Abstract
Parasitoid wasps of the order Hymenoptera, the most diverse groups of animals, are important natural enemies of arthropod hosts in natural ecosystems and can be used in biological control. To date, only one neuropeptidome of a parasitoid wasp, Nasonia vitripennis, has been identified. This study aimed to identify more neuropeptides of parasitoid wasps, by using a well-established workflow that was previously adopted for predicting insect neuropeptide sequences. Based on publicly accessible databases, totally 517 neuropeptide precursors from 24 parasitoid wasp species were identified; these included five neuropeptides (CNMamide, FMRFamide-like, ITG-like, ion transport peptide-like and orcokinin B) that were identified for the first time in parasitoid wasps, to our knowledge. Next, these neuropeptides from parasitoid wasps were compared with those from other insect species. Phylogenetic analysis suggested the divergence of AST-CCC within Hymenoptera. Further, the encoding patterns of CAPA/PK family genes were found to be different between Hymenoptera species and other insect species. Some neuropeptides that were not found in some parasitoid superfamilies (e.g., sulfakinin), or considerably divergent between different parasitoid superfamilies (e.g., sNPF) might be related to distinct physiological processes in the parasitoid life. Information of neuropeptide sequences in parasitoid wasps can be useful for better understanding the phylogenetic relationships of Hymenoptera and further elucidating the physiological functions of neuropeptide signaling systems in parasitoid wasps.
Highlights
Parasitoid wasps (Order: Hymenoptera) are one of the most species-rich groups of animals, potentially accounting for more than 20% of the insects found globally [1]
Peptidomic analysis using mass spectrometric analyses are available for boosting the identification of neuropeptides in insects, e.g., Tribolium castaneum [9], Apis mellifera [17], Rhodnius prolixus [18], Pseudatomoscelis seriatus [19], Drosophila suzukii [20], Camponotus floridanus [21] and Oligotoma saundersii [22]
Additional neuropeptide genes of N. vitripennis were confirmed in this study, such as CNMamide (CNMa), FMRFamide-like (FMRFa), ITG-like, orcokinin B and an orthologous gene of ion transport peptide-like (ITPL) (S1 Table, S1 Fig)
Summary
Parasitoid wasps (Order: Hymenoptera) are one of the most species-rich groups of animals, potentially accounting for more than 20% of the insects found globally [1]. Neuropeptides represent the most diverse group of messenger molecules with regard to numbers and primary structures. Peptidomic analysis using mass spectrometric analyses are available for boosting the identification of neuropeptides in insects, e.g., Tribolium castaneum [9], Apis mellifera [17], Rhodnius prolixus [18], Pseudatomoscelis seriatus [19], Drosophila suzukii [20], Camponotus floridanus [21] and Oligotoma saundersii [22]. Far, only one neuropeptide set of a parasitoid wasp, Nasonia vitripennis, has been identified [23]
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