Peng Yan, Mao Kaikai, Li Hongran, Ping Junfen, Zhu Jingyun, Liu Xinye, Zhang Zhuting, Jin Minghui, Wu Chao, Wang Nan, Yesaya Alexander, Wilson Kenneth, Xiao Yutao
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Gene Editing Technologies (Hainan), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, China.
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment and Agric-Products Safety, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
Natl Sci Rev. 2024 Aug 1;12(3):nwae221. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwae221. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Climatic variation stands as a significant driving force behind genetic differentiation and the evolution of adaptive traits. , commonly known as the rice stem borer, is a highly destructive pest that crucially harms rice production. The lack of natural population genomics data has hindered a more thorough understanding of its climate adaptation, particularly the genetic basis underlying adaptive traits. To overcome this obstacle, our study employed completely resequenced genomes of 384 individuals to explore the population structure, demographic history, and gene flow of in China. This study observed that its gene flow occurred asymmetrically, moving from central populations to peripheral populations. Using genome-wide selection scans and genotype-environment association studies, we identified potential loci that may be associated with climatic adaptation. The most robust signal was found to be associated with cold tolerance, linked to a homeobox gene, (), whose expression level was significantly different in low and high latitudes. Moreover, downregulating the expression of this gene by RNAi enhances its cold tolerance phenotypes. Our findings have uncovered and delved into the genetic foundation of the ability of to adapt to its environment. This is essential in ensuring the continued effectiveness and sustainability of novel control techniques.
气候变化是遗传分化和适应性性状进化背后的一个重要驱动力。二化螟，俗称钻心虫，是一种极具破坏性的害虫，对水稻生产危害极大。缺乏自然种群基因组学数据阻碍了对其气候适应性的更深入理解，特别是适应性性状背后的遗传基础。为克服这一障碍，我们的研究利用384个个体的全基因组重测序来探索中国二化螟的种群结构、种群历史和基因流。该研究观察到其基因流是非对称发生的，从中心种群流向周边种群。通过全基因组选择扫描和基因型-环境关联研究，我们确定了可能与气候适应性相关的潜在基因座。发现最强的信号与耐寒性相关，与一个同源盒基因（）有关，其表达水平在低纬度和高纬度地区有显著差异。此外，通过RNA干扰下调该基因的表达可增强其耐寒表型。我们的研究结果揭示并深入探讨了二化螟适应环境能力的遗传基础。这对于确保新型防治技术的持续有效性和可持续性至关重要。
