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Liu P, Zheng W, Qiao J, Li Z, Deng Z, Yuan Y, Zhang H. Early embryonic transcriptomes of Zeugodacus tau provide insight into sex determination and differentiation genes. INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 29:915-931. [PMID: 34553826 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Zeugodacus tau (Walker) is an invasive pest. The sterile insect technique is an environment-friendly method for pest control. Understanding the mechanism of sex determination will contribute to improving efficiency of this technique. In this study, we identified the transformer (tra) gene in Z. tau. One female-specific and two male-specific isoforms of tra were found in Z. tau, and the male-specific splicing pattern of tra was found to occur 5 h after egg laying. We performed transcriptome sequencing at 1 h (E1), 5 h (E5), and 9 h (E9) after egg laying and obtained high-quality transcriptome libraries of early embryo development. We identified 13 297 and 11 713 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from E5 versus E1 and E9 versus E1 comparisons, respectively. To explore the potential functions of the DEGs during embryonic development, Gene Ontology, Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses were performed. Twenty-six genes potentially involved in sex determination or differentiation, including Maleness-on-the-Y (MoY), were identified in Z. tau. To verify the transcriptome results, 15 genes were selected for quantitative real-time PCR validation. The results were consistent with the transcriptome sequencing results. Moreover, U2 small nuclear riboprotein auxiliary factor (U2AF-50), female lethal d (fl(2)d), and virilizer (vir) were highly expressed at E5, indicating that they may be related to the sex-specific splicing of tra. Further functional analysis is needed to confirm this speculation. Our data provide an insight into the mechanism underlying sex determination and differentiation in tephritid species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peipei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, China-Australia Joint Research Center for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenping Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, China-Australia Joint Research Center for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiao Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, China-Australia Joint Research Center for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ziniu Li
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, China-Australia Joint Research Center for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhurong Deng
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, China-Australia Joint Research Center for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yimin Yuan
- College of Environmental Design, Wuhan Institute of Design and Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, China-Australia Joint Research Center for Horticultural and Urban Pests, Institute of Urban and Horticultural Entomology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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Netschitailo O, Raub S, Kaftanoglu O, Beye M. Sexual diversification of splicing regulation during embryonic development in honeybees (Apis mellifera), A haplodiploid system. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 31:170-176. [PMID: 34773317 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The honeybee is a haplodiploid organism in which sexual development is determined by the complementary sex determiner (csd) gene and realized by sex-specific splicing processes involving the feminizer (fem) gene. We used high throughput transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) to characterize the transcriptional differences between the sexes caused by the fertilization and sex determination processes in honeybee (Apis mellifera) embryos. We identified 758, 372 and 43 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 58, 176 and 233 differentially spliced genes (DSGs) in 10-15-h-old, 25-40-h-old and 55-70-h-old female and male embryos, respectively. The early difference in male and female embryos in response to the fertilization and non-fertilization processes resulted mainly in differential expression of genes (758 DEGs vs. 58 DSGs). In the latest sampled embryonic stage, the transcriptional differences between the sexes were dominated by alternative splicing of transcripts (43 DEGs vs. 233 DSGs). Interestingly, differentially spliced transcripts that encode RNA-binding properties were overrepresented in 55-70-h-old embryos, indicating a more diverse regulation via alternative splicing than previous work on the sex determination pathway suggested. These stage- and sex-specific transcriptome data from honeybee embryos provide a comprehensive resource for examining the roles of fertilization and sex determination in developmental programming in a haplodiploid system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oksana Netschitailo
- Institute of Evolutionary Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Stephan Raub
- Center for Scientific Computing and Storage, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Osman Kaftanoglu
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Martin Beye
- Institute of Evolutionary Genetics, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
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Liu X, Lin X, Li J, Li F, Cao F, Yan R. A Novel Solid Artificial Diet for Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera: Tephritidae) Larvae With Fitness Parameters Assessed by Two-Sex Life Table. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2020; 20:5893936. [PMID: 32809019 PMCID: PMC7433769 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieaa058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The melon fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious pest of many fruits and vegetables throughout the world. Here we have developed an easy and quick-to-prepare solid medium with multiple benefits including reductions in post-rearing waste, storage space, and labor for rearing Z. cucurbitae larvae. The development time from egg to pupa was 19.11 d when larvae were reared on the artificial diet, slightly longer than 17.73 d on pumpkin and 17.13 d on cucumber. Zeugodacus cucurbitae achieved higher values of pupal weight, length, and width on the artificial diet than two natural diet controls. The rates of pupation and adult emergence of Z. cucurbitae grown on the solid medium were comparable with those on pumpkin and cucumber. Furthermore, determined by age-specific two-sex life table method, the age-specific survival rate of Z. cucurbitae was higher on the artificial diet than cucumber but lower than pumpkin. The reproductive ability and population dynamics of Z. cucurbitae were not significantly affected on the solid medium compared with those on the two natural diets. The results suggest that our solid artificial diet is excellent for rearing Z. cucurbitae larvae in laboratory and may be used for its mass rearing, therefore facilitating its research and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangrui Liu
- Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
- College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
| | - Xianwu Lin
- Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
| | - Jing Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
| | - Fen Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
| | - Fengqin Cao
- Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
| | - Rihui Yan
- Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan Province, China
- Corresponding author, e-mail:
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Nguantad S, Chumnanpuen P, Thancharoen A, Vongsangnak W, Sriboonlert A. Identification of potential candidate genes involved in the sex determination cascade in an aquatic firefly, Sclerotia aquatilis (Coleoptera, Lampyridae). Genomics 2020; 112:2590-2602. [PMID: 32061895 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Sexual differentiation, dimorphism, and courtship behavior are the downstream developmental programs of the sex determination cascade. The sex determination cascade in arthropods often involves key genes, transformer (tra), doublesex (dsx), transformer-2 (tra2), and fruitless (fru). These genes are conserved among insect taxa; however, they have never been reported in fireflies. In this study, the candidate genes for these key genes were identified for the first time in an aquatic firefly, Sclerotia aquatilis using transcriptome analysis. A comparative protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of sex determination cascade was reconstructed for S. aquatilis based on a network of a model insect, Drosophila melanogaster. Subsequently, a sex determination cascade in S. aquatilis was proposed based on the amino acid sequence structures and expression profiles of these candidates. This study describes the first efforts toward understanding the molecular control of sex determination cascade in fireflies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarintip Nguantad
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Pramote Chumnanpuen
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand; Omics Center for Agriculture, Bioresources, Food, and Health, Kasetsart University (OmiKU), Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Anchana Thancharoen
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Wanwipa Vongsangnak
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand; Omics Center for Agriculture, Bioresources, Food, and Health, Kasetsart University (OmiKU), Bangkok 10900, Thailand.
