Abstract
The entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae has been used for control of soil insects. However, S. carpocapse is sensitive to environmental factors, particularly temperature. We studied an S. carpocapse group that was shocked with high temperature. We also studied the transcriptome-level responses associated with temperature stress using a BGIseq sequencing platform. We de novo assembled the reads from the treatment and control groups into one transcriptome consisting of 43.9 and 42.9 million clean reads, respectively. Based on the genome database, we aligned the clean reads to the Nr, Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases and analyzed the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Compared with the control, the heat-shocked group had significant differential expression of the heat shock protein (HSP) family, antioxidase [glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)], monooxygenase (P450), and transcription factor genes (DAF-16 and DAF-2). These DEGs were demonstrated to be part of the Longevity pathway and insulin/insulin-like signaling pathway. The results revealed the potential mechanisms, at the transcriptional level, of S. carpocapsae under thermal stress.
Highlights
Traditional chemical pesticides are used to reduce agricultural losses caused by insect pests
We studied changes in the transcriptome related to heat shock treatment and analyzed the pathways and genes related to different temperature treatments
This study demonstrates the heat shock response mechanisms of S. carpocapsae at the molecular level
Summary
Traditional chemical pesticides are used to reduce agricultural losses caused by insect pests. Chemical pesticide residues pose hazards to both humans and the environment (Thomas, 2018). Biological control can be an effective method to reduce pesticide residues, and entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) can be useful biocontrol agents. EPNs can help manage damaging pests in many farming systems (Cruz-Martinez et al, 2017; Dlamini et al, 2019), and they have been commercialized in many countries. The EPN Steinernema carpocapsae interacts with symbiotic bacteria (Xenorhabdus nematophila) and parasitizes soil insect pests (Richards and Goodrich-Blair, 2009; Labaude and Griffin, 2018). Nematodes in the infective juvenile stage (dauers) search for insect hosts in the soil and enter through wounds or natural orifices, such
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