Abstract
The separation of primary reproductive and secondary reproductive roles based on the differentiation of alate adults and neotenic reproductives is the most prominent characteristic of termites. To clarify the mechanism underlying this differentiation, we sequenced the transcriptomes of alate adults (ARs), brachypterous neotenics (BNs) and adultoid reproductives (ANs) from the last instar nymphs of Reticulitermes labralis. A total of 404,152,188 clean sequencing reads was obtained and 61,953 unigenes were assembled. Of the 54 identified cuticular protein (CP) genes of the reproductives, 22 were classified into the CPR family and 7 were classified into the CPG family. qRT-PCR analyses of the 6 CP genes revealed that the CP genes involved in exocuticle sclerotization were highly expressed in the ARs and RR-1 involved in soft endocuticle was highly expressed in the ARs and ANs. These results suggest that the alate adults might increase cuticular component deposition to adapt to new or changing environments and that the development of reproductive individuals into primary or secondary reproductives is controlled by the expression of cuticular protein genes involved in the hardening of the exocuticle. In addition, the AN caste is a transitional type between the BN and AR castes in the process of evolution.
Highlights
IntroductionThe changes in the transcriptome that are involved in the differentiation of the primary and secondary reproductive castes of termite have not been studied
To clarify the mechanism underlying this differentiation in the present study, we sequenced the transcriptome of the three different reproductive castes, that is, alate adults (ARs), adultoid reproductives (ANs) and brachypterous neotenics (BNs), from the last instar nymphs of R. labralis and subsequently quantified the differential expressions of six cuticular protein genes via quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR
Our results revealed that the cuticular proteins (CPs) genes displayed different expressionc patterns between the primary reproductives (ARs) and secondary reproductives (BNs and ANs): (i) the CP genes involved in cuticle sclerotization were highly expressed in the ARs and (ii) the CP genes involved in cuticle sclerotization were minimally expressed in the BNs and ANs (Fig. 8)
Summary
The changes in the transcriptome that are involved in the differentiation of the primary and secondary reproductive castes of termite have not been studied. The separation of the primary reproductive and secondary reproductive roles based on alate adult and neotenic reproductive differentiation is the most prominent characteristic of termites. To clarify the mechanism underlying this differentiation in the present study, we sequenced the transcriptome of the three different reproductive castes, that is, alate adults (ARs), adultoid reproductives (ANs) and brachypterous neotenics (BNs), from the last instar nymphs of R. labralis and subsequently quantified the differential expressions of six cuticular protein genes via quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). The expression profiles of the cuticular protein genes in primary and secondary reproductives will be addressed in the present study
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