Nadeau Emily A W, Lecheta Melise C, Obrycki John J, Teets Nicholas M
Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
Insects. 2022 Mar 31;13(4):343. doi: 10.3390/insects13040343.
Diapause is an alternate development program that synchronizes an insect's life cycle with seasonally abundant resources and ensures survival in unfavorable conditions. The physiological basis of diapause has been well characterized, but the molecular mechanisms regulating it are still being elucidated. Here, we present a transcriptome and quantify transcript expression during diapause in the convergent lady beetle . is used as an augmentative biocontrol agent, and adult females undergo reproductive diapause that is regulated by photoperiod. We sampled females at three stages (early, mid, and late diapause) and compared transcript expression to non-diapausing individuals. Based on principle component analysis, the transcriptomes of diapausing beetles were distinct from non-diapausing beetles, and the three diapausing points tended to cluster together. However, there were still classes of transcripts that differed in expression across distinct phases of diapause. In general, transcripts involved in muscle function and flight were upregulated during diapause, likely to support dispersal flights that occur during diapause, while transcripts involved in ovarian development were downregulated. This information could be used to improve biological control by manipulating diapause. Additionally, our data contribute to a growing understanding of the genetic regulation of diapause across diverse insects.
滞育是一种交替的发育程序，它使昆虫的生命周期与季节性丰富的资源同步，并确保在不利条件下生存。滞育的生理基础已得到充分表征，但其调控的分子机制仍在阐明之中。在此，我们展示了会聚七星瓢虫滞育期间的转录组并对转录本表达进行了定量分析。会聚七星瓢虫用作一种增殖性生物防治剂，成年雌虫会经历受光周期调控的生殖滞育。我们在三个阶段（滞育早期、中期和晚期）对雌虫进行采样，并将转录本表达与非滞育个体进行比较。基于主成分分析，滞育甲虫的转录组与非滞育甲虫不同，且三个滞育点倾向于聚集在一起。然而，仍有几类转录本在滞育的不同阶段表达存在差异。一般来说，参与肌肉功能和飞行的转录本在滞育期间上调，可能是为了支持滞育期间发生的扩散飞行，而参与卵巢发育的转录本则下调。这些信息可用于通过控制滞育来改善生物防治。此外，我们的数据有助于加深对不同昆虫滞育遗传调控的理解。
