Abstract
The recent resurgence of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) infestations worldwide has created a need for renewed research on biology, behavior, population genetics and management practices. Humans serve as exclusive hosts to bed bugs in urban environments. Since a majority of humans consume Ibuprofen (as pain medication) and caffeine (in coffee and other soft drinks) so bug bugs subsequently acquire Ibuprofen and caffeine through blood feeding. However, the effect of these chemicals at genetic level in bed bug is unknown. Therefore, this research was conducted to determine differential gene expression in bed bugs using RNA-Seq analysis at dosages of 200 ppm Ibuprofen and 40 ppm caffeine incorporated into reconstituted human blood and compared against the control. Total RNA was extracted from a single bed bug per replication per treatment and sequenced. Read counts obtained were analyzed using Bioconductor software programs to identify differentially expressed genes, which were then searched against the non-redundant (nr) protein database of National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Data on comparison of differentially expressed genes between control and Ibuprofen treatments revealed that 659 genes were significantly differentially regulated and 95% of them returned BLAST hits. Heat stress proteins were among the top significantly differentially down regulated genes. Comparison of the control vs caffeine treatments revealed that 2,161 genes were significantly differently regulated (Padj <0.05). Heat shock proteins were among the top ten down regulated genes in both treatments. Finally, using RNAi to identify the exact function of these highly differentially expressed genes and regulating these genes may offer potential for managing bed bug populations.
Highlights
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L., Hemiptera: Cimicidae) are intermittent ectoparasities
Top Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) mapping output for control vs caffeine identified 45 genes and 19 enzymes differentially expressed involved in the purine metabolism pathway; 29 of these genes were differentially up regulated and 16 differentially down regulated
This research is the second phase of a study by Narain and Kamble [4] on the biological impacts of Ibuprofen and caffeine on bed bugs, which focused on the differential gene expression in bed bugs 24 hr after ingesting Ibuprofen and caffeine from reconstituted human blood
Summary
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L., Hemiptera: Cimicidae) are intermittent ectoparasities. They spend most of their time in their harborage of cracks and crevices of structures and leave only to feed. They feed mainly on the blood of mammals and birds, such as bats, humans and fowls. Bed bug nymphs and adults of both sexes require a blood meal for survival, growth and reproduction. The recent resurgence of the common bed bug infestations worldwide has created a need for renewed interest in conducting new research on biology, behavior, population genetics and management practices
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