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Title: Transcriptome analysis of sugar beet root maggot (Tetanops myopaeformis) genes modulated by the Beta vulgaris host

Author
item Smigocki, Anna
item Li, Haiyan

Submitted to: Insect Molecular Biology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/24/2016
Publication Date: 12/27/2016
Citation: Smigocki, A.C., Li, H. 2016. Transcriptome analysis of sugar beet root maggot (Tetanops myopaeformis) genes modulated by the Beta vulgaris host. Insect Molecular Biology. doi:10.1111/1744-7917.12409.

Interpretive Summary: Sugar beet root maggot is a destructive insect pest of sugar beet in the US and Canada. In root maggot infested fields, damage to the roots can reduce sugar yields by as much as 100%. Several resistant sugar beet breeding varieties exist but at best they provide 20 - 40% reduction in symptoms. To develop environmentally sound strategies for improved resistance, we studied the interaction of resistant and susceptible sugar beet varieties with the root maggot. We prepared root maggot libraries that are enriched for induced or suppressed insect responses (genes) following feeding on sugar beet roots. Several root maggot genes were identified as being common among the treatments, as well as genes that were uniquely associated with a resistant or susceptible interaction with the host roots. Possible role of the root maggot genes in insect responses to the host roots are discussed. Characterization of the responses will lead to a better understanding of the fundamental mechanisms involved in maggot infestations of sugar beet roots. Scientists will use this information to develop safer approaches of insect control in plants leading to increased yields and reduced usage of chemical pesticides thus improving the safety of consumable foods.

Technical Abstract: Sugar beet root maggot (SBRM, Tetanops myopaeformis von Röder) is a major but poorly understood economic insect pest of sugar beet. The molecular mechanisms underlying plant defense responses have been well documented, however, very little information is available about complementary mechanisms that contribute to insect adaptive responses to overcome host resistance. To date, no studies have been published on SBRM gene expression profiling. PCR-select suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used in this study to generate more than 800 SBRM ESTs that were differentially expressed in the interaction of the pest with a moderately resistant (F1016) and a susceptible (F1010) sugar beet line. Blast2GO v. 3.2 search indicated that over 60 % of the differentially expressed genes had known functions, primarily driven by fruit fly D. melanogaster genes. Expression patterns of eighteen selected EST clones were confirmed by RT-PCR analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis predicted a dominance of metabolic and catalytic genes involved in the interaction of SBRM with its host. SBRM genes functioning during development, regulation, cellular process, signaling and under stress conditions were annotated. Several SBRM genes that were common among the treatments, as well as genes uniquely associated with a resistant or susceptible interaction with the host were identified and their possible roles in insect responses to the host are discussed.