Comparison of gene expression in the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) under different temperature conditions

Mohammad Vatanparast,Robert T Puckett,Deuk-Soo Choi,Youngjin Park

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-95779-w

Mohammad Vatanparast, Robert T Puckett + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95779-w

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Abstract

The red imported fire ant (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta Buren is native to South America and is known as a global problematic invasive species. This study focused on the molecular response of RIFA by comparing gene expression profiles after exposing ants to low (10 °C) and high (40 °C) temperature stress and comparing them to untreated controls (30 °C). A total of 99,085 unigenes (the clustered non-redundant transcripts that are filtered from the longest assembled contigs) were obtained, of which 19,154 were annotated with gene descriptions, gene ontology terms, and metabolic pathways. 86 gene ontology (GO) functional sub-groups and 23 EggNOG terms resulted. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with log2FC ≥ 10 were screened and were compared at different temperatures. We found 203, 48, and 66 specific DEGs co-regulated at 10, 20, and 40 °C. Comparing transcriptome profiles for differential gene expression resulted in various DE genes, including cytochrome P450, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1, cuticle protein and heat shock protein (HSP), which have previously been reported to be involved in cold and high temperature resistance. GO analysis revealed that antioxidant activity is up-regulated under high temperature stress. We verified the RNA-seq data by qPCR on 20 up- and down-regulated DEGs. These findings provide a basis for future understanding of the adaptation mechanisms of RIFA and the molecular mechanisms underlying the response to low and high temperatures.

Highlights

The red imported fire ant (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is a global invasive and aggressive species native to South America that is considered one of the world’s top 100 invasive pests[1,2]
Since climate change has raised the risk of invasion, South Korea is a new region to apply CLIMEX to anticipate the probable distribution of invasive p ests[20]
In another study of the invasive risk of RIFA in South Korea, other elements, such as climatic adaptability, geographical characteristics, and the impact of agricultural facilities, contribute to the invasion of these invasive ants and determine their domestic establishment, allowing them to survive in harsh climates[20].As a result of adversarial impacts and the increasing risk of invasion in South Korea, the RIFA is one of the major concerns of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency of Korea, among new threats from invasive species

Summary

Introduction

The red imported fire ant (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is a global invasive and aggressive species native to South America that is considered one of the world’s top 100 invasive pests[1,2]. S. invicta populations are established in the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, and the West I ndies[3,4] It is classified as a quarantined pest in Korea. Since 2014, transcriptome analysis using RNA-seq has been used to investigate gene expression changes when coping with thermal stress in several species of insects (Drosophila virilis[26], Cryptolaemus montrouzieri[24], Microdera punctipennis[27], Nilaparvata lugens, Sogatella furcifera, Laodelphax striatellus[28], Galeruca daurica[22], and Monochamus alternatus[7]) The findings of such studies demonstrate that cold stress can change the expression levels of hundreds of genes associated with transcription, metabolism, and cuticular organization, especially enzyme-related genes responsible for the upregulation of encoding cytochrome P450s (P450), antioxidative enzymes, and aldehyde dehydrogenase[24,29,30]

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