Genome Annotation of Molting-Related Protein-Coding Genes in <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i> Reveals Transcriptomic Responses to Heavy Metal Contamination

The exoskeleton of insects, known as the cuticle, necessitates regular renewal during molting and metamorphosis, with chitin being its primary structural component. Consequently, the molting and metamorphosis processes in insects are characterized by periodic degradation and synthesis of chitin, whi...

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Main Authors: Wenbin Liu, Anmo Zhou, Ziming Shao, Jiaxin Nie, Chuncai Yan, Shaobo Gao, Yiwen Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Insects
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/6/636
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author Wenbin Liu
Anmo Zhou
Ziming Shao
Jiaxin Nie
Chuncai Yan
Shaobo Gao
Yiwen Wang
author_facet Wenbin Liu
Anmo Zhou
Ziming Shao
Jiaxin Nie
Chuncai Yan
Shaobo Gao
Yiwen Wang
author_sort Wenbin Liu
collection DOAJ
description The exoskeleton of insects, known as the cuticle, necessitates regular renewal during molting and metamorphosis, with chitin being its primary structural component. Consequently, the molting and metamorphosis processes in insects are characterized by periodic degradation and synthesis of chitin, which are tightly regulated by juvenile hormone (JH) and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i>, a species that plays a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems, demonstrates remarkable resilience to environmental pollutants, including metallic elements found in industrial waste. In this investigation, we systematically analyzed and summarized the metabolic pathways associated with JH, 20E, chitin, and heavy metal transport in <i>P. akamusi</i>. Based on previous genome assembly, we conducted a systematic annotation and functional analysis of genes involved in these metabolic pathways in <i>P</i>. <i>akamusi</i>. This was achieved by querying conserved domains using Pfam and SMART, as well as identifying gene-specific classical consensus regions through amino acid sequence alignment using DNAMAN. Through our validation, a total of 109 genes were definitively categorized into four distinct metabolic pathways: 27 genes were involved in the JH metabolic pathway, 24 in the 20E metabolic pathway, 27 in the chitin metabolic pathway, and 31 in metal transport pathways. A total of 30 genes failed our validation and were temporarily excluded. Furthermore, through RNA sequencing (RNA-seq)-based transcriptome analysis, we observed that under copper (Cu) stress, the expression levels of the majority of genes participating in these metabolic pathways in <i>P. akamusi</i> were altered. This finding suggests that copper exposure influences the molting process in <i>P. akamusi</i>.
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spelling doaj-art-d1b8323c4e664af2b9fe445aac51ad632025-08-20T02:21:03ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502025-06-0116663610.3390/insects16060636Genome Annotation of Molting-Related Protein-Coding Genes in <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i> Reveals Transcriptomic Responses to Heavy Metal ContaminationWenbin Liu0Anmo Zhou1Ziming Shao2Jiaxin Nie3Chuncai Yan4Shaobo Gao5Yiwen Wang6College of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, ChinaGrassland Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot 010010, ChinaSchool of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaThe exoskeleton of insects, known as the cuticle, necessitates regular renewal during molting and metamorphosis, with chitin being its primary structural component. Consequently, the molting and metamorphosis processes in insects are characterized by periodic degradation and synthesis of chitin, which are tightly regulated by juvenile hormone (JH) and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i>, a species that plays a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems, demonstrates remarkable resilience to environmental pollutants, including metallic elements found in industrial waste. In this investigation, we systematically analyzed and summarized the metabolic pathways associated with JH, 20E, chitin, and heavy metal transport in <i>P. akamusi</i>. Based on previous genome assembly, we conducted a systematic annotation and functional analysis of genes involved in these metabolic pathways in <i>P</i>. <i>akamusi</i>. This was achieved by querying conserved domains using Pfam and SMART, as well as identifying gene-specific classical consensus regions through amino acid sequence alignment using DNAMAN. Through our validation, a total of 109 genes were definitively categorized into four distinct metabolic pathways: 27 genes were involved in the JH metabolic pathway, 24 in the 20E metabolic pathway, 27 in the chitin metabolic pathway, and 31 in metal transport pathways. A total of 30 genes failed our validation and were temporarily excluded. Furthermore, through RNA sequencing (RNA-seq)-based transcriptome analysis, we observed that under copper (Cu) stress, the expression levels of the majority of genes participating in these metabolic pathways in <i>P. akamusi</i> were altered. This finding suggests that copper exposure influences the molting process in <i>P. akamusi</i>.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/6/636<i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i>juvenile hormoneecdysonechitinmetal transportstress
spellingShingle Wenbin Liu
Anmo Zhou
Ziming Shao
Jiaxin Nie
Chuncai Yan
Shaobo Gao
Yiwen Wang
Genome Annotation of Molting-Related Protein-Coding Genes in <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i> Reveals Transcriptomic Responses to Heavy Metal Contamination
Insects
<i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i>
juvenile hormone
ecdysone
chitin
metal transport
stress
title Genome Annotation of Molting-Related Protein-Coding Genes in <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i> Reveals Transcriptomic Responses to Heavy Metal Contamination
title_full Genome Annotation of Molting-Related Protein-Coding Genes in <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i> Reveals Transcriptomic Responses to Heavy Metal Contamination
title_fullStr Genome Annotation of Molting-Related Protein-Coding Genes in <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i> Reveals Transcriptomic Responses to Heavy Metal Contamination
title_full_unstemmed Genome Annotation of Molting-Related Protein-Coding Genes in <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i> Reveals Transcriptomic Responses to Heavy Metal Contamination
title_short Genome Annotation of Molting-Related Protein-Coding Genes in <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i> Reveals Transcriptomic Responses to Heavy Metal Contamination
title_sort genome annotation of molting related protein coding genes in i propsilocerus akamusi i reveals transcriptomic responses to heavy metal contamination
topic <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i>
juvenile hormone
ecdysone
chitin
metal transport
stress
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/6/636
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