| | - Ajaraporn Sriboonlert
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Zhao S, Xing Z, Liu Z, Liu Y, Liu X, Chen Z, Li J, Yan R. Efficient somatic and germline genome engineering of Bactrocera dorsalis by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2019; 75:1921-1932. [PMID: 30565410 DOI: 10.1002/ps.5305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), a very destructive insect pest of many fruits and vegetables, is widespread in many Asian countries. To facilitate control of this pest, it is essential to investigate its genetics and gene function using targeted gene disruption. RESULTS Here, we describe successful targeted mutagenesis of the white and transformer genes in B. dorsalis through use of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system. Co-injection of the white sgRNA and Cas9 mRNA into B. dorsalis embryos caused eye color change, and the white mutations in the germline were heritable. CRISPR-mediated knockout of the sex determination gene transformer (tra) in B. dorsalis resulted in a male-biased sex ratio and adult flies with abnormal outer and interior reproductive organs. Small indels and substitutions were induced by CRIRPR for both genes. CONCLUSION Our data demonstrate that somatic and germline genome engineering of the pest B. dorsalis can be performed efficiently using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, opening the door to the use of the CRISPR-mediated method for functional annotations of genes in B. dorsalis and for its population control using, for example, such as gene drive. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santao Zhao
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, China
| | - Zengzhu Xing
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, China
| | - Zhonggeng Liu
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, China
| | - Yanhui Liu
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, China
| | - Xiangrui Liu
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, China
| | - Zhe Chen
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, China
| | - Jiahui Li
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, China
| | - Rihui Yan
- College of Plant Protection, Hainan University/Key Laboratory of Green Prevention and Control of Tropical Plant Diseases and Pests (Hainan University), Ministry of Education, Haikou, China
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Petrella V, Aceto S, Colonna V, Saccone G, Sanges R, Polanska N, Volf P, Gradoni L, Bongiorno G, Salvemini M. Identification of sex determination genes and their evolution in Phlebotominae sand flies (Diptera, Nematocera). BMC Genomics 2019; 20:522. [PMID: 31238870 PMCID: PMC6593557 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5898-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera, Nematocera) are important vectors of several pathogens, including Leishmania parasites, causing serious diseases of humans and dogs. Despite their importance as disease vectors, most aspects of sand fly biology remain unknown including the molecular basis of their reproduction and sex determination, aspects also relevant for the development of novel vector control strategies. RESULTS Using comparative genomics/transcriptomics data mining and transcriptional profiling, we identified the sex determining genes in phlebotomine sand flies and proposed the first model for the sex determination cascade of these insects. For all the genes identified, we produced manually curated gene models, developmental gene expression profile and performed evolutionary molecular analysis. We identified and characterized, for the first time in a Nematocera species, the transformer (tra) homolog which exhibits both conserved and novel features. The analysis of the tra locus in sand flies and its expression pattern suggest that this gene is able to autoregulate its own splicing, as observed in the fruit fly Ceratitis capitata and several other insect species. CONCLUSIONS Our results permit to fill the gap about sex determination in sand flies, contribute to a better understanding of this developmental pathway in Nematocera and open the way for the identification of sex determining orthologs in other species of this important Diptera sub-order. Furthermore, the sex determination genes identified in our work also provide the opportunity of future biotechnological applications to control natural population of sand flies, reducing their impact on public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Petrella
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Serena Aceto
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenza Colonna
- National Research Council, Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Saccone
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Remo Sanges
- Stazione Zoologica “Anton Dohrn”, Naples, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Nikola Polanska
- Department of Parasitology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Volf
- Department of Parasitology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Luigi Gradoni
- Unit of Vector-borne Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Gioia Bongiorno
- Unit of Vector-borne Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Salvemini
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
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