title: Transcriptome analysis of host-associated differentiation in Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae).
abstract: Host-associated differentiation is one of the driving forces behind the diversification of phytophagous insects. In this study, host induced transcriptomic differences were investigated in the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci, an invasive agricultural pest worldwide. Comparative transcriptomic analyses using coding sequence (CDS), 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTR) showed that sequence divergences between the original host plant, cabbage, and the derived hosts, including cotton, cucumber and tomato, were 0.11-0.14%, 0.19-0.26%, and 0.15-0.21%, respectively. In comparison to the derived hosts, 418 female and 303 male transcripts, respectively, were up-regulated in the original cabbage strain. Among them, 17 transcripts were consistently up-regulated in both female and male whiteflies originated from the cabbage host. Specifically, two ESTs annotated as Cathepsin B or Cathepsin B-like genes were significantly up-regulated in the original cabbage strain, representing a transcriptomic response to the dietary challenges imposed by the host shifting. Results from our transcriptome analysis, in conjunction with previous reports documenting the minor changes in their reproductive capacity, insecticide susceptibility, symbiotic composition and feeding behavior, suggest that the impact of host-associated differentiation in whiteflies is limited. Furthermore, it is unlikely the major factor contributing to their rapid range expansion/invasiveness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Qingjun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shaoli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Litao
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, S-225 Agricultural Science Center North, University of Kentucky Lexington, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Xuguo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Youjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: Bemisia tabaci; Cathepsin; comparative transcriptomic analysis; host-associated differentiation; qRT-PCR