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The locust genome provides insight into swarm formation and long-distance flight

2014; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 5; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/ncomms3957

2041-1723

Xianhui Wang, Xiaodong Fang, Pengcheng Yang, Xuanting Jiang, Feng Jiang, Dejian Zhao, Bolei Li, Feng Cui, Jianing Wei, Chuan Ma, Yundan Wang, Jing He, Yuan Luo, Zhifeng Wang, Xiaojiao Guo, Wei Guo, Xuesong Wang, Yi Zhang, Meiling Yang, Shuguang Hao, Bing Chen, Zongyuan Ma, Dan Yu, Zhiqiang Xiong, Yabing Zhu, Dingding Fan, Lijuan Han, Bo Wang, Yuanxin Chen, Junwen Wang, Yang Lan, Wei Zhao, Yue Feng, Guanxing Chen, Jinmin Lian, Qiye Li, Zhiyong Huang, Xiaoming Yao, Na Lv, Guojie Zhang, Yingrui Li, Jian Wang, Jun Wang, Baoli Zhu, Le Kang,

Plant Virus Research Studies

Locusts are one of the world's most destructive agricultural pests and represent a useful model system in entomology. Here we present a draft 6.5 Gb genome sequence of Locusta migratoria, which is the largest animal genome sequenced so far. Our findings indicate that the large genome size of L. migratoria is likely to be because of transposable element proliferation combined with slow rates of loss for these elements. Methylome and transcriptome analyses reveal complex regulatory mechanisms involved in microtubule dynamic-mediated synapse plasticity during phase change. We find significant expansion of gene families associated with energy consumption and detoxification, consistent with long-distance flight capacity and phytophagy. We report hundreds of potential insecticide target genes, including cys-loop ligand-gated ion channels, G-protein-coupled receptors and lethal genes. The L. migratoria genome sequence offers new insights into the biology and sustainable management of this pest species, and will promote its wide use as a model system. Locusts are destructive agricultural pests and serve as a model organism for studies of insects. Here, the authors report a draft genome sequence of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria, and provide insight into genes associated with key survival traits such as phase-change, long-distance migration and feeding.