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Liu F, Xu F, Zhang Y, Qian Y, Zhang G, Shi L, Peng L. Comparative Analyses of Reproductive Caste Types Reveal Vitellogenin Genes Involved in Queen Fertility in Solenopsis invicta. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17130. [PMID: 38138959 PMCID: PMC10743176 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) is a social pest species with a robust reproductive ability that causes extensive damage. Identification of the genes involved in queen fertility is critical in order to better understand the reproductive biology and screening for the potential molecular targets in S. invicta. Here, we used the mRNA deep sequencing (RNA-seq) approach to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the transcriptomes of three reproductive caste types of S. invicta, including queen (QA) and winged female (FA) and male (MA) ants. The genes that were specific to and highly expressed in the queens were then screened, and the Vg2 and Vg3 genes were chosen as targets to explore their functions in oogenesis and fertility. A minimum of 6.08 giga bases (Gb) of clean reads was obtained from all samples, with a mapping rate > 89.78%. There were 7524, 7133, and 977 DEGs identified in the MA vs. QA, MA vs. FA, and FA vs. QA comparisons, respectively. qRT-PCR was used to validate 10 randomly selected DEGs, including vitellogenin 2 (Vg2) and 3 (Vg3), and their expression patterns were mostly consistent with the RNA-seq data. The S. invicta Vgs included conserved domains and motifs that are commonly found in most insect Vgs. SiVg2 and SiVg3 were highly expressed in queens and winged females and were most highly expressed in the thorax, followed by the fat body, head, and epidermis. Evaluation based on a loss-of-function-based knockdown analysis showed that the downregulation of either or both of these genes resulted in smaller ovaries, less oogenesis, and less egg production. The results of transcriptional sequencing provide a foundation for clarifying the regulators of queen fertility in S. invicta. The functions of SiVg2 and SiVg3 as regulators of oogenesis highlight their importance in queen fecundity and their potential as targets of reproductive disruption in S. invicta control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fenghao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (F.L.); (F.X.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Q.); (G.Z.)
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Fengchao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (F.L.); (F.X.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Q.); (G.Z.)
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yikun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (F.L.); (F.X.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Q.); (G.Z.)
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yurui Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (F.L.); (F.X.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Q.); (G.Z.)
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Guofeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (F.L.); (F.X.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Q.); (G.Z.)
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Longqing Shi
- Rice Research Institute, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou 350018, China;
| | - Lu Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (F.L.); (F.X.); (Y.Z.); (Y.Q.); (G.Z.)
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
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