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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Biological Control of Insects Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #369400
Research Project: Insect Biotechnology Products for Pest Control and Emerging Needs in Agriculture

Location: Biological Control of Insects Research

Title: Genomic and transcriptomic analyses of glutathione S-transferases in an endoparasitoid wasp, Pteromalus puparum

Author
item XU, GANG - Zhejiang University
item TENG, ZI-WEN - Zhejiang University
item GU, GUI-XIANG - Zhejiang University
item GUO, LEI - Zhejiang University
item WANG, FEI - Zhejiang University
item XIAO, SHAN - Zhejiang University
item WANG, JIA-LE - Zhejiang University
item WANG, BEI-BEI - Zhejiang University
item FANG, QI - Zhejiang University
item WANG, FANG - Zhejiang University
item SONG, QI-SHENG - University Of Missouri
item Stanley, David
item YE, GONG-YIN - Zhejiang University

Submitted to: Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/23/2019
Publication Date: 10/6/2019
Citation: Xu, G., Teng, Z., Gu, G., Guo, L., Wang, F., Xiao, S., Wang, J., Wang, B., Fang, Q., Wang, F., Song, Q., Stanley, D.W., Ye, G. 2019. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses of glutathione S-transferases in an endoparasitoid wasp, Pteromalus puparum. Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology. 103(2):e21634. https://doi.org/10.1002/arch.21634.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/arch.21634

Interpretive Summary: eneficial insect species provide valuable ecological services to humans. Many beneficials, such as honey bees, bumble bees, solitary bees, hoverfiies, butterflies, moths and flower beetles (in total, more than 20,000 insect species), are responsible for pollinating nearly 900 high-value food crops. Other beneficial insects are natural enemies of pest insect species. Parasitoid insects deposit their eggs into or onto other insect species, where larvae hatch from the eggs and develop to adulthood using the resources of their host insect. Many parasitoid species provide important biological control services by killing pest insects. Some parasitoid species are commercially raised and released to control pest insects. Despite their economic importance, there is very little genetic information on the beneficials. Such information is crucial to optimizing their use and economic value. This paper is one of a series of seven papers reporting on genomic analyses of the beneficial parasitoid, Pteromalus puparum. Here we report on a series of 20 genes that act in protecting the insect by breaking down toxic molecules. This work will be used by scientists working to improve biological control technologies and may lead to improved food and nutrition security.

Technical Abstract: Pteromalus puparum is a gregarious pupal endoparasitoid with a wide host range. It deposits eggs into pierid and papilionid butterfly pupae. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a family of multifunctional detoxification enzymes that act in xenobiotic metabolism in insects. Insect genome projects have facilitated identification and characterization of GST family members. We identified twenty putative GSTs in the P. puparum genome, including nineteen cytosolic GSTs and one microsomal. Phylogenetic analysis showed that P. puparum GSTs clustered into Hymenoptera-specific branches. Transcriptomic data of embryos, larvae, female pupae, male pupae, female adults, male adults, venom glands, carcass, salivary glands, and ovaries revealed stage-, sex- and tissue-specific expression patterns of GSTs in P. puparum. This is the most comprehensive study of genome-wide identification, characterization and expression profiling of GST family in hymenopteans. Our results provide valuable information in understanding the metabolic adaptation of this wasp.