Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) transcriptomic analysis and neuropeptidomics

Abstract

Stinkbugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are of major economic importance as pest of crops. Among the species composing the stinkbug complex, Nezara viridula is one of the most abundant in Brazil, Argentina and the Southern USA. However, this species has been poorly characterized at the genetic and physiological level. Here we sequenced and analyzed the complete transcriptome of N. viridula male and female adults. We identified neuropeptide precursor genes and G-protein coupled receptors for neuropeptides in this transcriptome. Mature neuropeptides were identified in N. viridula brain extracts by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We also analyzed the neuropeptide precursor complement in the genome sequence of Halyomorpha halys, another pentatomid of economic relevance. We compared the results in both pentatomids with the well-characterized neuropeptide repertoire from the kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). We identified both group-specific features (which could be related to the different feeding habits) and similarities that could be characteristic of Heteroptera. This work contributes to a deeper knowledge of the genetic information of these pests, with a focus on neuroendocrine system characterization.

Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): Intoxication with essential oils isolated from Lippia turbinata (Griseb.) and analysis of neuropeptides and neuropeptide receptors, putative targets for pest control

“…Moreover, we observed that most of the particular paralogues and splicing variants initially detected in B. mori seem to be a characteristic of Lepidoptera rather than a possible consequence of domestication of the silkworm, as previously hypothesized (Roller et al, 2008). The results presented here suggest that the neuroendocrine system structure is highly conserved in Lepidoptera, compared, for example, to Hemiptera or Coleoptera, where gene duplications and splicing variants, among other characteristics, seem to differ in a higher degree (Lavore et al, 2018; Veenstra, 2019).…”

“…This finding, together with the clustering of ILP genes in the genome (Kanost et al, 2016), reinforces the hypothesis that the big expansion in ILP family is a recent event during Lepidoptera evolution, not present in all the species from this order. Those genomes having several insulin paralogues usually possess zero or one neuroparsin (NPA) gene (Lavore et al, 2018; Veenstra, 2016). On the contrary, those species encoding several NPA genes in their genomes have a small number of ILPs.…”

“…On the contrary, those species encoding several NPA genes in their genomes have a small number of ILPs. The former is true for D. melanogaster , Locusta spp., the pentatomids Nezara viridula and Halyomorpha halys , and B. mori (Lavore et al, 2018; Nässel & Vanden Broeck, 2016; Roller et al, 2008). Our findings in P. interpunctella confirm this tendency (Table 1; Supplementary Information 1 and 2).…”

“…Query sequences were retrieved from FlyBase and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), with the exception of B. mori diuretic hormone receptor, which was obtained from Ha et al (2000). For a more detailed gene annotation protocol, see Lavore et al (2018).…”

De novoconstruction of a transcriptome for the stink bug crop pestChinavia impicticornisduring late development

“…More specifically, transcriptomic approaches provide the foundation for identifying gene targets associated with pheromones, pesticide resistance, and other features with potential for pest managing. Conversely, only five species of stink have had full body transcriptomes sequenced to date: the brown marmorated stink bug [10], the harlequin bug [9], the southern green stink bug [11], the brown stink bug [12], and the predatory stink bug Arma chinensis [13]. Genomic data are even more scarce, comprising four genomes assembled to date: Halyomorpha halys [14], Euschistus heros, Piezodorus guildinii, and Stiretrus anchorago.…”