Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources & Pest Management of the Ministry of Education, College of Plant Protection, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
College of Life Sciences, Yan'an University, Yan'an, Shaanxi, China.
Pest Manag Sci. 2022 Dec;78(12):5220-5233. doi: 10.1002/ps.7141. Epub 2022 Sep 2.
Acetylcholine (ACh), as a classical neurotransmitter, plays great roles in the nervous system. There is increasing evidence of its non-neuronal roles in regulating basic cell functions in vertebrates. However, knowledge about the non-neuronal cholinergic system in insects is scarce.
A comparative transcriptome analysis was performed to investigate differences in the key molecular components of the cholinergic system between the head and ovary. The results showed that expression levels of most cholinergic system-related genes were higher in the head than in the ovary, and some cholinergic components were absent in the ovary. ACh contents ranged from 0.1 to 1.3 μg mg of wet weight during the development of the ovary, and weak acetylcholinesterase activity was also detected. Moreover, the ovary has a capacity for ACh synthesis. Bromoacetylcarnitine (BrACar), a specific carnitine acetyltransferase (CarAT) inhibitor, greatly inhibits ACh synthesis by 83.83% in ovary homogenates, but bromoacetylcholine (BrACh), a specific choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) inhibitor, has no effect on ACh synthesis in the ovary. These findings indicate that non-neuronal ACh in the ovary is only catalyzed by CarAT.
This study reveals the existence of the non-neuronal cholinergic system in the ovary of M. separata, whose synthesis and release mechanisms are different from those of the head. These results provide novel insights into the non-neuronal cholinergic system in insects, and will be valuable in the discovery of new target genes and the future development of green pest control. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
乙酰胆碱（ACh）作为一种经典的神经递质，在神经系统中发挥着重要作用。越来越多的证据表明，它在脊椎动物中具有调节基本细胞功能的非神经作用。然而，昆虫中非神经元胆碱能系统的知识却很匮乏。
进行了比较转录组分析，以研究胆碱能系统的关键分子组成在头部和卵巢之间的差异。结果表明，大多数与胆碱能系统相关的基因在头部的表达水平高于卵巢，并且卵巢中不存在一些胆碱能成分。在卵巢发育过程中，ACh 含量在 0.1 至 1.3μg/mg 湿重之间变化，并且检测到微弱的乙酰胆碱酯酶活性。此外，卵巢具有 ACh 合成的能力。Bromoacetylcarnitine (BrACar)，一种特定的肉碱乙酰转移酶（CarAT）抑制剂，可使卵巢匀浆中的 ACh 合成大大抑制 83.83%，但 BrACh，一种特定的胆碱乙酰转移酶（ChAT）抑制剂，对卵巢中的 ACh 合成没有影响。这些发现表明，卵巢中的非神经元 ACh 仅由 CarAT 催化。
本研究揭示了 M. separata 卵巢中非神经元胆碱能系统的存在，其合成和释放机制与头部不同。这些结果为昆虫中非神经元胆碱能系统提供了新的见解，并将有助于发现新的靶基因和未来绿色害虫防治的发展。© 2022 化学工业协会。
