Abstract
Simple SummaryEctropis obliqua is a destructive leaf-eating pest that is widely distributed in China’s tea gardens. This pest shows remarkable resistance against multiple insecticides. As an environmentally friendly entomopathogen, Beauveria bassiana has been widely used to prevent agricultural pest infestations. However, the molecular mechanism of B. bassiana against E. obliqua remains unclear. We firstly isolated and identified a highly virulent B. bassiana strain. Using a transcriptome, we analyzed the differences of immune gene expression levels in fat bodies and hemocytes of E. obliqua that were infected by the B. bassiana, which provide molecular insights into the insect–pathogen interaction.Ectropis obliqua is a destructive masticatory pest in China’s tea gardens. Beauveria bassiana as microbial insecticides can effectively control E. obliqua larvae; however, the immune response of this insect infected by B. bassiana are largely unknown. Here, after isolating a highly virulent strain of B. bassiana from E. obliqua, the changes in gene expression among different tissues, including hemocytes and fat bodies, of E. obliqua larvae infected by the entomopathogen were investigated using transcriptome sequencing. A total of 5877 co-expressed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in hemocytes and fat bodies, of which 5826 were up-regulated in hemocytes and 5784 were up-regulated in fat bodies. We identified 249 immunity-related genes, including pattern recognition receptors, immune effectors, signal modulators, and members of immune pathways. A quantitative real-time PCR analysis confirmed that several pattern recognition receptors were upregulated in hemocytes and fat bodies; however, others were downregulated. The investigated immune effectors (ATT and PPO-1) were suppressed. The results showed that there were tissue differences in the expression of immune genes. This study provides a large number of immunity-related gene sequences from E. obliqua after being infected by B. bassiana, furthering the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of E. obliqua defenses against B. bassiana.
Highlights
Ectropis obliqua (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is the most harmful leaf-feeding pest of tea gardens in China, owing to its wide distribution and great destructiveness [1,2]
A large number of immune genes have been identified in Helicoverpa armigera [21], Clanis bilineata [21], Galleria mellonella [22], Riptortus pedestris [23], Ostrinia furnacalis [24], and Hypothenemus hampei [25] infected with B. bassiana
The target ITS sequences were submitted to National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) were used for database search, and the identified homologous sequences were downloaded
Summary
Ectropis obliqua (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is the most harmful leaf-feeding pest of tea gardens in China, owing to its wide distribution and great destructiveness [1,2]. An entomopathogenic fungus, has a wide host range, is environmentally friendly, and markedly improves pest control efficacies, resulting in its use as a biological control agent worldwide [9,10]. It has significant insecticidal effects on Ectropis obliqua [11], Rhynchophorous ferrugineus [12], Spodoptera frugiperda [13], Tetranychus urticae [14], and Tuta absoluta [15,16]. The immune response mechanisms of E. obliqua after infection by the pathogenic fungi B. bassiana remain unclear
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