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Zhang Z, Xiong L, Xie C, Shen L, Chen X, Ye M, Sun L, Yang X, Yao S, Yue Z, Liang Z, You M, You S. Optimization and Application of CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing in a Cosmopolitan Pest, Diamondback Moth. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113042. [PMID: 36361828 PMCID: PMC9657529 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The CRISPR/Cas9 system is an efficient tool for reverse genetics validation, and the application of this system in the cell lines provides a new perspective on target gene analysis for the development of biotechnology tools. However, in the cell lines of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, the integrity of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and the utilization of this cell lines still need to be improved to ensure the application of the system. Here, we stabilize the transfection efficiency of the P. xylostella cell lines at different passages at about 60% by trying different transfection reagents and adjusting the transfection method. For Cas9 expression in the CRIPSPR/Cas9 system, we identified a strong endogenous promoter: the 217–2 promoter. The dual-luciferase and EGFP reporter assay demonstrated that it has a driving efficiency close to that of the IE1 promoter. We constructed pB-Cas9-Neo plasmid and pU6-sgRNA plasmid for CRISPR/Cas9 system and subsequent cell screening. The feasibility of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in P. xylostella cell lines was verified by knocking out endogenous and exogenous genes. Finally, we generated a transgenic Cas9 cell line of P. xylostella that would benefit future exploitation, such as knock-in and multi-threaded editing. Our works provides the validity of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in the P. xylostella cell lines and lays the foundation for further genetic and molecular studies on insects, particularly favoring gene function analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Lei Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Chao Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Lingling Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Xuanhao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Min Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Linyang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Xiaozhen Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shuyuan Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zhen Yue
- BGI-Sanya, BGI-Shenzhen, Sanya 572025, China
| | | | - Minsheng You
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shijun You
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- BGI-Sanya, BGI-Shenzhen, Sanya 572025, China
- Correspondence:
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Borovsky D, Breyssens H, Buytaert E, Peeters T, Laroye C, Stoffels K, Rougé P. Cloning and Characterization of Drosophila melanogaster Juvenile Hormone Epoxide Hydrolases (JHEH) and Their Promoters. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12070991. [PMID: 35883546 PMCID: PMC9313241 DOI: 10.3390/biom12070991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) plays an important role in the metabolism of JH III in insects. To study the control of JHEH in female Drosophila melanogaster, JHEH 1, 2 and 3 cDNAs were cloned and sequenced. Northern blot analyses showed that the three transcripts are expressed in the head thorax, the gut, the ovaries and the fat body of females. Molecular modeling shows that the enzyme is a homodimer that binds juvenile hormone III acid (JH IIIA) at the catalytic groove better than JH III. Analyses of the three JHEH promoters and expressing short promoter sequences behind a reporter gene (lacZ) in D. melanogaster cell culture identified a JHEH 3 promoter sequence (626 bp) that is 10- and 25-fold more active than the most active promoter sequences of JHEH 2 and JHEH 1, respectively. A transcription factor (TF) Sp1 that is involved in the activation of JHEH 3 promoter sequence was identified. Knocking down Sp1 using dsRNA inhibited the transcriptional activity of this promoter in transfected D. melanogaster cells and JH III and 20HE downregulated the JHEH 3 promoter. On the other hand, JH IIIA and farnesoic acid did not affect the promoter, indicating that JH IIIA is JHEH's preferred substrate. A transgenic D. melanogaster expressing a highly activated JHEH 3 promoter behind a lacZ reporter gene showed promoter transcriptional activity in many D. melanogaster tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dov Borovsky
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Hilde Breyssens
- Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (H.B.); (E.B.); (T.P.); (C.L.); (K.S.)
| | - Esther Buytaert
- Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (H.B.); (E.B.); (T.P.); (C.L.); (K.S.)
| | - Tom Peeters
- Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (H.B.); (E.B.); (T.P.); (C.L.); (K.S.)
- Open BioLab Brussels, Erasmushogeschool Brussels, 1210 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Carole Laroye
- Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (H.B.); (E.B.); (T.P.); (C.L.); (K.S.)
| | - Karolien Stoffels
- Zoological Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (H.B.); (E.B.); (T.P.); (C.L.); (K.S.)
