The Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, revealed the convergent evolution mechanism of alarm pheromone recognition by wheat aphids and their parasitic natural enemies, smoke aphid cocoon bees

Recently, the innovation team of food crop pest monitoring and control of the Institute of Plant Protection of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences published a report entitled "Functio" in the Internatio nal Journal of Biological Macromolecules (IF=8.
025, JCR Region I).
nal analysis of odorant-binding proteins for the parasitic host location to implicate co nvergent evolution between the grain aphid and its parasitoid Aphidius gifuensis", which reveals the convergent evolution mechanism of E-β-farnesene (EBF) recognition of aphids by wheat aphid and smoked aphid cocoon bees, and analyzes the application potential
of EBF-mediated smoked aphid cocoon bees for wheat aphid biological control.

 

Wheat aphid is an important pest in wheat production in China, and winged aphid has migratory characteristics
.
Sitobion miscanthi is a dominant species of wheat aphid, widely distributed in the main wheat-producing areas
.
The aphid could not safely overwinter in the area north of the 0°C isotherm in January in China, and the insect source was successively migrated from the south in the following spring
.
Aphidifus gifuensis is the main parasitic predator of the aphid, but has a low
natural parasitic rate against winged aphids.
The results of this study showed that EBF at the level of Exoschnak significantly increased the parasitism rate of Smoked Aphid Cocoon Bee on winged aphids, which was helpful to improve pest control
.
Further research revealed that the odor-binding protein OBP family of the olfactory system of smoke aphid bees has high plasticity and complexity in the process of sensing EBF, and cooperatively regulates the recognition
of EBF.
Based on genome sequencing and transcriptome analysis of A.
smogensis cocoon, a total of 5 OBPs were screened in response to EBF induction by up-regulation or down-regulation, among which only AgifOBP6 responded (up-regulated)
to EBF from low to high doses.
Moreover, binding analysis and molecular docking showed that AgifOBP6 protein had strong binding properties to EBF, which was mainly maintained
by hydrophobic force.
In addition, sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis determined that the EBF-binding protein (AgifOBP6) and the EBF-binding protein (OBP3/7/9) of Aphid cocoon bees were different sources, indicating that the recognition receptor systems of EBF by Aphid cocoon bees and aphids were the result of
convergent evolution.
The results illustrate the molecular mechanism of EBF tending to EBF in smoke-aphid cocoon bees, and for the first time propose that the molecular basis (OBP) of EBF recognition by aphids and their parasitic natural enemies is the result of
convergent evolution.
At the same time, it provides theoretical guidance
for the development of biological control application technology of "insect control" of wheat aphid, and the realization of green prevention and control strategy of wheat aphid.

 

Jiang Xin, a doctoral student jointly trained by the Institute of Plant Protection of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Liège in Belgium, is the first author of the paper, and Associate Professor Fan Jia and Professor Chen Julian are the corresponding authors
of this paper.
Professor Freödečric Francis of the University of Liège, Belgium, Dr.
Qin Yaoguo, College of Plant Protection, China Agricultural University, researcher Xu Yun of the Institute of Agricultural Environment and Resources of the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and some graduate students of the Institute of Plant Protection of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences participated in the study
。 The research was supported
by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31801739, 31871966), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFE0115600, 2017YFD0201700), the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS-ZDRW 20108), and the CABI Development Fund (IVM10051) of China.

 

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