16:acyl, E12-14:acyl and Z9,E12-14:acyl. Based on the abundance of precursors, two possible pheromone biosynthetic pathways are proposed. Both pathways initiate from C16:acyl-CoA, with one involving ∆14 and ∆9 desaturation to generate Z9,E12-14:acyl, and the other involving the chain shortening of C16:acyl-CoA to C14:acyl-CoA, followed by ∆12 and ∆9 desaturation to generate Z9,E12-14:acyl-CoA. Then, a final reduction and acetylation generates Z9,E12-14:OAc. Illumina sequencing yielded 83,792 transcripts, and we obtained a PG transcriptome of ~49.5 Mb. A total of 191 PBE transcripts, which included pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptides, fatty acid transport proteins, acetyl-CoA carboxylases, fatty acid synthases, desaturases, β-oxidation enzymes, fatty acyl-CoA reductases (FARs) and fatty acetyltransferases (FATs), were selected from the dataset. A comparison of the E. cautella transcriptome data with three other Lepidoptera PG datasets revealed that 45% of the sequences were shared. Phylogenetic trees were constructed for desaturases, FARs and FATs, and transcripts that clustered with the ∆14, ∆12 and ∆9 desaturases, PG-specific FARs and potential candidate FATs, respectively, were identified. Transcripts encoding putative pheromone degrading enzymes, and candidate pheromone carrier and receptor proteins expressed in the E. cautella PG, were also identified. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides important background information on the enzymes involved in pheromone biosynthesis. This information will be useful for the in vitro production of E. cautella sex pheromones and may provide potential targets for disrupting the pheromone-based communication system of E. cautella to prevent infestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binu Antony
- Department of Plant Protection, King Saud University, Chair of Date Palm Research, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Alan Soffan
- Department of Plant Protection, King Saud University, Chair of Date Palm Research, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
- Department of Plant Protection, King Saud University, EERU, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Jernej Jakše
- Agronomy Department, University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Sulieman Alfaifi
- Department of Plant Protection, King Saud University, Chair of Date Palm Research, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Koko D Sutanto
- Department of Plant Protection, King Saud University, Chair of Date Palm Research, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Saleh A Aldosari
- Department of Plant Protection, King Saud University, Chair of Date Palm Research, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | | | - Arnab Pain
- BASE Division, KAUST, Thuwal, Jeddah, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
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