title: Identification and Expression Profiles of Sex Pheromone Biosynthesis and Transport Related Genes in Spodoptera litura.
abstract: Although the general pathway of sex pheromone synthesis in moth species has been established, the molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. The common cutworm Spodoptera litura is an important agricultural pest worldwide and causes huge economic losses annually. The female sex pheromone of S. litura comprises Z9,E11-14:OAc, Z9,E12-14:OAc, Z9-14:OAc, and E11-14:OAc. By sequencing and analyzing the transcriptomic data of the sex pheromone glands, we identified 94 candidate genes related to pheromone biosynthesis (55 genes) or chemoreception (39 genes). Gene expression patterns and phylogenetic analysis revealed that two desaturase genes (SlitDes5 and SlitDes11) and one fatty acyl reductase gene (SlitFAR3) showed pheromone gland (PG) biased or specific expression, and clustered with genes known to be involved in pheromone synthesis in other moth species. Furthermore, 4 chemoreception related genes (SlitOBP6, SlitOBP11, SlitCSP3, and SlitCSP14) also showed higher expression in the PG, and could be additional candidate genes involved in sex pheromone transport. This study provides the first solid background information that should facilitate further elucidation of sex pheromone biosynthesis and transport, and indicates potential targets to disrupt sexual communication in S. litura for a novel pest management strategy.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, China.
authors.forename: Ya-Nan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Yun
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, China.
authors.forename: Li-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide and Agricultural Bioengineering, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Qiang
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, China.
authors.forename: Geng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Tea Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Education Ministry, Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Zhan-Feng
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, China.
authors.forename: Dao-Gui
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Bu
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053898:Biosynthetic Pathways; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D063990:Gene Ontology; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D012724:Sex Attractants