Sexual-biased gene expression of olfactory-related genes in the antennae of Conogethes pinicolalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Abstract

Background: Conogethes pinicolalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is similar to Conogethes punctiferalis (yellow peach moth) and its host plant is gymnosperms , especially for masson pine. So far, less literature was reported on this pest. In the present study, we sequenced and characterized the antennal transcriptomes of male and female C. pinicolalis for the first time. Results: Totally, 26 odorant-binding protein (OBP) genes, 19 chemosensory protein (CSP) genes, 55 odorant receptor (OR) genes and 20 ionotropic receptor (IR) genes were identified from the C. pinicolalis antennae transcriptome and amino sequences were annotated against homologs of C. punctiferalis . The neighbor-joining tree indicated that the amino acid sequence of olfactory related genes is highly homologous with C. punctiferalis . Furthermore, the reference genes were selected, and we recommended the phosphate dehydrogenase gene (GAPDH) or ribosomal protein 49 gene (RP49) to verify the target gene expression during larval development stages and RP49 or ribosomal protein L13 gene (RPL13) for adult tissues. Conclusions: Our study provides a starting point on the molecular level characterization between C. pinicolalis and C. punctiferalis , which might be supportive for pest management studies in future.

Latest Developments in Insect Sex Pheromone Research and Its Application in Agricultural Pest Management

“…Oliveira et al [ 101 ] has reported the use of RNAi technique to identify the PBP RproOBP27, involved in sex pheromone detection of Rhodnius prolixus. Identification and molecular characterization of PBPs from multiple insect species, such as Cydia pomonella [ 100 ], Chilo suppressalis [ 102 ], Loxostege sticticalis [ 103 ], and Conogethes pinicolalis [ 104 ] have been reported in recent years. PBP1 from S. exigua [ 105 ] and Cyrtotrachelus buqueti [ 106 ] can also bind to plant volatile compounds, such as benzaldehyde, linalool, indole, and other carboxylic acids, in addition to pheromone molecules.…”