Entire genome of Eurasian spruce bark beetle now revealed

Date:
September 29, 2021
Source:
Lund University
Summary:
Researchers have successfully mapped the entire genome of the
Eurasian spruce bark beetle. The breakthrough paves the way for new
research into bark beetles and better prospects for effective pest
control of a species that can destroy more than 100 million cubic
meters of spruce forest during a single year in Europe and Asia.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Researchers have successfully mapped the entire genome of the Eurasian
spruce bark beetle. The breakthrough paves the way for new research
into bark beetles and better prospects for effective pest control of a
species that can destroy more than 100 million cubic metres of spruce
forest during a single year in Europe and Asia.


========================================================================== Mapping the genome of the Eurasian spruce bark beetle enables a far
deeper understanding of how and why it has become a very successful forest pest. Among other things, the researchers' analysis of the genome revealed
that the Eurasian spruce bark beetle has an unusually large number of
genes that help to break down the cell walls of plants. In contrast,
it does not appear to have an elevated number of genes to enable it to
rid its body of foreign substances, which is surprising as the resin in
the trees is toxic to the insects.

The recently completed sequencing of the entire genome of the Eurasian
spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, could potentially pave the way for
highly specific pest control using what is known as RNA interference
(RNAi).

RNAi is a molecular biology tool which specifically suppresses the
expression of a gene with high precision, by administering double-stranded
RNA into the insect, through food for example. This eventually causes
the protein production from the corresponding gene to temporarily stop
or become reduced, without modifying the genome. The method can provide
clear information about the roles played by specific genes in the biology
of the bark beetle, a process which is now facilitated by the sequencing
of the beetle's entire genome.

In the future, it is hoped that the RNAi method will also be usable in practical pest control out in the forests.

"For example, you could suppress genes that have a direct effect
on survival or focus on the genes that are crucial to bark beetle
reproduction or their ability to perceive the pheromones used for mating
and to attack spruce forests," says Martin N. Andersson, associate
professor at Lund University.

The genome-based method is species-specific, which means that it does
not have any undesired, detrimental side-effects on other organisms.

"In North America, there are many other significant species in the same
bark beetle genus, Ips. The Eurasian spruce bark beetle's genome will
become a sort of complementary map to help the Americans study their
own indigenous species," says Fredrik Schlyter, professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU.

To study the genome of the Eurasian spruce bark beetle, the researchers conducted sibling mating over ten generations of beetles in the
laboratory.

This was done to obtain homogenous DNA with relatively few
variations. They then extracted DNA from around 100 beetles. This
was biochemically sequenced in small sections that were subsequently
assembled using powerful computing. The researchers then compared the
results with the genomes of other insects and analysed which genes had
expanded and which had been reduced in the Eurasian spruce bark beetle
relative to other closely related species. According to the researchers,
their evaluations indicate that the genome is of a very high quality
and comparable with some of the best studied genomes of other insect
species such as the fruit fly and mosquito.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Lund_University. Note: Content may
be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Daniel Powell, Ewald Grobe-Wilde, Paal Krokene, Amit Roy, Amrita
Chakraborty, Christer Lo"fstedt, Heiko Vogel, Martin N. Andersson,
Fredrik Schlyter. A highly-contiguous genome assembly of the
Eurasian spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, provides insight
into a major forest pest. Communications Biology, 2021; 4 (1)
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02602-3 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210929101846.htm

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