Investigating the glucolipid metabolism of diapause in Microplitis mediator based on transcriptome sequencing

Through transcriptomic analysis of Microplitis mediator pupae during the normal developmental stage (ND) and diapause preparation stage (DP), we preliminarily identified and investigated key genes involved in energy metabolism during diapause.

Utilizing the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform, transcriptomic sequencing and analysis were performed on ND and DP pupae. Differences in transcriptomic data between the two stages were identified, key genes involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism were screened, and 10 of these genes were selected for RT-qPCR validation.

A total of 139 437 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the ND vs DP comparison. These were primarily enriched in signaling pathways such as glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, starch and sucrose metabolism, fatty acid degradation, and galactose metabolism. The most significantly enriched Gene Ontology (GO) term was GO: 0005488, annotated as "binding, " which encompassed 7 436 genes. Based on the enrichment results, 10 candidate genes associated with carbohydrate and lipid metabolism were selected. Among these, the expression levels of TRE (involved in trehalose degradation), GS (involved in glycogen synthesis), and IDH (involved in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle) were significantly higher in DP pupae compared to ND pupae. Conversely, the expression levels of TPS (involved in trehalose synthesis) and FH (involved in the TCA cycle) were lower in DP pupae. Additionally, genes involved in fatty acid metabolism and synthesis, including ACOT, ADH, GPAT, FAR, and MAGL, exhibited higher expression levels in DP pupae than in ND pupae.

Based on the transcriptome results, this study analyzed and screened 10 key genes involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism during diapause, providing theoretical insights for subsequent research in this field.