Centro de Bioinvestigaciones, Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de Buenos Aires, Pergamino, Argentina.
Centro Regional de Estudios Genomicos, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Sci Rep. 2018 Nov 22;8(1):17244. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-35386-4.
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.
臭虫（半翅目：Pentatomidae）是农作物的主要害虫，具有重要的经济意义。在构成臭虫复合体的物种中，绿盲蝽是巴西、阿根廷和美国南部最丰富的物种之一。然而，该物种在遗传和生理水平上的特征描述较差。在这里，我们对 N. viridula 雌雄成虫的完整转录组进行了测序和分析。我们在这个转录组中鉴定了神经肽前体基因和神经肽的 G 蛋白偶联受体。通过液相色谱-串联质谱法从 N. viridula 脑提取物中鉴定出成熟的神经肽。我们还分析了另一种具有经济重要性的半翅目昆虫，也就是亚洲飞蝗 Halyomorpha halys 基因组序列中的神经肽前体基因。我们将这两种半翅目昆虫的结果与经过充分研究的接吻虫 Rhodnius prolixus（半翅目：Reduviidae）的神经肽库进行了比较。我们确定了两组特有的特征（可能与不同的饮食习惯有关）和一些可能是半翅目特征的相似性。这项工作有助于更深入地了解这些害虫的遗传信息，重点是神经内分泌系统的特征。
