Li Tianpu, Guo Jiao, Hu Guilei, Cao Fang, Su Haiyin, Shen Mengdi, Wang Huimin, You Minsheng, Liu Yuanyuan, Gurr Geoff M, You Shijun
State Key Laboratory for Ecological Pest Control of Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
BMC Biol. 2024 Dec 31;22(1):303. doi: 10.1186/s12915-024-02109-3.
Global climate change significantly impacts ecosystems, particularly through temperature fluctuations that affect insect physiology and behavior. As poikilotherms, insect pests such as the globally devastating diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella, are especially vulnerable to rising temperatures and extreme heat events, necessitating effective adaptive mechanisms.
Here we demonstrate the roles of zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) in mediating thermal adaptability in DBM. We utilized a comprehensive approach involving cloning and bioinformatics analysis of three ZFPs, PxZNF568, PxZNF93, and PxZNF266, measurement of their expression levels in hot-evolved and control strains, and assessment of catalase enzymatic activity and total antioxidant capacity. We also employed CRISPR/Cas9 technology to create five stable homozygous knockout strains to elucidate ZFP functions in high-temperature tolerance. Survival rates under high-temperature stress and the critical thermal maxima (CTMax) of the knockout strains were significantly lower than the wild-type strain, and exhibited marked decreases in antioxidant capacity.
Findings reveal the importance of ZFPs in thermal adaptability of DBM, contributing critical insights for future pest management strategies in the context of a warming climate and laying the foundation for further exploration of ZFP functionality in agricultural pest control.
全球气候变化对生态系统有重大影响，特别是通过影响昆虫生理和行为的温度波动来实现。作为变温动物，诸如全球极具破坏力的小菜蛾（DBM），小菜蛾（Plutella xylostella）等害虫尤其容易受到气温上升和极端高温事件的影响，因此需要有效的适应机制。
在此我们证明了锌指蛋白（ZFP）在小菜蛾热适应性调节中的作用。我们采用了一种综合方法，包括对三种锌指蛋白PxZNF568、PxZNF93和PxZNF266进行克隆和生物信息学分析，测量它们在热进化菌株和对照菌株中的表达水平，以及评估过氧化氢酶活性和总抗氧化能力。我们还利用CRISPR/Cas9技术创建了五个稳定的纯合敲除菌株，以阐明锌指蛋白在高温耐受性中的功能。敲除菌株在高温胁迫下的存活率和临界热最大值（CTMax）显著低于野生型菌株，并且抗氧化能力明显下降。
研究结果揭示了锌指蛋白在小菜蛾热适应性中的重要性，为气候变暖背景下未来害虫管理策略提供了关键见解，并为进一步探索锌指蛋白在农业害虫防治中的功能奠定了基础。
