Expression and RNA interference of salivary polygalacturonase genes in the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris
1USDA-ARS, Biological Control of Pests Research Unit, 59 Lee Road, NBCL, Building 8, Stoneville, Mississippi
2Current address: The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology,
Division of Chemical Ecology. Alnarp, Sweden
Abstract
Three genes encoding polygalacturonase (PG) have been identified in Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) (Miridae: Hemiptera). Earlier studies showed that the three PG gene transcripts are exclusively expressed in the feeding stages of L. lineolaris. In this report, it is shown that all three transcripts are specifically expressed in salivary glands indicating that PGs are salivary enzymes. Transcriptional profiles of the three PGs were evaluated with respect to diet, comparing live cotton plant material to artificial diet. PG2 transcript levels were consistently lower in cotton-fed insects than those reared on artificial diet. RNA interference was used to knock down expression of PG1 mRNA in adult salivary glands providing the first demonstration of the use of this method in the non-model insect, L. lineolaris.
Keywords: extraoral digestion, gene expression, gene knockdown, RNAi, salivary enzyme
Abbreviation: PG, polygalacturonase; EST, expressed sequence tag; PGIP, polygalacturonase inhibiting protein;
RNA, ribonucleic acid; RNAi, RNA interference; cDNA, complementary 2-deoxyribonucleic acid; PCR, polymerase
chain reaction; RT-PCR, Reverse Transcription PCR; qRT-PCR, quantitative Real Time PCR
Correspondence: a*william.walker@ARS.USDA.GOV, bmeg.allen@ARS.USDA.GOV
Received: 3 September 2009 | Accepted: 9 November 2009 | Published: 6 October 2010
Copyright: This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.
ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 10, Number 173
Walker W, Allen ML. 2010. Expression and RNA interference of salivary polygalacturonase genes in the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris. Journal of Insect Science 10:173, available online: insectscience.org/10.173
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