Project description:While performing mitochondrial isolations and recently developed tRNA-seq methods (AlkB treatment and YAMAT-Seq) in plant tissue, we inadvertently sequenced the mitochondrial tRNAs from a common plant pest, the acariform mite Tetranychus urticae, to a high enough coverage to detect all previously annotated T. urticae tRNA regions. The results not only confirm expression, CCA-tailing and post-transcriptional base modification of these highly divergent tRNAs, but also revealed paired sense and antisense expression of multiple T. urticae mitochondrial tRNAs.
Project description:Background: The parasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei is an economically highly significant parasite of the skin of humans and animals worldwide. This mite causes a neglected tropical disease (NTD), called scabies - one of the commonest dermatological problems globally, resulting in major morbidity, disability, stigma and poverty. In hyperendemic situations, scabies is often associated with secondary opportunistic bacterial infections/diseases - a major concern in children. Although some stages of this mite can be treated with drugs, resistance against some drugs is emerging, and there is no vaccine available against scabies. Here, we report molecular resources (including a high-quality genome as well as transcriptomic and proteomic data sets) for S. scabiei to aid basic and applied research of this and related mites.
Project description:Background The number of managed honey bee colonies has considerably decreased in many developed countries in recent years and the ectoparasitic mites are considered as major threats to honey bee colonies and health. However, their general biology remains poorly understood. Results We sequenced the genome and transcriptomes of Tropilaelaps mercedesae, the prevalent ectoparasitic mite infesting honey bees in Asia. The de novo assembled genome sequence (353 Mb) represents 53% of the estimated genome size because of the compression of repetitive sequences; nevertheless, we predicted 15,190 protein-coding genes which were well supported by the mite transcriptomes and proteomic dataes. Although amino acid substitutions have been accelerated within the conserved core genes in of two mites, T. mercedesae and Metaseiulus occidentalis, T. mercedesae has undergone the least gene family expansion and contraction between the seven arthropods we tested. The number of sensory system genes has been dramatically reduced; meanwhile, T. mercedesae may have evolved a specialized cuticle and water homeostasis mechanisms, as well as epigenetic control of gene expression for ploidy compensation between males and females., and water homeostasis. T. mercedesae contains all gene sets required to detoxify xenobiotics, enabling it to be miticide resistant. T. mercedesae is closely associated with a symbiotic bacteriuma (Rickettsiella grylli-like) and DWVdeformed wing virus (DWV), the most prevalent honey bee virus. The presence of DWV in both adult male and female mites was also confirmed by the proteomic analysis. Conclusions T. mercedesae has a very specialized life history and habitat as the ectoparasitic mite strictly dependsing on the honey bee inside the a stable colony. Thus, comparison of the genome and transcriptome sequences with those of a tick and free-living mites and tick has revealed the specific features of the genome shaped by interaction with the honey bee and colony environment. T. mercedesae, as well as Varroa destructor, genome and transcriptome sequences not only provide insights into the mite biology, but may also help to develop measures to control the most serious pests of the honey bee.
Project description:Generalist arthropod herbivores rapidly adapt to a broad range of host plants. However, the extent of transcriptional reprogramming in the herbivore and its hosts associated with adaptation remains poorly understood. Using the spider mite Tetranychus urticae and tomato as models with available genomic resources, we investigated the reciprocal genome-wide transcriptional changes in both spider mite and tomato as a consequence of mite’s adaptation to tomato We used microarray to assess global gene expression in Solanum lycopersicum cv. Moneymaker upon Tetranychus urticae attack by tomato-adapted and non-adapted spider mite lines.
Project description:Soybean is one of the most important sources of food, protein, and oil in the world. Reductions in grain number and quality are caused by different biotic stresses. One of the most common is the phytophagous mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), which inhibits plant growth and grain production. The identification of plant responses to early and late T. urticae infestation is important for a better understanding of the mite-plant interaction. We therefore aimed to evaluate the physiological and molecular responses of soybean plants to mite infestation for 5 and 21 days. Visual and microscopic symptoms of leaf damage, H2O2 accumulation, and lipid peroxidation increased consistently throughout the infestation period, while shoot length/dry weight, chlorophyll level, and number of days to reach specific developmental stages were negatively affected by T. urticae infestation. Using proteomic analysis, we identified 185 and 266 differentially abundant proteins after early (5 days) and late (21 days) mite infestation, respectively, which suggests a complex remodeling of diverse metabolic pathways. GO, KEGG, and protein-protein interaction analyses indicated that photorespiration, chlorophyll synthesis, amino acid metabolism, Krebs cycle/energy production, mitochondrial translation, nucleotide salvage, PS II assembly, and reductive pentose-P cycle are all impacted after both early and late infestation. Specific metabolic pathways modified only after early infestation include cell wall modification, cytoskeleton composition, cell division, and lysine/histidine metabolism, while JA biosynthesis, antioxidant system, S-adenosyl methionine cycle, PS II repair, cysteine/methionine/glutathione/ascorbate/-linolenic acid/selenocompound metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, and proteasome are modified only after late infestation. These differentially abundant proteins can be used as biotechnological tools in future breeding programs aiming at increased resistance to mite infestation.
Project description:We sequenced messenger RNA from mixed stages of the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) reared on bean (Phaseolus vulgaris cv California Red Kidney; the laboratory host plant for mites) and two Arabidopsis thaliana accessions which were considered to either be susceptible (Kondara) or resistant (Bla-2) to mite feeding. This pilot experiment was conducted to assess gene expression differences of mites grown on sensitive versus resistant Arabidopsis accessions, as well as differences in mites feeding on different host species. The expression data was used for gene model validation of genes predicted by EuGene in the spider mite genome and to assess gene expression levels.