AUTHOR=Liu Kai , He Jiawei , Guan Ziying , Zhong Mingzhao , Pang Rui , Han Qunxin 

TITLE=Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analyses of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama Infected and Non-infected With Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.630037

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2020.630037

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>The Asian citrus psyllid <italic>Diaphorina citri</italic> is the transmission vector of Huanglongbing (HLB), a devastating disease of citrus plants. The bacterium “<italic>Candidatus</italic> Liberibacter asiaticus” (<italic>C</italic>Las) associated with HLB is transmitted between host plants by <italic>D. citri</italic> in a circulative manner. Understanding the interaction between <italic>C</italic>Las and its insect vector is key for protecting citrus cultivation from HLB damage. Here, we used RNA sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to analyze the transcriptome and metabolome of <italic>D. citri</italic> interacting with <italic>C</italic>Las. We identified 662 upregulated and 532 downregulated genes in <italic>C</italic>Las-infected insects. These genes were enriched in pathways involving carbohydrate metabolism, the insects’ immune system, and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins. We also detected 105 differential metabolites between <italic>C</italic>Las-infected and non-infected insects, including multiple nucleosides and lipid-related molecules. The integrated analysis revealed nine pathways—including those of the glycine, serine, threonine, and purine metabolism—affected by the differentially expressed genes from both groups. The network for these pathways was subsequently constructed. Our results thus provide insights regarding the cross-talk between the transcriptomic and metabolomic changes in <italic>D. citri</italic> in response to <italic>C</italic>Las infection, as well as information on the pathways and genes/metabolites related to the <italic>C</italic>Las–<italic>D. citri</italic> interaction.</p>