Transcriptomic Analysis of Mating Responses in Bemisia tabaci MED Females

Abstract

Mating triggers substantial changes in gene expression and leads to subsequent physiological and behavioral modifications. However, postmating transcriptomic changes responding to mating have not yet been fully understood. Here, we carried out RNA sequencing (RNAseq) analysis in the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci MED, to identify genes in females in response to mating. We compared mRNA expression in virgin and mated females at 24 h. As a result, 434 differentially expressed gene transcripts (DEGs) were identified between the mated and unmated groups, including 331 up- and 103 down-regulated. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses revealed that many of these DEGs encode binding-related proteins and genes associated with longevity. An RT-qPCR validation study was consistent with our transcriptomic analysis (14/15). Specifically, expression of P450s (Cyp18a1 and Cyp4g68), ubiquitin-protein ligases (UBR5 and RNF123), Hsps (Hsp68 and Hsf), carboxylase (ACC-2), facilitated trehalose transporters (Tret1-2), transcription factor (phtf), and serine-protein kinase (TLK2) were significantly elevated in mated females throughout seven assay days. These combined results offer a glimpe of postmating molecular modifications to facilitate reproduction in B. tabaci females.

Mating-Induced Trade-Offs upon Egg Production versus Fertilization and Offspring’s Survival in a Sawfly with Facultative Parthenogenesis

“…In Drosophila, mating induced downregulation in six P450 genes and upregulation in 22 P450 genes. In B. tabaci, mating induced upregulation in two P450 genes [20]. In the present study, one P450 gene (CYP2C) was significantly upregulated in mated females shortly after mating (1 h postmating) and four P450 genes were downregulated in mated females at 6 h post-mating (Table 1).…”

“…Reproduction associated heat shock responses are inconsistent in different species, which is downregulated after the onset of reproduction in C. elegans [4] while in honey bees, increased reproduction did not cause loss of heat shock response in the reproductive queen [3]. In B. tabaci, mating led to the upregulation of Hsp68 and Hsp70 genes at different time points in mated females [20]. In the present study, we also found significant expression changes in thirteen Hsps-encoding transcripts 24 h post-mating, with some of them (four sHsps and four Hsp70s) being downregulated and others (three Hsp70s and two Hsp90s) being upregulated substantially (Table 3).…”

“…Recent progress on high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics has revolutionized our understanding of life and organism. Previous transcriptome analysis in a number of insect species have shown that mating can induce expression changes in genes related to reproduction, immunity, stress response, and longevity [18][19][20]. A resent transcriptomebased study in the sweet potato whitefly females found 434 deferentially expressed genes (DEGs) between mated and unmated groups, with many of them encoding binding-related proteins and genes associated with lifespan [20].…”

“…Previous transcriptome analysis in a number of insect species have shown that mating can induce expression changes in genes related to reproduction, immunity, stress response, and longevity [18][19][20]. A resent transcriptomebased study in the sweet potato whitefly females found 434 deferentially expressed genes (DEGs) between mated and unmated groups, with many of them encoding binding-related proteins and genes associated with lifespan [20]. Another study in Spodoptera litura female moths showed a divergent response in DEGs in relation to reproduction and immunity [15].…”

Mating Stimulates the Immune Response and Sperm Storage-Related Genes Expression in Spermathecae of Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) Queen

“…The male seminal fluid has proven to be essential for long-term sperm storage (Jasper et al, 2020). Therefore, mating leads to the biochemical and physiological changes the spermathecae of insects (Baer et al, 2009a;Huo et al, 2020).…”