Molecular Characterization and Expression Profiling of Nuclear Receptor Gene Families in Oriental Fruit Fly, Bactrocera Dorsalis (Hendel)

Abstract

The oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) is a pest that causes large economic losses in the fruit and vegetable industry, so its control is a major challenge. Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a superfamily of ligand-dependent transcription factors that directly combine with DNA to regulate the expression of downstream target genes. NRs are closely associated with multiple physiological processes such as metabolism, reproduction, and development. Through sequence searches and analysis, we identified 21 B. dorsalis NR genes, all of which contained at least one of the two characteristic binding domains. On the basis of the conserved sequences and phylogenetic relationships, we divided the 21 NR genes into seven subfamilies. All members of the NR0 subfamily and BdHR83, which belonged to the NR2E group, lacked ligand-binding domains. The BdDSF and BdHR51, which also belonged to the NR2Egroup, and BdE78 (which belonged to the NR1E group) all lacked DNA-binding domains. The BdDSF and BdHR83 sequences were incomplete, and were not successfully amplified. Development- and tissue-specific expression profiling demonstrated that the transcript levels of the 19 NR genes varied considerably among eggs, larva, pupae, and adults, as well as among larval and adult male and female tissues. Our results will contribute to a better understanding of NR evolution and expand our knowledge of B. dorsalis physiology.