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Gokulanathan A, Mo HH, Park Y. Insights on reproduction-related genes in the striped fruit fly, Zeugodacus scutellata (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae). ARCHIVES OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 115:e22064. [PMID: 37929852 DOI: 10.1002/arch.22064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
The striped fruit fly, Zeugodacus scutellata is a significant pest in East and Southeast Asia by damaging Cucurbitaceae blossoms and fruits. To control this pest, a novel strategy to suppress the gene(s) associated with sexually dimorphic phenotypes has been devised and implemented in a laboratory scale. However, comprehensive transcriptomic analysis related to this sex differentiation of Z. scutellata was necessary to determine effective target genes for the genetic control. We performed de novo assembly of the transcript obtained by paired-end sequencing using an Illumina HiSeq platform and let to 217,967 unigenes (i.e., unique genes) with a minimum length of 200 bp. The female produced 31, 604, 442 reads with 97.93% of Q20, 94.76% of Q30, and the male produced 130, 592, 828 reads with 97.93% of Q20 and 94.76 of Q30%. The differentially expressed genes were used to predict genetic factors associated with sex differentiation, which included Rho1, extra-macrochaetae (emc), hopscotch (hop), doublesex (dsx), sex-lethal (sxl), transformer-2 (tra-2), testis-specific serine/threonine-protein kinase (tssk1), tektin1 (tkt1) and 2 (tkt2), odorant binding proteins (OBPs), fruitless (fru), vitellogenin receptor, and hormone receptors in Z. scutellata. In addition, this transcriptome analysis provides the additional gene associated with sex determination and mating behaviors, which would be applied to develop a novel sterile insect technique against Z. scutellata.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hyoung-Ho Mo
- Plant Quarantine Technology Center, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, South Korea
| | - Youngjin Park
- Department of Plant Medicals, Andong National University, Andong, South Korea
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Yuan JW, Song HX, Chang YW, Yang F, Du YZ. Transcriptome analysis and screening of putative sex-determining genes in the invasive pest, Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY. PART D, GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2022; 43:101008. [PMID: 35752128 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2022.101008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The invasive insect pest, Frankliniella occidentalis, is a well-known vector that transmits a variety of ornamental and vegetable viruses. The mechanistic basis of sex determination in F. occidentalis is not well understood, and this hinders our ability to deploy sterile insect technology as an integrated pest management strategy. In this study, six cDNA libraries from female and male adults of F. occidentalis (three biological replicates each) were constructed and transcriptomes were sequenced. A total of 6000 differentially-expressed genes were identified in the two sexes including 2355 up- and 3645 down-regulated genes. A total of 149 sex-related genes were identified based on GO enrichment data and included transformer-2 (tra2), fruitless (fru), male-specific lethal (msl) and sex lethal (sxl); several of these exhibited sex-specific and/or sex-biased expression in F. occidentalis. This study contributes to our understanding of the sex-determined cascade in F. occidentalis and other members of the Thysanoptera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Wen Yuan
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Institute of Applied Entomology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Hai-Xia Song
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Institute of Applied Entomology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Ya-Wen Chang
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Institute of Applied Entomology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Fei Yang
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Yu-Zhou Du
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Institute of Applied Entomology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, The Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
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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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Li AM, He WZ, Wei JL, Chen ZL, Liao F, Qin CX, Pan YQ, Shang XK, Lakshmanan P, Wang M, Tan HW, Huang DL. Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Genes Related to Sex Determination and Differentiation in Sugarcane Borer (Chilo sacchariphagus Bojer). INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13060500. [PMID: 35735837 PMCID: PMC9225334 DOI: 10.3390/insects13060500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary Chilo sacchariphagus Bojer is an important sugarcane pest globally. The identification of key genes associated with sex determination and differentiation will provide important basic information for the sterile insect technique control strategy. In this study, the comparative transcriptomic analysis of female and male adults revealed sex-biased gene expression, indicating putative genetic elements of sex determination and differentiation in this species. Abstract Chilo sacchariphagus Bojer is an important sugarcane pest globally. Along with