Dataset Information

First Report of Aleurocanthus spiniferus on Ailanthus altissima: Profiling of the Insect Microbiome and MicroRNAs.

ABSTRACT: We report the first occurrence of the orange spiny whitefly (Aleurocanthus spiniferus; OSW) on the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) in Bari, Apulia region, Italy. After our first observation in 2016, the infestation recurred regularly during the following years and expanded to the neighboring trees. Since then, we have also found the insect on numerous patches of the tree of heaven and other plant species in the Bari province. Nevertheless, the tree of heaven was not particularly threatened by the insect, so that a possible contribution by OSW for the control of such an invasive plant cannot be hypothesized hitherto. This work was also aimed at profiling the microbiome of OSW feeding on A. altissima. For this purpose, we used the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and the deep sequencing of small RNAs (sRNAs). Both techniques unveiled the presence of "Candidatus Portiera" (primary endosymbiont), Wolbachia sp. and Rickettsia sp., endosymbionts already reported for other Aleyrodidae. Deep sequencing data were analyzed by four computational pipelines in order to understand the reliability of the detection of fungi, bacteria, and viruses: Kraken, Kaiju, Velvet, and VelvetOptimiser. Some contigs assembled by Velvet or VelvetOptimiser were associated with insects, but not necessarily in the Aleurocanthus genus or Aleyrodidae family, suggesting the non-specificity of sRNAs or possible traces of parasitoids in the sample (e.g., Eretmocerus sp.). Finally, deep sequencing data were used to describe the microtranscriptome of OSW: 56 canonical and at least four high-confidence novel microRNAs (miRNAs) were identified. The overall miRNA abundance in OSW was in agreement with previous works on Bemisia tabaci, and bantam-3p, miR-276a-3p, miR-317-3p, miR-750-3p, and mir-8-3p were the most represented miRNAs.

SUBMITTER: Bubici G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7142546 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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First Report of Aleurocanthus spiniferus on Ailanthus altissima: Profiling of the Insect Microbiome and MicroRNAs.

Bubici Giovanni G Prigigallo Maria Isabella MI Garganese Francesca F Nugnes Francesco F Jansen Maurice M Porcelli Francesco F

Insects 20200303 3

We report the first occurrence of the orange spiny whitefly (Aleurocanthus spiniferus; OSW) on the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) in Bari, Apulia region, Italy. After our first observation in 2016, the infestation recurred regularly during the following years and expanded to the neighboring trees. Since then, we have also found the insect on numerous patches of the tree of heaven and other plant species in the Bari province. Nevertheless, the tree of heaven was not particular ...[more]

PMID: 32138145

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Project description:The insect chemosensory system plays an important role in many aspects of insects' behaviors necessary for their survival. Despite the complexity of this system, an increasing number of studies have begun to understand its structure and function in different insect species. Nonetheless, the chemosensory system in the orange spiny whitefly Aleurocanthus spiniferus, as one of the most destructive insect pests of citrus in tropical Asia, has not been investigated yet. In this study, the sensillum types, morphologies and distributions of the male and female antennae of A. spiniferus were characterized using scanning electron microscopy. In both sexes, six different sensilla types were observed: trichodea sensilla, chaetica sensilla, microtrichia sensilla, coeloconic sensilla, basiconic sensilla, and finger-like sensilla. Moreover, we identified a total of 48 chemosensory genes, including 5 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 12 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), 3 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 6 odorant receptors (ORs), 8 gustatory receptors (GRs), and 14 ionotropic receptors (IRs) using transcriptome data analysis. Tissue-specific transcriptome analysis of these genes showed predominantly expression in the head (including antennae), whereas CSPs were broadly expressed in both head (including the antennae) and body tissue of adult A. spiniferus. In addition, the expression profiling of selected chemosensory genes at different developmental stages was examined by quantitative real time-PCR which was mapped to the transcriptome. We found that the majority of these genes were highly expressed in adults, while AspiORco, AspiGR1, AspiGR2, and AspiIR4 genes were only detected in the pupal stage. Together, this study provides a basis for future chemosensory and genomic studies in A. spiniferus and closely related species. Furthermore, this study not only provides insights for further research on the molecular mechanisms of A. spiniferus-plant interactions but also provides extensive potential targets for pest control.

Dataset Information

First Report of Aleurocanthus spiniferus on Ailanthus altissima: Profiling of the Insect Microbiome and MicroRNAs.

Publications

First Report of <i>Aleurocanthus spiniferus</i> on <i>Ailanthus altissima</i>: Profiling of the Insect Microbiome and MicroRNAs.

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