title: Genome-wide identification and expression profiling of serine proteases and homologs in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Serine proteases (SPs) are crucial proteolytic enzymes responsible for digestion and other processes including signal transduction and immune responses in insects. Serine protease homologs (SPHs) lack catalytic activity but are involved in innate immunity. This study presents a genome-wide investigation of SPs and SPHs in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), a globally-distributed destructive pest of cruciferous crops.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 120 putative SPs and 101 putative SPHs were identified in the P. xylostella genome by bioinformatics analysis. Based on the features of trypsin, 38 SPs were putatively designated as trypsin genes. The distribution, transcription orientation, exon-intron structure and sequence alignments suggested that the majority of trypsin genes evolved from tandem duplications. Among the 221 SP/SPH genes, ten SP and three SPH genes with one or more clip domains were predicted and designated as PxCLIPs. Phylogenetic analysis of CLIPs in P. xylostella, two other Lepidoptera species (Bombyx mori and Manduca sexta), and two more distantly related insects (Drosophila melanogaster and Apis mellifera) showed that seven of the 13 PxCLIPs were clustered with homologs of the Lepidoptera rather than other species. Expression profiling of the P. xylostella SP and SPH genes in different developmental stages and tissues showed diverse expression patterns, suggesting high functional diversity with roles in digestion and development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first genome-wide investigation on the SP and SPH genes in P. xylostella. The characterized features and profiled expression patterns of the P. xylostella SPs and SPHs suggest their involvement in digestion, development and immunity of this species. Our findings provide a foundation for further research on the functions of this gene family in P. xylostella, and a better understanding of its capacity to rapidly adapt to a wide range of environmental variables including host plants and insecticides.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. linhailan.ok@163.com.|College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. linhailan.ok@163.com.|Fujian-Taiwan Joint Centre for Ecological Control of Crop Pests, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. linhailan.ok@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management of Fujian and Taiwan, China Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, 350002, China. linhailan.ok@163.com.
authors.forename: Hailan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. bioxxf@163.com.|Fujian-Taiwan Joint Centre for Ecological Control of Crop Pests, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. bioxxf@163.com.|Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management of Fujian and Taiwan, China Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, 350002, China. bioxxf@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. yly20070567@126.com.|College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. yly20070567@126.com.|Fujian-Taiwan Joint Centre for Ecological Control of Crop Pests, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. yly20070567@126.com.|Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management of Fujian and Taiwan, China Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, 350002, China. yly20070567@126.com.
authors.forename: Liying
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. lvasseur@brocku.ca.|Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management of Fujian and Taiwan, China Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, 350002, China. lvasseur@brocku.ca.|Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada. lvasseur@brocku.ca.
authors.forename: Liette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vasseur
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. GGurr@csu.edu.au.|Fujian-Taiwan Joint Centre for Ecological Control of Crop Pests, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. GGurr@csu.edu.au.|Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management of Fujian and Taiwan, China Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, 350002, China. GGurr@csu.edu.au.|Graham Centre, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, 2800, Australia. GGurr@csu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Geoff M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Gurr
authors.affiliation: Institute of Plant Protection, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, 350013, China. yaofengluan@126.com.
authors.forename: Fengluan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. yxg@iae.fjau.edu.cn.|Fujian-Taiwan Joint Centre for Ecological Control of Crop Pests, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. yxg@iae.fjau.edu.cn.|Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management of Fujian and Taiwan, China Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, 350002, China. yxg@iae.fjau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco-Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. msyou@iae.fjau.edu.cn.|Fujian-Taiwan Joint Centre for Ecological Control of Crop Pests, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China. msyou@iae.fjau.edu.cn.|Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management of Fujian and Taiwan, China Ministry of Agriculture, Fuzhou, 350002, China. msyou@iae.fjau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Minsheng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: You
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002918:Chymotrypsin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020440:Gene Duplication; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009036:Moths / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D057057:Serine Proteases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014357:Trypsin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D057057:Serine Proteases; D002918:Chymotrypsin; D014357:Trypsin