title: Transcriptomic dissection of sexual differences in Bemisia tabaci, an invasive agricultural pest worldwide.
abstract: Sex difference involving chromosomes and gene expression has been extensively documented. In this study, the gender difference in the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci was investigated using Illumina-based transcriptomic analysis. Gender-based RNAseq data produced 27 Gb reads, and subsequent de novo assembly generated 93,948 transcripts with a N50 of 1,853 bp. A total of 1,351 differentially expressed genes were identified between male and female B. tabaci, and majority of them were female-biased. Pathway and GO enrichment experiments exhibited a gender-specific expression, including enriched translation in females, and enhanced structural constituent of cuticle in male whiteflies. In addition, a putative transformer2 gene (tra2) was cloned, and the structural feature and expression profile of tra2 were investigated. Sexually dimorphic transcriptome is an uncharted territory for the agricultural insect pests. Molecular understanding of sex determination in B. tabaci, an emerging invasive insect pest worldwide, will provide potential molecular target(s) for genetic pest control alternatives.
authors: 1] Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, P. R. China [2].
authors: Wen
authors: W
authors: Xie
authors: 1] Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, P. R. China [2].
authors: Litao
authors: L
authors: Guo
authors: Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, P. R. China.
authors: Xiaoguo
authors: X
authors: Jiao
authors: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, P. R. China.
authors: Nina
authors: N
authors: Yang
authors: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, P. R. China.
authors: Xin
authors: X
authors: Yang
authors: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, P. R. China.
authors: Qingjun
authors: Q
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, P. R. China.
authors: Shaoli
authors: S
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0091, USA.
authors: Xuguo
authors: X
authors: Zhou
authors: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, P. R. China.
authors: Youjun
authors: Y
authors: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D058865:Introduced Species; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D012737:Sex Factors; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D012261:Ribonucleoproteins