烟粉虱全基因组性别决定相关基因的精准注释及功能验证

Whitefly is an important worldwide agricultural pest employing haploid-diploid life cycle. Elucidating sex determination genes’ (SDGs) molecular cascade interactions, lay a foundation for understanding the sex determination/differentiation mechanisms and further sex genetic manipulation in this robust pest. Previously we have found that dsx is associated with sex determination in B. tabaci. Dsx and tra2 affect each other and both genes play a key role in forming the male genitalia, but regulating dsx’s major gene is unknown. This foundation aim to identify all SDGs in B.tabaci based on our previous published whitefly genome- and transcriptome-wide database, find all alternative splicing forms in female and male and sex biased expression for each SDG by our RNAseq pipeline combined with qPCR method, clarify the influence of silencing dsx and other SDGs to adult body and female reproductive capacity, and elucidate SDGs-dsx molecular cascade interaction in whitefly. This project from two aspects of biology influence after dsx or SDGs' silencing and SDGs-dsx molecular cascade interactions, elaborate the relationship between SDGs-dsx molecular cascade interaction and whitefly sex determination mechanism, ultimately provide new ideas for controlling this pest.

烟粉虱是世界性的重要农业害虫。研究烟粉虱性别决定基因的分子级联互作可为明确其性别决定机制，性别分化机制以及遗传操作奠定基础。前期我们在烟粉虱中鉴定到dsx，tra2和psi三个性别决定基因，发现干扰tra2对dsx丰度变化及成虫性征有影响，但却没有找到上游调控性征开关基因dsx的主效基因。本项目，拟利用烟粉虱基因组和转录组注释信息，完成烟粉虱性别决定通路基因的精准注释及克隆验证；利用RNAseq测序和定量PCR技术，明确烟粉虱所有性别决定通路基因（SDGs）的性特异可变剪切以及定量表达；观察干扰沉默重要SDGs后烟粉虱形体形态变化和雌虫繁殖能力变化；阐明重要SDGs与dsx的分子级联互作。从全基因组水平的SDGs注释和重要SDGs和dsx的分子互作关系两个方面，阐明烟粉虱性别决定机制中重要功能基因之间的级联互作与烟粉虱性别决定机制之间的关系，最终为有效控制烟粉虱提供新思路。

烟粉虱是世界性的重要农业害虫。研究烟粉虱性别决定基因的分子级联互作可为明确其性别决定机制，性别分化机制以及遗传操作奠定基础。前期我们在烟粉虱中鉴定到dsx，tra2和psi三个性别决定基因，发现干扰tra2对dsx丰度变化及成虫性征有影响，但却没有找到上游调控性征开关基因dsx的主效基因。本项目首先完成了26个烟粉虱性别决定基因的基因组注释，接着阐明了部分重要烟粉虱性别决定基因的结构及剪接模式；揭示了重要性别决定基因在烟粉虱不同龄期不同性别间的表达量差异；通过RNAi干扰技术，揭示了重要烟粉虱性别决定基因的性别功能，并提出了关于烟粉虱性别决定级联调控通路初级模型的猜想。研究结果对于揭示烟粉虱性别决定级联调控的分子机理及控制烟粉虱的持续扩散危害具有重大理论及实际意义。