The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, is an invasive pest that poses a significant threat to Solanaceae crops, including tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants.
Its ability to adapt to various environmental conditions, especially cold stress, allows it to survive in regions with fluctuating temperatures. In this study, the molecular response of T. absoluta adults to rapid cold hardening (RCH) under gradually decreasing non-lethal temperatures was investigated. Using RNA-seq, 197 upregulated genes and 626 downregulated genes were identified in response to cold hardening. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses revealed that upregulated genes were primarily associated with the cell cycle and cell division, including key genes such as CDC25A, BUB1, ORC2, and PlK1, as well as metal ion transporters like unc-93. Downregulated genes were found to be involved in metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation, including COX4, ATPase_I, and ATP-synt_ab. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) indicated a positive correlation between cell cycle-related genes and RCH, while metabolic processes, including fatty acid metabolism, were negatively correlated with cold hardening.
These findings provide new insights into the transcriptional mechanisms of insect responses to cold stress, and highlight potential targets for environmentally sustainable pest management strategies.
Zhao, Y.; Ullah, F.; Shi, J.; Hu, Y.; Jiang, Y.; Hou, Y. Transcriptomic Responses to Rapid Cold Hardening in Tomato Leafminer Adults: Implications for Tomato Leafminer Management. Agronomy 2025, 15, 561. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030561
Source: MDPI