Comparative proteomics provides insights into diapause program of Bactrocera minax (Diptera: Tephritidae)

PLoS One. 2020 Dec 31;15(12):e0244493. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244493. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The Chinese citrus fly, Bactrocera minax, is a notorious univoltine pest that causes damage to citrus. B. minax enters obligatory pupal diapause in each generation to resist harsh environmental conditions in winter. Despite the enormous efforts that have been made in the past decade, the understanding of pupal diapause of B. minax is currently still fragmentary. In this study, the 20-hydroxyecdysone solution and ethanol solvent was injected into newly-formed pupae to obtain non-diapause- (ND) and diapause-destined (D) pupae, respectively, and a comparative proteomics analysis between ND and D pupae was performed 1 and 15 d after injection. A total of 3,255 proteins were identified, of which 190 and 463 were found to be differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) in ND1 vs D1 and ND15 vs D15 comparisons, respectively. The reliability and accuracy of LFQ method was validated by qRT-PCR. Functional analyses of DAPs, including Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction, were conducted. The results revealed that the diapause program of B. minax is closely associated with several physiological activities, such as phosphorylation, chitin biosynthesis, autophagy, signaling pathways, endocytosis, skeletal muscle formation, protein metabolism, and core metabolic pathways of carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid conversion. The findings of this study provide insights into diapause program of B. minax and lay a basis for further investigation into its underlying molecular mechanisms.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Citrus / parasitology
  • Diapause, Insect / drug effects
  • Diapause, Insect / physiology*
  • Ecdysterone / pharmacology
  • Insect Proteins / analysis
  • Insect Proteins / physiology*
  • Plant Diseases / parasitology
  • Plant Diseases / prevention & control
  • Protein Interaction Mapping
  • Protein Interaction Maps / physiology*
  • Proteomics
  • Pupa / drug effects
  • Pupa / growth & development
  • Tephritidae / drug effects
  • Tephritidae / growth & development*

Substances

  • Insect Proteins
  • Ecdysterone

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Chongqing Research Program of Basic Research and Frontier Technology (grant cstc2016jcyjA0203 and cstc2018jcyjAX0516) and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant XDJK2018C092). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.