The Chorion Proteome of <i>Diaphorina citri</i>, the Vector of Huanglongbing Disease in Citrus

Abstract

Nowadays, the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri (Kuwayama) (Hemiptera: Liviidae) is considered the most devastating pest of citrus because it transmits “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus”, the putative causal agent of huanglongbing (HLB) or citrus greening. Controlling the vector is the main strategy used to mitigate HLB. Targeting D. citri at the very early stages of its development may offer an effective control strategy. Identifying chorion proteins will contribute to a better understanding of embryo development and egg hatching and thus could lead to valuable targets to better control psyllid populations. Herein, we analyze the chorion proteins of D. citri. Mass spectrometry-based bottom-up/shotgun proteomics and databases were queried to achieve protein identification. Fifty-one proteins were identified in D. citri chorion. The D. citri chorion proteins were divided into eight categories according to their biological or molecular function: i—enzymes (25%); ii—binding proteins (10%); iii—structural proteins (8%); iv—homeostasis-related proteins, mostly vitellogenins (8%); v—proteins related to gene expression (6%); vi—immune system proteins (6%); vii—other proteins (16%); and viii—uncharacterized proteins (21%). The composition of the chorion proteome suggested that the hatching rate could be reduced by silencing chorion-related genes. The proteomic analysis of D. citri chorion tissue allowed us to identify its proteins, providing promising new targets for D. citri control through RNA interference technology.

Keywords

• chorion
• hatching
• proteomics
• <i>Diaphorina</i> <i>citri</i>
• LC-MS/MS