Ommochrome pathway genes kynurenine 3-hydroxylase and cardinal participate in eye pigmentation in Plutella xylostella

BMC Molecular and Cell Biology

article

Xu, Xuejiao¹  Harvey-Samuel, Tim⁴  Yang, Jie¹  Alphey, Luke⁴  You, Minsheng¹ 

[1] State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University;Joint International Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University;Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture;Arthropod Genetics Group, The Pirbright Institute

关键词: CRISPR/Cas9;    Kynurenine 3-hydroxylase;    Cardinal;    Plutella xylostella;    Eye pigmentation;    Gene drive;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12860-020-00308-8

学科分类：内科医学

来源: Colegio Oficial de Psicologos

【 摘 要 】

Eye pigmentation genes have been utilized as visible markers for constructing genetic control prototypes in several insect vectors of human disease. Here, orthologs of two ommochrome pathway genes, kynurenine 3-hydroxylase (kmo) and cardinal, were investigated in Plutella xylostella, a globally distributed, economically important pest of Brassica crops. Both somatic mosaic and germline mutations were efficiently created using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, and null mutant strains of Pxkmo and Pxcardinal were obtained. A frame-shift mutation in Pxkmo caused yellow compound eyes at adult stage while an in-frame mutation lacking two amino acids resulted in a hypomorphic red eye phenotypes. In contrast, Pxcardinal-deficient moths with a frame-shift mutation exhibited yellow eye pigmentation in newly emerged adults which turned to red as the adults aged. Additionally, differences were observed in the coloration of larval ocelli, brains and testes in Pxkmo and Pxcardinal yellow-eye mutant lines. Our work identifies the important roles of Pxkmo and Pxcardinal in P. xylostella eye pigmentation and provides tools for future genetic manipulation of this important crop pest.

【 授权许可】

CC BY|CC0