A Chemosensory Protein BtabCSP11 Mediates Reproduction in Bemisia tabaci

Yang Zeng; Austin Merchant; Qingjun Wu; Shaoli Wang; Lan Kong; Xuguo Zhou; Wen Xie; Youjun Zhang

doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.00709

A Chemosensory Protein BtabCSP11 Mediates Reproduction in Bemisia tabaci

Front Physiol. 2020 Jun 30:11:709. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00709. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Yang Zeng¹, Austin Merchant², Qingjun Wu¹, Shaoli Wang¹, Lan Kong³, Xuguo Zhou², Wen Xie¹, Youjun Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
² Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States.
³ Department of Computer Science, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, United States.

Abstract

The olfactory system serves a vital role in the evolution and survival of insects, being involved in behaviors such as host seeking, foraging, mating, and oviposition. Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are involved in the olfactory recognition process. In this study, BtabCSP11, a CSP11 gene from the whitefly Bemisia tabaci, was cloned and characterized. The open reading frame of BtabCSP11 encodes 136 amino acids, with four highly conserved cysteine residues. The temporal and spatial expression profiles showed that BtabCSP11 was highly expressed in the abdomens of B. tabaci females. Dietary RNA interference (RNAi)-based functional analysis showed substantially reduced fecundity in parthenogenetically reproduced females, suggesting a potential role of BtabCSP11 in B. tabaci reproduction. These combined results expand the function of CSPs beyond chemosensation.

Keywords: Bemisia tabaci; RNA interference; chemosensory proteins; expression profiles; reproduction.