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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #394990
Research Project: Integrated Approach to Manage the Pest Complex on Temperate Tree Fruits

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

Title: Salivary protein expression profiles of five species of Pentatomidae (Hemiptera)

Author
item MARSHALL, ADRIAN - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item Cooper, William - Rodney
item Walker, William
item WILDUNG, MARK - Washington State University
item NORTHFIELD, TOBIN - Washington State University
item KREY, KAROL - Washington State University
item BEERS, ELIZABETH - Washington State University

Submitted to: Annals of the Entomological Society of America
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/11/2023
Publication Date: 7/25/2023
Citation: Marshall, A.T., Cooper, W.R., Walker Iii, W.B., Wildung, M., Northfield, T.D., Krey, K.L., Beers, E.H. 2023. Salivary protein expression profiles of five species of Pentatomidae (Hemiptera). Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 116:358-371. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saad020.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saad020

Interpretive Summary: Stink bugs are notorious pests of crops that inject saliva into plants while they feed. Stink bug saliva has roles in digestion of plant tissues, but little is known about other possible roles. Researchers at the USDA-ARS in Wapato WA and Washington State University analyzed genes expressed in the salivary glands of five stink bug species to identify their salivary proteins. Their work focused on two important invasive species, brown marmorated stink bug, and southern green stink bug, and on three native species, consperse stink bug, red shouldered stink bug, and Chlorochroa stink bug. They confirmed that stink bug saliva consists of proteins involved in digestion of plant tissues. They also identified numerous proteins that potentially disarm plant defenses, allowing them to feed on a wide variety of crop hosts. This study will help the researchers better understand how stink bugs avoid plant defenses and to develop crops that are resistant to stink bug pests.

Technical Abstract: Stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) development typically requires feeding on a diversity of plant species and various plant tissues. During feeding, stink bugs discharge salivary enzymes with roles in extraoral digestion and countering plant defense responses. Although previous research has described digestive salivary proteins from stink bugs, less is known of the salivary proteins involved in suppression of plant defenses. We sequenced the transcriptomes of salivary glands dissected from five stink bug species collected from non-crop habitats in Washington: Halyomorpha halys (Stål), Nezara viridula L., Euschistus conspersus (Uhler), Thyanta pallidovirens (Stål), and Chlorochroa ligata (Say). We identified a total of 677 candidate secreted proteins from the salivary glands of the five species. Based on work from other insects, many of the proteins have potential functions in suppression of plant defense signaling and deactivation of plant defense molecules. We also identified salivary proteins with potential roles in extraoral digestion of plant tissues, protection from entomopathogens, and deposition of salivary sheaths. This report provides a curation of putative salivary effector genes for further functional analysis.