Overexpressing CrSMT disrupts the growth and development of herbivorous insects by changing the composition of sterols in cotton

IF 3.8 1区农林科学 Q1 AGRONOMY

Pest Management Science Pub Date : 2025-05-04 DOI:10.1002/ps.8865

Guoqing Lu, Yuntao Liu, Wenfang Guo, Peilin Wang, Lida Han, Xiaofeng Su, Hongmei Cheng, Huiming Guo

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Herbivorous insects cause substantial losses in cotton production worldwide. To resolve insect resistance and environmental pollution challenges, an innovative and eco-friendly strategy for pest management is needed. Insects acquire sterols from dietary sources because they cannot endogenously synthesize them de novo. CrSMT, a sterol methyltransferase gene, can alter sterol profiles. We introduced CrSMT into cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) to modify sterol content. This has enabled the investigation of the potential of CrSMT in pest management.

RESULTS

CrSMT-transgenic lines were generated via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, and CrSMT was successfully expressed in the transgenic lines L17 and L25. The proportional expression of the three main phytosterols was altered in transgenic cotton. RNA sequencing results showed that numerous pathways associated with insect resistance were enriched in the L17 and L25 transgenic lines, and these pathways contribute to the ability of plants to produce large quantities of volatile secondary metabolites, helping them build defense responses against herbivorous insects. Spodoptera litura preferred R15 (wild-type) to L17 and L25 leaves in selective and non-selective feeding assays. Feeding experiments revealed that growth and development were delayed in S. litura fed transgenic cotton. Similar results were obtained for Apolygus lucorum and Helicoverpa armigera. Larval growth and development were delayed, and the length significantly decreased. In addition, the mortality rate of A. lucorum increased.

CONCLUSION

The results of functional and molecular mechanism analyses of CrSMT overexpression in cotton indicate that CrSMT transgenesis is a promising broad-spectrum and eco-friendly insect-resistance strategy that can alter the sterol content of plant tissues without adverse effects on plants. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

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过表达CrSMT通过改变棉花中甾醇的组成来破坏草食性昆虫的生长发育

背景草食性昆虫对全球棉花生产造成了重大损失。为了解决害虫抗性和环境污染的挑战，需要创新和生态友好的害虫管理策略。昆虫从食物来源获得甾醇，因为它们不能自行合成它们。CrSMT是一种固醇甲基转移酶基因，可以改变固醇谱。我们将CrSMT引入棉花中，以改变其甾醇含量。这使得研究CrSMT在病虫害管理方面的潜力成为可能。结果通过农杆菌介导转化获得了CrSMT转基因系，并在转基因系L17和L25中成功表达了CrSMT。三种主要植物甾醇在转基因棉花中的比例表达发生了变化。RNA测序结果显示，在L17和L25转基因品系中富集了许多与昆虫抗性相关的途径，这些途径有助于植物产生大量挥发性次生代谢物，帮助它们建立对食草昆虫的防御反应。在选择性和非选择性取食试验中，斜纹夜蛾更喜欢R15（野生型）而不是L17和L25叶片。饲养试验表明，转基因棉花对斜纹夜蛾生长发育有延缓作用。对绿盲蝽和棉铃虫也有类似的结果。幼虫生长发育迟缓，长度明显缩短。此外，绿盲蝽的死亡率也有所上升。结论棉花中CrSMT过表达的功能和分子机制分析结果表明，CrSMT转基因是一种很有前途的广谱、生态友好的抗虫策略，可以改变植物组织中的甾醇含量，而不会对植物产生不良影响。©2025化学工业协会。

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来源期刊

Pest Management Science 农林科学-昆虫学

CiteScore

7.90

自引率

9.80%

发文量

553

审稿时长

4.8 months

期刊介绍： Pest Management Science is the international journal of research and development in crop protection and pest control. Since its launch in 1970, the journal has become the premier forum for papers on the discovery, application, and impact on the environment of products and strategies designed for pest management. Published for SCI by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.