Mittapalli O, Rivera-Vega L, Bhandary B, Bautista M A, Mamidala P, Michel A P, Shukle R H, Mian M A R
Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University/Ohio Agricultural and Research Development Center, Wooster, USA.
Bull Entomol Res. 2011 Dec;101(6):697-704. doi: 10.1017/S0007485311000253. Epub 2011 May 12.
Soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is currently the most important insect pest of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in the United States and causes significant economic damage worldwide, but little is known about the aphid at the molecular level. Mariner-like transposable elements (MLEs) are ubiquitous within the genomes of arthropods and various other invertebrates. In this study, we report the cloning of MLEs from the soybean aphid genome using degenerate PCR primers designed to amplify conserved regions of mariner transposases. Two of the ten sequenced clones (designated as Agmar1 and Agmar2) contained partial but continuous open reading frames, which shared high levels of homology at the protein level with other mariner transposases from insects and other taxa. Phylogenetic analysis revealed Agmar1 to group within the irritans subfamily of MLEs and Agmar2 within the mellifera subfamily. Southern blot analysis and quantitative PCR analysis indicated a low copy number for Agmar1-like elements within the soybean aphid genome. These results suggest the presence of at least two different putative mariner-like transposases encoded by the soybean aphid genome. Both Agmar1 and Agmar2 could play influential roles in the architecture of the soybean aphid genome. Transposable elements are also thought to potentially mediate resistance in insects through changes in gene amplification and mutations in coding sequences. Finally, Agmar1 and Agmar2 may represent useful genetic tools and provide insights on A. glycines adaptation.
大豆蚜，即豆蚜（Aphis glycines Matsumura，半翅目：蚜科），是目前美国大豆（Glycine max (L.) Merr.）最重要的害虫，在全球造成重大经济损失，但在分子水平上对该蚜虫的了解甚少。类水手转座元件（MLEs）在节肢动物和各种其他无脊椎动物的基因组中普遍存在。在本研究中，我们报告了利用设计用于扩增水手转座酶保守区域的简并PCR引物，从大豆蚜基因组中克隆MLEs。在十个测序克隆中有两个（命名为Agmar1和Agmar2）包含部分但连续的开放阅读框，它们在蛋白质水平上与来自昆虫和其他分类群的其他水手转座酶具有高度同源性。系统发育分析表明，Agmar1归类于MLEs的irritans亚科，Agmar2归类于mellifera亚科。Southern杂交分析和定量PCR分析表明，大豆蚜基因组中Agmar1样元件的拷贝数较低。这些结果表明，大豆蚜基因组中至少存在两种不同的假定类水手转座酶。Agmar1和Agmar2都可能在大豆蚜基因组结构中发挥重要作用。转座元件也被认为可能通过基因扩增的变化和编码序列中的突变来介导昆虫的抗性。最后，Agmar1和Agmar2可能代表有用的遗传工具，并为大豆蚜的适应性提供见解。
