Acta Entomologica Sinica ›› 2017, Vol. 60 ›› Issue (3): 264-273.doi: 10.16380/j.kcxb.2017.03.004

• RESEARCH PAPERS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of the estrogen-related receptor (ERR) gene in the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus (Delphacidae: Hemiptera) and its expression profiles under the stress of sulfoxaflor

XU Lu1,2, ZHAO Chun-Qing2, XU De-Jin1, XU Guang-Chun1, XU Xiao-Long1, ZHANG Ya-Nan3, HAN Zhao-Jun2, GU Zhong-Yan1,*   

  1.  (1. Institute of Plant Protection, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China; 2. Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Crop Diseases and Pests, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China; 3. College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, Anhui 235000, China)
  • Online:2017-03-20 Published:2017-03-20

Abstract: 【Aim】 Estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) are a class of transcription factors that are dependent on ligand activation, which can respond to the stress of xenobiotic by regulating transcription levels of target genes and being involved in xenobiotic metabolism. In order to define the physiological functions of ERR in Laodelphax striatellus and its roles in insecticide metabolism, we cloned and characterized its ERR gene and analyzed its expression profiles after exposure to sulfoxaflor. 【Methods】 The ERR gene of L. striatellus was cloned using RT-PCR according to transcriptome data of L. striatellus and analyzed by bioinformatic tools, and its mRNA levels at different time and in different tissues of the 4th instar nymphs of L. striatellus after exposure to sulfoxaflor (0.76 ng/individual) were detected via real-time PCR. 【Results】 The ERR gene was cloned from L. striatellus, and named LsERR (GenBank accession no.: KY210878), its complete cDNA is 1 854 bp in length with a 1 260 bp of open reading frame, encoding a 47.70 kD protein with 419 amino acids. LsERR has the common conserved domains of NRs family, including the DNA-binding domain (DBD) (75-168 aa) and the ligand-binding domain (LBD) (194-416 aa). By using APSSP2 method, the predicted secondary structure of LsERR showed that the alpha helix accounts for 43.53%, the beta fold accounts for 5.49%, and the random coil accounts for 50.98%. There are six beta folds and three alpha helices in the DBD region while there are three beta folds and 11 alpha helices in the LBD region. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that LsERR is most closely related to Nilaparvata lugens ERR. In the 4th instar nymphs of L. striatellus exposed to sulfoxaflor, the expression level of LsERR increased at 12 h, reached the peak at 24 h, and decreased at 48 h. LsERR had weak expression in the head and high expression in the abdomen. 【Conclusion】 LsERR is a candidate gene involved in sulfoxaflor metabolism of L. striatellus. This study provides a molecular basis for the study of regulation of detoxification enzyme genes and the development of a novel molecular target of insecticides.

Key words: Laodelphax striatellus, estrogen-related receptor, gene cloning, sequence analysis, expression profile, sulfoxaflor