genetic modification strategies, the sterile insect technique (SIT) has gained more attention as an environment-friendly method for pest control. The identification of key genes associated with sex determination and differentiation will provide important basic information for this control strategy. As such, the transcriptome sequencing of female and male adults was conducted in order to understand the sex-biased gene expression and molecular basis of sex determination and differentiation in this species. A total of 60,429 unigenes were obtained; among them, 34,847 genes were annotated. Furthermore, 11,121 deferentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, of which 8986 were male-biased and 2135 were female-biased genes. The male-biased genes were enriched for carbon metabolism, peptidase activity and transmembrane transport, while the female-biased genes were enriched for the cell cycle, DNA replication, and the MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, 102 genes related to sex-determination and differentiation were identified, including the protein toll, ejaculatory bulb-specific protein, fruitless, transformer-2, sex-lethal, beta-Catenin, sox, gata4, beta-tubulin, cytosol aminopeptidase, seminal fluid, and wnt4. Furthermore, transcription factors such as myb, bhlh and homeobox were also found to be potentially related to sex determination and differentiation in this species. Our data provide new insights into the genetic elements associated with sex determination and differentiation in Chilo sacchariphagus, and identified potential candidate genes to develop pest-control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ao-Mei Li
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Wei-Zhong He
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Ji-Li Wei
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Zhong-Liang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Fen Liao
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Cui-Xian Qin
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - You-Qiang Pan
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Xian-Kun Shang
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Prakash Lakshmanan
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
- Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Miao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
| | - Hong-Wei Tan
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
- Correspondence: (H.-W.T.); (D.-L.H.)
| | - Dong-Liang Huang
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning 530007, China; (A.-M.L.); (W.-Z.H.); (J.-L.W.); (Z.-L.C.); (F.L.); (C.-X.Q.); (Y.-Q.P.); (X.-K.S.); (P.L.); (M.W.)
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement, Nanning 530007, China
- Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China
- Correspondence: (H.-W.T.); (D.-L.H.)
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Taracena ML, Garcia Caffaro I, Paiva-Silva GO, Oliveira PL, Rendon PA, Dotson EM, Pennington PM. Delivery of Double-Stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) Produced by Escherichia coli HT115(DE3) for Nontransgenic RNAi-Based Insect Pest Management. METHODS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (CLIFTON, N.J.) 2021; 2360:279-294. [PMID: 34495521 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1633-8_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful mechanism that can be exploited not only for physiology research but also for designing insect pest management approaches. Some insects cause harm by vectoring diseases dangerous to humans, livestock, or plants or by damaging crops. For at least a decade now, different insect control strategies that induce RNAi by delivering double stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting essential genes have been proposed. Here, we focus on nontransgenic RNAi-based approaches that use oral delivery of dsRNA through feeding of inactivated bacteria to produce RNAi in disease vectors and in a crop pest. This potential pest management method could be easily adapted to target different genes or similar organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mabel L Taracena
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Entomology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center for Global Health, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Entomology Department, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Isabella Garcia Caffaro
- Centro de Estudios en Biotecnología (CEB) Affiliated to the Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), Guatemala, Guatemala
| | - Gabriela O Paiva-Silva
- Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pedro L Oliveira
- Programa de Biologia Molecular e Biotecnologia, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pedro A Rendon
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Technical Cooperation Projects for the Region of Latin America and the Caribbean, IAEA/TC-LAC - USDA/APHIS - Moscamed Program, Guatemala, Guatemala
| | - Ellen M Dotson
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Entomology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center for Global Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Pamela M Pennington
- Centro de Estudios en Biotecnología (CEB) Affiliated to the Centro de Estudios en Salud, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), Guatemala, Guatemala
