Pyrosequencing the Midgut Transcriptome of the Banana Weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Reveals Multiple Protease-Like Transcripts.

Arnubio Valencia,Manuel Aristizabal,Haichuan Wang,Jorge W Arboleda,Seong-Il Eyun,Blair Siegfried,Alberto Soto,Daniel D Noriega,Erjun Ling

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0151001

Abstract

The banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus is an important and serious insect pest in most banana and plantain-growing areas of the world. In spite of the economic importance of this insect pest very little genomic and transcriptomic information exists for this species. In the present study, we characterized the midgut transcriptome of C. sordidus using massive 454-pyrosequencing. We generated over 590,000 sequencing reads that assembled into 30,840 contigs with more than 400 bp, representing a significant expansion of existing sequences available for this insect pest. Among them, 16,427 contigs contained one or more GO terms. In addition, 15,263 contigs were assigned an EC number. In-depth transcriptome analysis identified genes potentially involved in insecticide resistance, peritrophic membrane biosynthesis, immunity-related function and defense against pathogens, and Bacillus thuringiensis toxins binding proteins as well as multiple enzymes involved with protein digestion. This transcriptome will provide a valuable resource for understanding larval physiology and for identifying novel target sites and management approaches for this important insect pest.

Highlights

The banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is considered one of the most invasive and destructive pests of banana worldwide [1]
Despite the enormous economic impact of the banana weevil C. sordidus on plantain crops worldwide [1], there is a general lack of transcriptome sequence data for this insect pest that could be used to examine traits of biological relevance that might be exploited for developing novel control methods
A good example of this statement is found in the study of the molecular evolution of glycoside hydrolase (GH) genes in the western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera [32]

Summary

Introduction

The banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is considered one of the most invasive and destructive pests of banana worldwide [1]. The larvae of C. sordidus are a severe constraint on banana and plantain production in most areas where these crops are cultivated, especially in Africa [2,3,4,5] where this insect pest has been associated with rapid plantation decline [6] and with a phenomenon called “yield decline syndrome” in West Africa. Transcriptome of the Banana Weevil C. sordidus

Methods

Results

Conclusion