Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Genes Related to γ-Irradiation Induced Emergence Failure in Third-Instar Larvae of Bactrocera dorsalis

Simple Summary Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a severe insect pest of numerous fruits and crops worldwide. Using the Illumina Hiseq 2000 platform, we generated a comprehensive transcriptome of B. dorsalis in response to radiation. The adult of B. dorsalis could not emerge when third-instar larvae were irradiated with Co-60-gamma at 116Gy. Most differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in gene ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEEG) in enrichment studies were involved in hemolymph coagulation and digestive processes, such as protein digestion and absorption, while pancreatic secretion may be linked to the response to irradiation. Furthermore, the differential expressions of up/down regulated unigenes were confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR). The downregulation of sqd may contribute to the failure of emergence in irradiated samples, while the up-regulation of ENPEP and Ugt are involved in metabolic pathways, and their up-regulation may be considered the results of the irradiation stress reaction. Overall, the current study is a useful resource for the identification of potentially useful biochemical markers that can be used in quarantine. The oriental fruit fly is a polyphagous and highly invasive economically important pest in the world. We proposed the hypothesis that radiation treatment influence RNA expression in the larvae and leads to emergence failure. Therefore, transcriptome analyses of third-instar larvae of B. dorsalis ionizing, irradiated with Co-60-gamma at 116Gy, were conducted and compared with the controls; a total of 608 DEGs were identified, including 348 up-regulated genes and 260 down-regulated ones. In addition, 130 SNPs in 125 unigenes were identified. For the DEGs, the most significantly enriched GO item was hemolymph coagulation, and some of the enriched pathways were involved in digestive processes. The subsequent validation experiment confirmed the differential expression of six genes, including sqd, ENPEP, Jhe, mth, Notch, and Ugt. Additionally, the 3401:G->A SNP in the Notch gene was also successfully validated. According to previous research, this was the first comparative transcriptome study to discover the candidate genes involved in insect molt to pupae. These results not only deepen our understanding of the emerging mechanism of B. dorsalis but also provide new insights into the research of biomarkers for quarantine insect treatment with the appropriate dose of radiation.

Automated summary

The study investigated the transcriptome of Bactrocera dorsalis in response to radiation, revealing differential expression of genes related to hemolymph coagulation and digestive processes, with some genes up/down regulated potentially contributing to the failure of emergence in irradiated samples. The results provide valuable insights for identifying biochemical markers and understanding the effects of radiation on insect emergence mechanisms.