Genomic features of the polyphagous cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis
Chao Wu,
Lei Zhang,
Bo Liu,
Bojia Gao,
Cong Huang,
Ji Zhang,
Minghui Jin,
Hanyue Wang,
Yan Peng,
Annabel Rice,
Esmat Hegazi,
Kenneth Wilson,
Pengjun Xu,
Yutao Xiao
Affiliations
Chao Wu
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Lei Zhang
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture; Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Bo Liu
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture; Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Bojia Gao
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture; Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Cong Huang
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture; Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Ji Zhang
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture; Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Minghui Jin
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture; Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Hanyue Wang
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture; Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Yan Peng
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture; Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Annabel Rice
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Esmat Hegazi
Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture Alexandria University
Kenneth Wilson
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Pengjun Xu
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Yutao Xiao
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
Abstract Background The cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis, is a highly polyphagous pest of many cultivated plants and crops in Africa and Europe. The genome of this pest will help us to further understand the molecular mechanisms of polyphagy. Results Herein, the high-quality genome of S. littoralis was obtained by Pacific Bioscience (PacBio) sequencing. The assembled genome size of S. littoralis is 436.55 Mb with a scaffold N50 of 6.09 Mb, consisting of 17,207 annotated protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis shows that S. littoralis and its sibling species S. litura diverged about 5.44 million years ago. Expanded gene families were mainly involved in metabolic detoxification and tolerance to toxic xenobiotics based on GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathway analysis. Comparative genomics analysis showed that gene families involved in detoxification and chemosensation were significantly expanded in S. littoralis, representing genetic characteristics related to polyphagy and an extensive host range. Conclusions We assembled and annotated the reference genome of S. littoralis, and revealed that this pest has the genetic features of strong detoxification capacity, consistent with it being a significant risk to a wide range of host crops. These data resources will provide support for risk assessment and early warning monitoring of major polyphagous agricultural pests.