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Nguyen TNM, Choo A, Baxter SW. Lessons from Drosophila: Engineering Genetic Sexing Strains with Temperature-Sensitive Lethality for Sterile Insect Technique Applications. INSECTS 2021; 12:243. [PMID: 33805657 PMCID: PMC8001749 DOI: 10.3390/insects12030243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
A major obstacle of sterile insect technique (SIT) programs is the availability of robust sex-separation systems for conditional removal of females. Sterilized male-only releases improve SIT efficiency and cost-effectiveness for agricultural pests, whereas it is critical to remove female disease-vector pests prior to release as they maintain the capacity to transmit disease. Some of the most successful Genetic Sexing Strains (GSS) reared and released for SIT control were developed for Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), Ceratitis capitata, and carry a temperature sensitive lethal (tsl) mutation that eliminates female but not male embryos when heat treated. The Medfly tsl mutation was generated by random mutagenesis and the genetic mechanism causing this valuable heat sensitive phenotype remains unknown. Conditional temperature sensitive lethal mutations have also been developed using random mutagenesis in the insect model, Drosophila melanogaster, and were used for some of the founding genetic research published in the fields of neuro- and developmental biology. Here we review mutations in select D. melanogaster genes shibire, Notch, RNA polymerase II 215kDa, pale, transformer-2, Dsor1 and CK2α that cause temperature sensitive phenotypes. Precise introduction of orthologous point mutations in pest insect species with CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology holds potential to establish GSSs with embryonic lethality to improve and advance SIT pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thu N. M. Nguyen
- Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia;
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia;
| | - Amanda Choo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia;
| | - Simon W. Baxter
- Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia;
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Female-to-male sex conversion in Ceratitis capitata by CRISPR/Cas9 HDR-induced point mutations in the sex determination gene transformer-2. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18611. [PMID: 33122768 PMCID: PMC7596080 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75572-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is based on the mass release of sterilized male insects to reduce the pest population size via infertile mating. Critical for all SIT programs is a conditional sexing strain to enable the cost-effective production of male-only populations. Compared to current female-elimination strategies based on killing or sex sorting, generating male-only offspring via sex conversion would be economically beneficial by doubling the male output. Temperature-sensitive mutations known from the D. melanogaster transformer-2 gene (tra2ts) induce sex conversion at restrictive temperatures, while regular breeding of mutant strains is possible at permissive temperatures. Since tra2 is a conserved sex determination gene in many Diptera, including the major agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata, it is a promising candidate for the creation of a conditional sex conversion strategy in this Tephritid. Here, CRISPR/Cas9 homology-directed repair was used to induce the D. melanogaster-specific tra2ts SNPs in Cctra2. 100% female to male conversion was successfully achieved in flies homozygous for the tra2ts2 mutation. However, it was not possible, to identify a permissive temperature for the mutation allowing the rearing of a tra2ts2 homozygous line, as lowering the temperature below 18.5 °C interferes with regular breeding of the flies.
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Male-biased Adult Production of the Striped Fruit Fly, Zeugodacus scutellata, by Feeding dsRNA Specific to Transformer-2. INSECTS 2020; 11:insects11040211. [PMID: 32231170 PMCID: PMC7240746 DOI: 10.3390/insects11040211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Sterile insect release technique (SIT) is effective for eradicating quarantine insects including various tephritid fruit flies. When SIT is used for fruit flies, it is challenging to remove females from sterile males due to oviposition-associated piercing damage. This study developed a sex transition technique by feeding double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) specific to a sex-determining gene, Transformer-2 (Zs-Tra2) of the striped fruit fly, Zeugodacus scutellata. Zs-Tra2 is homologous to other fruit fly orthologs. It is highly expressed in female adults. RNA interference (RNAi) of Zs-Tra2 by injecting or feeding its specific dsRNA to larvae significantly increased male ratio. Recombinant Escherichia coli cells expressing dsRNA specific to Zs-Tra2 were prepared and used to feed larvae to suppress Zs-Tra2 gene expression levels. When these recombinant bacteria were fed to larvae during the entire feeding stage, the test population was significantly male-biased. Some females treated with such recombinant E. coli exhibited mosaic morphological characters such as the presence of male-specific abdominal setae in females. This study proposes a novel technique by feeding dsRNA specific to Transformer-2 to reduce female production during mass-rearing of tephritid males for SIT.
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