Antioxidant Enzymes and Heat-Shock Protein Genes of Green Peach Aphid (Myzus persicae) Under Short-Time Heat Stress

Abstract

The management of insect pests under fluctuating temperatures has become an interesting area of study due to their ability to stimulate defense mechanisms against heat stress. Therefore, understanding insect’s physiological and molecular response to heat stress is of paramount importance for pest management. Aphids are ectothermic organisms capable of surviving in different climatic conditions. This study aimed to determine the effects of short-time heat stress on green peach aphid Myzus persicae under controlled conditions. In this study, short-time heat stress treatments at different temperatures 27, 30, 33, and 36°C with exposure times of 1, 3, 6, and 10 h, respectively, on the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and oxidants, such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), were determined. The results showed that the short-time heat stress significantly increased the content of MDA of M. persicae by 71, 78, 81, and 86% at 36°C for the exposure times of 1, 3, 6, and 10 h, respectively, compared with control. The content of H2O2 increased by 75, 80, 85, and 88% at 36°C for the exposure times of 1, 3, 6, and 10 h, respectively, compared with the control. The SOD, POD, and CAT activities increased by 61, 76, and 77% for 1 h, 72, 83, and 84% for 3 h, 80, 85, and 86% for 6 h, and 87, 87.6, and 88% for 10 h at 36°C, respectively, compared with control. Again, under short-time heat stress, the transcription levels of Hsp22, Hsp23, Hsp27, SOD, POD, and CAT genes were upregulated compared with control. Our results suggest that M. persicae increased the enzymatic antioxidant activity and heat-shock gene expression as one of the defensive mechanisms in response to heat stresses.

Three Heat Shock Protein Genes and Antioxidant Enzymes Protect Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae) from High Temperature Stress

“…In the present study, the CAT activities of male and female P. pseudoannulata in all treatment groups were significantly higher than that of the control group. This was consistent with the changing trend of CAT for Myzus persicae and H. graminicola [ 29 , 65 ]. This indicated that CAT is the main pathway for the breakdown of H 2 O 2 in P. pseudoannulata , so they need to maintain relatively high activity under heat stress at different times and temperatures.…”

“…To cope with this damage, heat stressed arthropods reduce cell damage through antioxidant enzyme [ 7 , 26 ]. The main antioxidant enzymes in arthropods are superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione transferase (GST) [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. The function of SOD is to degrade superoxide anions (O 2− ) to hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and oxygen (O 2 ), following which CAT decomposes H 2 O 2 to H 2 O and O 2 .…”

Differences in Oxidative Stress Markers and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Black Bean Aphid Morphs (Aphis fabae Scop.) Fed on the Primary Host Viburnum opulus L.

“…In addition to plant allelochemicals, temperature can generate ROS and cause oxidative stress in aphid tissues. Khursid et al [ 69 ] showed that heat stress significantly increased the H 2 O 2 and MDA content in M. persicae .…”

“…Durak et al [ 74 ] and Dampc et al [ 75 ] showed that an increase in temperature caused alterations in SOD and CAT activity, which were highest at 28 °C, in Aphis pomi (De Geer), Macrosiphum rosae (L.) and Cinara cupressi (Buckton). Khursid et al [ 69 ] stated that SOD and CAT activity in M. persicae adults increased under short-term heat stress.…”

Mortality, Enzymatic Antioxidant Activity and Gene Expression of Cabbage Aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae L.) in Response to Trichoderma longibrachiatum T6

“…These primers were used in the analysis of the RT-qPCR data. The actin gene of aphid was used as an internal control ( Khurshid et al, 2021 ). The relative expression level was quantified using the comparative 2 −ΔΔCt method ( Livak and Schmittgen, 2001 ).…”