| | - Pierre Rougé
- Faculte des Sciences Pharmaceutiques, 31400 Tolouse, France;
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Samantsidis GR, Denecke S, Swevers L, Skavdis G, Geibel S, Vontas J. Identification of Helicoverpa armigera promoters for biotechnological applications. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 142:103725. [PMID: 35093501 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa zea are highly polyphagous major agricultural pests with a global distribution. Their control is based on insecticides, however, new, effective, and environmentally friendly control tools are required to be developed and validated. In an effort to facilitate the development of advanced biotechnological tools in these species that will take advantage of new powerful molecular biology techniques like CRISPR/Cas9, we used available transcriptomic data and literature resources, in order to identify RNA polymerase II and III promoters active in RP-HzGUT-AW1(MG), a midgut derived cell line from Helicoverpa zea. Following functional analysis in insect cell lines, four RNA polymerase II promoters from the genes HaLabial, HaTsp-2A, HaPtx-I and HaCaudal were found to exhibit high transcriptional activity in vitro. The HaTsp-2A promoter did not exhibit any activity in the non-midgut derived cell lines Sf-9 and Hi-5 despite high sequence conservation among Lepidoptera, suggesting that it may function in a gut specific manner. Furthermore, considering the utility of RNA polymerase III U6 promoters in methodologies such as RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9, we identified and evaluated four different U6 promoters of H. armigera. In vitro experiments based on luciferase and GFP reporter assays, as well as in vivo experiments targeting an essential gene of Helicoverpa, indicate that these U6 promoters are functional and can be used to experimentally silence or knockout target genes through the expression of shRNAs and sgRNAs respectively. Taking our findings together, we provide a set of promoters useful for the genetic manipulation of Helicoverpa species, that can be used in various applications in the context of agricultural biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- George-Rafael Samantsidis
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, 71409, Heraklion, Crete, Greece; Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Shane Denecke
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece.
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, 15310, Athens, Greece
| | - George Skavdis
- Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Sven Geibel
- R&D Pest Control, Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, Monheim, Germany
| | - John Vontas
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece; Pesticide Science Lab, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece.
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Liu Q, Jiang F, Zhang J, Li X, Kang L. Transcription initiation of distant core promoters in a large-sized genome of an insect. BMC Biol 2021; 19:62. [PMID: 33785021 PMCID: PMC8011201 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01004-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Core promoters have a substantial influence on various steps of transcription, including initiation, elongation, termination, polyadenylation, and finally, translation. The characterization of core promoters is crucial for exploring the regulatory code of transcription initiation. However, the current understanding of insect core promoters is focused on those of Diptera (especially Drosophila) species with small genome sizes. Results Here, we present an analysis of the transcription start sites (TSSs) in the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, which has a genome size of 6.5 Gb. The genomic differences, including lower precision of transcription initiation and fewer constraints on the distance from transcription factor binding sites or regulatory elements to TSSs, were revealed in locusts compared with Drosophila insects. Furthermore, we found a distinct bimodal log distribution of the distances from the start codons to the core promoters of locust genes. We found stricter constraints on the exon length of mRNA leaders and widespread expression activity of the distant core promoters in locusts compared with fruit flies. We further compared core promoters in seven arthropod species across a broad range of genome sizes to reinforce our results on the emergence of distant core promoters in large-sized genomes. Conclusions In summary, our results provide novel insights into the effects of genome size expansion on distant transcription initiation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01004-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Liu
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Feng Jiang
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Le Kang
- Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. .,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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Chen X, Koo J, Gurusamy D, Mogilicherla K, Reddy Palli S. Caenorhabditis elegans systemic RNA interference defective protein 1 enhances RNAi efficiency in a lepidopteran insect, the fall armyworm, in a tissue-specific manner. RNA Biol 2020; 18:1291-1299. [PMID: 33111632 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2020.1842632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is an important tool for gene function studies in insects, especially in non-model insects. This technology is also being developed for pest control. However, variable RNAi efficiency among insects is limiting its use in insects. Systemic RNAi in Caenorhabditis elegans requires systemic RNA interference defective protein 1 (CeSid1). The expression of CeSid1 in insect cell lines was shown to improve RNAi. However, the mechanisms through which this double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) transporter improves RNAi efficiency in insects is not known. We stably expressed CeSid1 in two Spodoptera frugiperda cell lines, Sf9 and Sf17 cells derived from ovary and midgut, respectively. Expression of CeSid1 enhanced RNAi efficiency in ovarian Sf9 cells, but not in midgut Sf17 cells. Reduced accumulation of dsRNA in late endosomes and successful processing dsRNA to siRNA contribute to enhanced RNAi efficiency in Sf9 cells. Transgenic S. frugiperda expressing CeSid1 were produced and tested for RNAi efficiency. RNAi efficiency enhancement due to CeSid1 expression showed tissue specificity. Compared to RNAi efficiency in wild-type S. frugiperda, CeSid1 expressing transgenic S. frugiperda showed a significant improvement of RNAi in tissues such as Verson's glands. In contrast, no improvement in RNAi was observed in tissues such as midgut. The in vitro cell-type specific and in vivo tissue-specific enhancement of RNAi efficiency by CeSid1 in S. frugiperda provides valuable information for improving RNAi in insects such as those belonging to order Lepidoptera where RNAi is variable and inefficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xien Chen
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY USA
| | - Jinmo Koo
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY USA
| | - Dhandapani Gurusamy
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY USA.,Department of Botany, Kongunadu Arts and Science College (Autonomous), Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India
| | - Kanakachari Mogilicherla
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY USA.,Division of Molecular Genetics, ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, India
| | - Subba Reddy Palli
- Department of Botany, Kongunadu Arts and Science College (Autonomous), Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, India
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