Short Neuropeptide F and Its Receptor Regulate Feeding Behavior in Pea Aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum)

Insects

Muhammad Yasir Ali¹  Yan Shi¹  Muhammad Bilal Amir¹  Tong-Xian Liu¹  Hehe Cao¹  Muhammad Afaq Ahmed¹  Guy Smagghe² 

[1] Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology and Molecular Biology, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China;Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;

关键词: Acyrthosiphon pisum;    short neuropeptide F;    G protein-coupled receptor;    transcriptional expression;    RNA interference;    feeding regulation;   

DOI  :  10.3390/insects13030282

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Insect short neuropeptide F (sNPF), an ortholog of prolactin-releasing peptide of invertebrates, regulates diverse biological processes, including feeding, olfaction, locomotion, and sleep homeostasis in insects. However, its function is still unclear in an important model insect and agricultural pest, the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum). Here, we investigated short neuropeptide F (ApsNPF) and its receptor (ApsNPFR) in A. pisum. The sNPF gene contains three exons and two long introns. In addition, the genome contains a single sNPF receptor with seven transmembrane domains. Stage- and tissue-specific transcript profiling by qRT-PCR revealed that ApsNPF and ApsNPFR were mainly expressed in the central nervous system. The receptor was also detected in antennae, midgut, and integument. The highest expression levels were found in first instar nymphs compared to other developmental stages. Besides, the starvation-induced pattern indicated that the sNPF network depends on the nutritional state of the insect. An electrical penetration graph showed that probing time and phloem duration of A. pisum on broad bean plants decreased in response to dssNPF and dssNPFR in RNAi assays. sNPF silencing reduced the number of nymphs per female but not aphid survival. We believe that our results advance in-depth knowledge of the sNPF/sNPFR signaling cascade and its place in regulating feeding behavior in insects. In turn, it may contribute to the potential design of new strategies to control aphids, with a focus on the sNPF system.

【 授权许可】

Unknown