Characterization of chitin deacetylase genes in the Diaphorina citri genome

Authors: MILLER, SHERRY - Kansas State University; SHIPPY, TERESA - Kansas State University; TAMAYO, BLESSY - Indian River State College; HOSMANI, PRASHANT - Boyce Thompson Institute; FLORES-GONZALEZ, MIRELLA - Boyce Thompson Institute; MUELLER, LUKAS - Boyce Thompson Institute; Hunter, Wayne; BROWN, SUSAN - Kansas State University; D'ELIA, TOM - Indian River State College; SAHA, SURYA - University Of Arizona

Submitted to: Gigascience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/9/2021
Publication Date: 6/11/2021
Citation: Miller, S., Shippy, T., Tamayo, B., Hosmani, P., Flores-Gonzalez, M., Mueller, L., Hunter, W.B., Brown, S., D'Elia, T., Saha, S. 2021. Characterization of chitin deacetylase genes in the Diaphorina citri genome. Gigascience. https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.25.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.25

Interpretive Summary: Biopesticides offer more speciic targeting of insect pests. The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, as the vector of Huanglongbing in citrus has been reported growing resistance to currently used insecticides for control. Thus new treatments are needed. Chitin is a polysaccharide found primarily in invertebrates, like insects. Chitin is required for the exoskeleton, ovipositor, wings, and other body structures. We identified four chitin deacetylase genes in the Diaphorina_citri_v3_Genome, three of which have multiple isoforms. As in other hemipterans, only groups I, III and IV are represented. The essential nature, and limited phylogenetic distribution of these genes makes them attractive targets that would be specific to psyllid for pest control using gene knockdown methods, like ribonucleic acid interference, RNAi. Identification of specific genes limited to psyllid or closely related pests provides new opportunities for better pest control in citrus.

Technical Abstract: Chitin is a polysaccharide found primarily in invertebrates. Chitin deacetylases (CDAs) are one of the least understood components of insect chitin metabolism. The partial deacetylation of chitin polymers appears to be important for the proper formation of higher order chitin structures, such as long fibers and bundles, that contribute to the integrity of the insect exoskeleton and other structures. Some CDAs may also play a role in bacterial defense. We characterized four CDA genes from the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, laying the groundwork for future study of these genes. D.citri is the vector for Liberibacter asiaticus, Las, responsible for the global outbreak of citrus Huanglongbing. The genes identified provide a unique set of psyllid targets, not found across other taxa. Thus, the genes can be used to produce highly specific pest control. Manual annotation and open access of these data was done as part of a collaborative community annotation project (https://citrusgreening.org/annotation/index).