Comparative gut transcriptome analysis of Diatraea saccharalis in response to the dietary source

Abstract

The sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis, Fabricius, 1794) is a devastating pest that causes millions of dollars of losses each year to sugarcane producers by reducing sugar and ethanol yields. The control of this pest is difficult due to its endophytic behavior and rapid development. Pest management through biotechnological approaches has emerged in recent years as an alternative to currently applied methods. Genetic information about the target pests is often required to perform biotechnology-based management. The genomic and transcriptomic data for D. saccharalis are very limited. Herein, we report a tissue-specific transcriptome of D. saccharalis larvae and a differential expression analysis highlighting the physiological characteristics of this pest in response to two different diets: sugarcane and an artificial diet. Sequencing was performed on the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform, and a de novo assembly was generated. A total of 27,626 protein-coding unigenes were identified, among which 1,934 sequences were differentially expressed between treatments. Processes such as defence, digestion, detoxification, signaling, and transport were highly represented among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Furthermore, seven aminopeptidase genes were identified as candidates to encode receptors of Cry proteins, which are toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis used to control lepidopteran pests. Since plantinsect interactions have produced a considerable number of adaptive responses in hosts and herbivorous insects, the success of phytophagous insects relies on their ability to overcome challenges such as the response to plant defences and the intake of nutrients. In this study, we identified metabolic pathways and specific genes involved in these processes. Thus, our data strongly contribute to the knowledge advancement of insect transcripts, which can be a source of target genes for pest management.

Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Adaptation Mechanisms of Bean Bug Riptortus pedestris to Different Food Resources

“…This is consistent with our results, which showed that the expression of genes related to digestion and growth was expressed significantly higher when R. pedestris fed on beans and pods. Similar findings have been reported in other insect species, such as the sugarcane borer ( Diatraea saccharalis ), Chilo suppressalis , and Trichoplusia ni , in response to different food resources [ 46 , 47 , 48 ]. It has been observed that the longevity of R. pedestris fed on soybean leaves is significantly shorter than that of bugs fed on pods and beans, which is positively correlated with the concentration of amino acids and proteins [ 32 , 33 ].…”

Transcriptome Analysis and Knockdown of the Juvenile Hormone Esterase Gene Reveal Abnormal Feeding Behavior in the Sugarcane Giant Borer

“…Then, guts from 20 treated larvae per sample were isolated and frozen in liquid nitrogen following the protocol of Noriega et al (2020). Then, total RNA was extracted using a TRIzol reagent kit (Invitrogen, CA, United States).…”

“…Studying the gene expression of SGB in response to diet is a useful approach to identify genes and metabolic routes involved in nutritional processes required to achieve an efficient adaptation to new diets (Vogel et al, 2014;Roy et al, 2016;Noriega et al, 2020). Our objective was to identify transcriptomic responses, which are essential for the development of the fitness of the larvae.…”

Silenciamento gênico de >i<Diatraea saccharalis>/i< utilizando a técnica de RNA de interferência (RNAi)

“…No momento do início deste projeto, não havia dados disponíveis para basearmos a nossa busca, que foram publicados posteriormente com o primeiro draft do genoma de D. saccharalis obtido usando o sequenciamento de genoma completo Illumina HiSeq 2500 de um espécime masculino adulto (dos Santos et al, 2020). Em seguida, foi publicado um transcriptoma montado de novo a fim de investigar a regulação da expressão gênica de D. saccharalis colonizado pelo endoparasitóide larval Cotesia flavipes (Merlin & Cônsoli, 2019) e um transcriptoma de intestino de larvas de D. saccharalis analisando a expressão diferencial destacando as características fisiológicas desta praga em resposta a duas dietas: cana-de-açúcar e dieta artificial (Noriega et al, 2020).…”