Screening of reference genes for expression analysis in the study of soldier caste differentiation of Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki
The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, is a serious pest worldwide. Juvenile hormone analog (and its analogs such as methoprene) can induce the transformation of the worker caste into soldier caste in C. formosanus. However, several factors, such as feeding substrate and...
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PeerJ Inc.
2019-11-01
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/7981.pdf |
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| author | He Du Wenjing Wu Xueyi Huang Zhiqiang Li |
| author_facet | He Du Wenjing Wu Xueyi Huang Zhiqiang Li |
| author_sort | He Du |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, is a serious pest worldwide. Juvenile hormone analog (and its analogs such as methoprene) can induce the transformation of the worker caste into soldier caste in C. formosanus. However, several factors, such as feeding substrate and colony origin, influence the proportion of solider formation. The molecular mechanism of worker to soldier transformation of C. formosanus is still not clear. RT-qPCR is a powerful tool for molecular studies. Accurate gene quantification by the relative quantification method requires a stable expressed gene as the reference gene. However, no reference genes were available for this species in the methoprene bioassay. To study the problem of gene response to methoprene by RT-qPCR we have to first screen reference genes in C. formosanus. Workers were fed with methoprene. Termites were collected during the methoprene bioassay and separated into head and thorax+abdomen. Expression profiles of 10 candidate reference genes in the two body part types were investigated using RT-qPCR. The results were analyzed by a set of established methods (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder) as well as comparative ΔCt method. Our results suggest that RPS18 is the most stably-expressed gene both in the head and thorax+abdomen for expression analysis in the methoprene bioassay of C. formosanus. The screening of suitable reference genes in C. formosanus establishes the foundation for the molecular study of soldier caste differentiation in this species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:00:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b909319e564549e58affe0c0f94b13d7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:00:55Z |
| publishDate | 2019-11-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-b909319e564549e58affe0c0f94b13d72023-12-03T00:46:31ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592019-11-017e798110.7717/peerj.7981Screening of reference genes for expression analysis in the study of soldier caste differentiation of Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus ShirakiHe DuWenjing WuXueyi HuangZhiqiang LiThe Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, is a serious pest worldwide. Juvenile hormone analog (and its analogs such as methoprene) can induce the transformation of the worker caste into soldier caste in C. formosanus. However, several factors, such as feeding substrate and colony origin, influence the proportion of solider formation. The molecular mechanism of worker to soldier transformation of C. formosanus is still not clear. RT-qPCR is a powerful tool for molecular studies. Accurate gene quantification by the relative quantification method requires a stable expressed gene as the reference gene. However, no reference genes were available for this species in the methoprene bioassay. To study the problem of gene response to methoprene by RT-qPCR we have to first screen reference genes in C. formosanus. Workers were fed with methoprene. Termites were collected during the methoprene bioassay and separated into head and thorax+abdomen. Expression profiles of 10 candidate reference genes in the two body part types were investigated using RT-qPCR. The results were analyzed by a set of established methods (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder) as well as comparative ΔCt method. Our results suggest that RPS18 is the most stably-expressed gene both in the head and thorax+abdomen for expression analysis in the methoprene bioassay of C. formosanus. The screening of suitable reference genes in C. formosanus establishes the foundation for the molecular study of soldier caste differentiation in this species.https://peerj.com/articles/7981.pdfMethoprene bioassayExpression stabilityNormalization |
| spellingShingle | He Du Wenjing Wu Xueyi Huang Zhiqiang Li Screening of reference genes for expression analysis in the study of soldier caste differentiation of Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki PeerJ Methoprene bioassay Expression stability Normalization |
| title | Screening of reference genes for expression analysis in the study of soldier caste differentiation of Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki |
| title_full | Screening of reference genes for expression analysis in the study of soldier caste differentiation of Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki |
| title_fullStr | Screening of reference genes for expression analysis in the study of soldier caste differentiation of Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki |
| title_full_unstemmed | Screening of reference genes for expression analysis in the study of soldier caste differentiation of Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki |
| title_short | Screening of reference genes for expression analysis in the study of soldier caste differentiation of Formosan subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki |
| title_sort | screening of reference genes for expression analysis in the study of soldier caste differentiation of formosan subterranean termite coptotermes formosanus shiraki |
| topic | Methoprene bioassay Expression stability Normalization |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/7981.pdf |
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