Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) transcriptomic analysis and neuropeptidomics

LAVORE, ANDRÉS; PEREZ-GIANMARCO, L.; ESPONDA-BEHRENS, N; PALACIO, V.; CATALANO, M.I.; RIVERA-POMAR, R.; ONS, S.

Scientific Reports

Nature publishing group

Lugar: London; Año: 2018

Stinkbugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are of major economic importance as pest of crops.Among the species composing the stinkbug complex, Nezara viridula is one of the most abundantin Brazil, Argentina and the Southern USA. However, this species has been poorly characterized atthe genetic and physiological level. Here we sequenced and analyzed the complete transcriptomeof N. viridula male and female adults. We identified neuropeptide precursor genes and G-proteincoupled receptors for neuropeptides in this transcriptome. Mature neuropeptides were identifiedin N. viridula brain extracts by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. We alsoanalyzed the neuropeptide precursor complement in the genome sequence of Halyomorpha halys,another pentatomid of economic relevance. We compared the results in both pentatomids withthe well-characterized neuropeptide repertoire from the kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus(Hemiptera: Reduviidae). We identified both group-specific features (which could be related to thedifferent feeding habits) and similarities that could be characteristic of Heteroptera. This workcontributes to a deeper knowledge of the genetic information of these pests, with a focus onneuroendocrine system characterization.