Abstract
Drosophila suzukii is a highly polyphagous invasive pest which has been recently introduced into Europe and North America, where it is causing severe economic losses through larval infestations of stone and berry fruits. The peptidome of the selected nervous tissues of adult D. suzukii was investigated as a first step in identifying potential targets for the development of novel insecticides. Through in silico analyses of the D. suzukii genome databases 28 neuropeptide families, comprising more than 70 predicted peptides were identified. Using a combination of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry of tissue extracts, 33 predicted peptides, representing 15 different peptide families were identified by their molecular masses and a total of 17 peptide sequences were confirmed by ion fragmentation. A comparison between the peptides and precursors of D. suzukii and D. melanogaster shows they are highly conserved, with differences only identified in the amino acid sequences of the peptides encoded in the FMRFamide, hugin and ecydysis triggering hormone precursors. All other peptides predicted and identified from D. suzukii appear to be identical to those previously characterized from D. melanogaster. Adipokinetic hormone was only identified in the corpus cardiacum, other peptides present included short neuropeptide F, a pyrokinin and myosuppressin, the latter of which was the only peptide identified from the crop nerve bundle. Peptides present in extracts of the brain and/or thoracico-abdominal ganglion included allatostatins, cardioacceleratory peptide 2b, corazonin, extended FMRFamides, pyrokinins, myoinihibitory peptides, neuropeptide-like precursor 1, SIFamide, short neuropeptide F, kinin, sulfakinins and tachykinin related peptides.
Highlights
IntroductionIn contrast to most other fruit flies which infest overripe or decaying fruit, a prominent serrated ovipositor permits female D. suzukii to penetrate and lay eggs in unripe fruit (predominantly berry and stone fruit)
Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, is a vinegar fly native to Asia. It is a highly polyphagous invasive pest which has been recently introduced into Europe and North America, where it is commonly known as the spotted winged Drosophila [14]
Since the sequencing and annotation of the D. melanogaster genome in 2000 (Adams et al 2010), the peptidome of this insect has been repeatedly investigated by in silico and mass spectrometric analyses resulting in a comprehensive catalogue of the peptides present in this insect [8, 9, 28, 43, 56]
Summary
In contrast to most other fruit flies which infest overripe or decaying fruit, a prominent serrated ovipositor permits female D. suzukii to penetrate and lay eggs in unripe fruit (predominantly berry and stone fruit). This results in severe economic losses through larval infestations and damage, often leading to secondary infection by pathogens [18, 54]. The recent publication of the genome and transcriptome of D. suzukii from an Italian alpine population [42] and the sequencing and annotation of the genome from a North American strain [15] will facilitate genomic and functional studies These will yield insights into the evolution and adaptation of this pest as well as comparative analyses with other Drosophila and insect species. This genomic data contains the information of all proteins and peptides (as gene precursors) and virtually all biochemical and physiological processes that occur, which will aid in the identification of new insecticide targets
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