Transcriptome-informed identification and characterization of Planococcus citri cis- and trans-isoprenyl diphosphate synthase genes
Mojca Juteršek,
Iryna M. Gerasymenko,
Marko Petek,
Elisabeth Haumann,
Sandra Vacas,
Kalyani Kallam,
Silvia Gianoglio,
Vicente Navarro-Llopis,
Michael Heethoff,
Ismael Navarro Fuertes,
Nicola Patron,
Diego Orzáez,
Kristina Gruden,
Heribert Warzecha,
Špela Baebler
Affiliations
Mojca Juteršek
National Institute of Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Corresponding author
Iryna M. Gerasymenko
Plant Biotechnology and Metabolic Engineering, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany; Centre for Synthetic Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany; Corresponding author
Marko Petek
National Institute of Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Elisabeth Haumann
Plant Biotechnology and Metabolic Engineering, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany; Centre for Synthetic Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
Sandra Vacas
Instituto Agroforestal del Mediterráneo-CEQA, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia, Spain
Kalyani Kallam
Engineering Biology, Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7UZ, UK
Silvia Gianoglio
Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) - Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Valencia, Spain
Vicente Navarro-Llopis
Instituto Agroforestal del Mediterráneo-CEQA, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia, Spain
Michael Heethoff
Animal Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
Ismael Navarro Fuertes
Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Valencia, Burjassot, València, Spain
Nicola Patron
Engineering Biology, Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7UZ, UK
Diego Orzáez
Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) - Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Valencia, Spain
Kristina Gruden
National Institute of Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Heribert Warzecha
Plant Biotechnology and Metabolic Engineering, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany; Centre for Synthetic Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstrasse 4, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
Špela Baebler
National Institute of Biology, Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Summary: Insect physiology and reproduction depend on several terpenoid compounds, whose biosynthesis is mainly unknown. One enigmatic group of insect monoterpenoids are mealybug sex pheromones, presumably resulting from the irregular coupling activity of unidentified isoprenyl diphosphate synthases (IDSs). Here, we performed a comprehensive search for IDS coding sequences of the pest mealybug Planococcus citri. We queried the available genomic and newly generated short- and long-read P. citri transcriptomic data and identified 18 putative IDS genes, whose phylogenetic analysis indicates several gene family expansion events. In vitro testing confirmed regular short-chain coupling activity with five gene products. With the candidate with highest IDS activity, we also detected low amounts of irregular coupling products, and determined amino acid residues important for chain-length preference and irregular coupling activity. This work therefore provides an important foundation for deciphering terpenoid biosynthesis in mealybugs, including the sex pheromone biosynthesis in P. citri.
