The genome of pest Rhynchophorus ferrugineus reveals gene families important at the plant-beetle interface

Khaled Michel Hazzouri, Naganeeswaran Sudalaimuthuasari, Biduth Kundu, David Nelson, Mohammad Ali Al-Deeb, Alain Le Mansour, Johnston J. Spencer, Claude Desplan, Khaled M.A. Amiri

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, infests palm plantations, leading to large financial losses and soil erosion. Pest-host interactions are poorly understood in R. ferrugineus, but the analysis of genetic diversity and pest origins will help advance efforts to eradicate this pest. We sequenced the genome of R. ferrugineus using a combination of paired-end Illumina sequencing (150 bp), Oxford Nanopore long reads, 10X Genomics and synteny analysis to produce an assembly with a scaffold N50 of ~60 Mb. Structural variations showed duplication of detoxifying and insecticide resistance genes (e.g., glutathione S-transferase, P450, Rdl). Furthermore, the evolution of gene families identified those under positive selection including one glycosyl hydrolase (GH16) gene family, which appears to result from horizontal gene transfer. This genome will be a valuable resource to understand insect evolution and behavior and to allow the genetic modification of key genes that will help control this pest.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number323
JournalCommunications Biology
Volume3
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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