Expression Patterns of the Serine Protease Gene AlSP 3 in Apolygus lucorum (Hemiptera: Miridae) at Different Temperatures

As an important digestive enzyme gene, the serine protease gene AlSP 3 plays a key role in Apolygus lucorum for digesting conventional cotton. To understand the effect of different temperatures on the expression level of AlSP 3, we analyzed the expression patterns of AlSP 3 in A. lucorum reared at different temperatures using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that at the normal temperature of 24 ℃, the expression of AlSP 3 in A .lucorum at different nymphal stages was similar. The expressions of AlSP 3 in the female adult at the pre-mating stage and the male adult at post-mating stage were 19.71- and 7.16-fold higher than their control at the 1^st nymphal stage, respectively, which were significantly higher than at any other stages. However, expression in the 4^th to 5^th A. lucorum at the nymphal stage increased with rising temperature in the range of 21～30 ℃. At 30 ℃, the expression of AlSP 3 in the 2nd to 5^th A. lucorum was the highest. The expression levels of AlSP 3 in adult A. lucorum reared at different temperatures during the new emergence and pre-mating stages were significantly higher than that of the control reared at 24 ℃ (P < 0.01), while the expression during the post-mating stage at 18℃ was higher than that at other temperatures. When incubated at extreme temperatures (4 ℃ and 40 ℃), the expression of AlSP 3 in female and male adult A. lucorum was significantly higher than that at 24 ℃ (P < 0.01). Taken together, our results showed that the external environment temperature and the internal stage of A. lucorum or its sex all had significant effects on the expression of AlSP 3 in A. lucorum (P < 0.01), and that there was some interactions between them. Therefore, AlSP 3 is very important for the female adult A. lucorum to obtain nutrition at the early stages and temperature is an important limiting factor for the expression of AlSP 3.