PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
The zoophytophagous stink bug, Nesidiocoris tenuis, is a promising natural enemy of micro-pests such as whiteflies and thrips. This bug possesses both phytophagous and entomophagous food habits, enabling it to obtain nutrition from both plants and insects. This trait allows us to maintain its population density in agricultural fields by introducing insectary plants, even when the pest prey density is extremely low. However, if the bugs\' population becomes too dense, they can sometimes damage crop plants. This dual character seems to arise from the food preferences and chemosensation of this predator. To understand the genomic landscape of N. tenuis, we examined the whole genome sequence of a commercially available Japanese strain. We used long-read sequencing and Hi-C analysis to assemble the genome at the chromosomal level. We then conducted a comparative analysis of the genome with previously reported genomes of phytophagous and hematophagous stink bugs to focus on the genetic factors contributing to this species\' herbivorous and carnivorous tendencies. Our findings suggest that the gustatory gene set plays a pivotal role in adapting to food habits, making it a promising target for selective breeding. Furthermore, we identified the whole genomes of microorganisms symbiotic with this species through genomic analysis. We believe that our results shed light on the food habit adaptations of N. tenuis and will accelerate breeding efforts based on new breeding techniques for natural enemy insects, including genomics and genome editing.
摘要：
动物生食臭虫，Nesidiocoristenuis,是粉虱和蓟马等微害虫的有前途的天敌。这种虫子具有植食性和食虫性的饮食习惯，使它能够从植物和昆虫中获得营养。这种特性使我们能够通过引入昆虫植物来保持其在农田中的种群密度，即使害虫的猎物密度极低。然而,如果虫子种群变得太密集，它们有时会损害农作物。这种双重特征似乎源于这种捕食者的食物偏好和化学感觉。为了了解N.tenuis的基因组景观，我们检查了市售日本菌株的全基因组序列。我们使用longgread测序和Hi-C分析在染色体水平上组装基因组。然后，我们将基因组与先前报道的植食性和食血性臭虫的基因组进行了比较分析，以关注导致该物种草食性和食肉性倾向的遗传因素。我们的发现表明，味觉基因集在适应饮食习惯中起着关键作用，使其成为选择性育种的有希望的目标。此外，我们通过基因组分析确定了与该物种共生的微生物的整个基因组。我们相信，我们的结果揭示了N.tenuis的饮食习惯适应，并将加速基于天敌昆虫的新育种技术的育种工作，包括基因组学和基因组编辑。
