Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops, School of Plant Protection, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
Department of Science and Technology, Sichuan Provincial Branch of China National Tobacco Corporation, Chengdu 610041, China.
J Insect Sci. 2022 Jan 1;22(1). doi: 10.1093/jisesa/ieab094.
Plant essential oils, with high bioactivity and biodegradability, provide promising alternatives to synthetic pesticides for pest control. Trans-anethole is the major component of essential oil from star anise, Illicium verum Hook. The compound has a strong contact toxicity against the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), which is a major insect pest of many vegetables and crops. However, little information is known about how M. persicae responds to trans-anethole at the molecular level. We conducted a comparative transcriptome analysis of M. persicae in response to a LD50 dose of trans-anethole. A total of 559 differentially expressed genes were detected in the treated individuals, with 318 genes up-regulated, and 241 genes down-regulated. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that these genes were classified into different biological processes and pathways. We also found that genes encoding ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, DnaJ, and cuticle proteins were dramatically up-regulated in response to trans-anethole. To study the function of these genes, we performed RNA interference (RNAi) analysis. Knockdown of an ABC transporter gene (ABCG4) and a DnaJ gene (DnaJC1) resulted in a significantly increased mortality rate in M. persicae following trans-anethole exposure, indicating the involvement of these two genes in the toxicity response to trans-anethole. The findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of M. persicae in coping with plant essential oils.
植物精油具有高生物活性和可生物降解性，为防治害虫提供了有前途的替代合成农药的方法。反式茴香脑是八角精油的主要成分，八角，Illicium verum Hook。该化合物对桃蚜，Myzus persicae（Sulzer）（半翅目：蚜虫科）具有很强的接触毒性，桃蚜是许多蔬菜和作物的主要害虫。然而，关于桃蚜如何在分子水平上对反式茴香脑作出反应的信息知之甚少。我们对桃蚜对 LD50 剂量的反式茴香脑的反应进行了比较转录组分析。在处理个体中检测到 559 个差异表达基因，其中 318 个基因上调，241 个基因下调。基因本体（GO）分析显示，这些基因分为不同的生物过程和途径。我们还发现，编码 ATP 结合盒（ABC）转运蛋白、DnaJ 和表皮蛋白的基因在响应反式茴香脑时显著上调。为了研究这些基因的功能，我们进行了 RNA 干扰（RNAi）分析。反式茴香脑暴露后，ABC 转运蛋白基因（ABCG4）和 DnaJ 基因（DnaJC1）的敲低导致桃蚜死亡率显著增加，表明这两个基因参与了桃蚜对反式茴香脑的毒性反应。这些发现为桃蚜应对植物精油的机制提供了新的见解。
