Abstract
Some insect galls are formed on sumac plants by certain aphid species and have been used for medicinal and chemical purposes as they are rich in tannins. The most prominent species among gall aphids in China is Schlechtendalia chinensis, which formed horn-shaped galls on the winged rachis of Rhus chinensis. S. chinensis has a complex life cycle, with a switch of hosts between R. chinensis and certain mosses, and a switch of sexual and asexual reproduction (cyclical parthenogenesis). We have cloned a full-length cDNA of the β-tubulin gene from S. chinensis, using qPCR and RACE. This cDNA has 1606 base pairs with a 251 bp 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR) and a 15 bp 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR). The gene encodes a protein with 376 amino acids residues. The expression levels of the β-tubulin gene in S. chinensis were investigated among fundatrigeniae and overwintering larvae rearing under either natural conditions, or at 7.5 °C and 18 °C. No significant differences (P > 0.01) in gene expression levels were found in insects under these conditions. It is indicates that the β-tubulin gene is highly conserved and then it may be used as a reference for further research in gene expression and reproduction determination in this important aphid.
Highlights
Certain aphid galls are structures of plant tissues induced by aphids on plants in the tribe Fordini (Hemiptera, Aphididae, Eriosomatinae)
Amino acid sequences of the predicted protein shares greater than 95% similarity to the homolog of the pea aphid, suggesting that the β-tubulin gene is highly conserved during evolution
Tubulins participate in important physiological activities such as cyclosis, form maintenance, cell division and differentiation, signal transduction, and polarity construction[14,15,16]
Summary
Certain aphid galls are structures of plant tissues induced by aphids on plants in the tribe Fordini (Hemiptera, Aphididae, Eriosomatinae). There are eleven species of aphids (in six genera) that can form galls on Rhus trees commonly found in eastern Asia, especially in southwest China These galls ( called Chinese Gall) have historically been used for medicinal and chemical purposes, as they are rich in tannins, which accounting for about 50–75% of total gall dry weight. The cloning of β-tubulin gene from this economically important, genomically understudied aphid is useful to better understand its structure, function, and expression in the different modes of reproduction. The availability of this gene provides a useful control during expression analysis of other genes in S. chinensis
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