Genome-wide identification and expression pattern analysis of novel chemosensory genes in the German cockroach Blattella germanica.

ABSTRACT

The German cockroach Blattella germanica is an important urban insect pest worldwide. In many insects, chemosensation is essential for guiding their behaviors for survival. Although a large number of chemosensory-related genes have been identified in B. germanica, little information on tissue-specific and developmental expression patterns has not been uncovered yet. In this study, we performed transcriptome analysis of different B. germanica tissues to reveal novel chemosensory proteins (CSPs) and sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). In addition, a phylogenetic tree and gender-specific expression of multiple chemosensory gene families have been analyzed. We identified three CSPs genes (BgerCSP11, BgerCSP12, and BgerCSP13) and five SNMP genes in B. germanica. Tissue-specific expression profiling showed that CSP1, 8, and 9 exhibited significant expression levels in both adult and 5th instar nymph antennae. The results have paved the way for further functional study of the chemosensory mechanism in B. germanica and provided potential insecticide targets.