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Q&A ViewAttendees 4

Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology

Section Symposium

A Functional Genomics Approach to Insect Overwintering and Cold Tolerance

Transcriptomics and DNA methylation reveal complex molecular mechanisms of prepupal diapause in Megachile rotundata

Tuesday, November 2, 2021
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM MT
Location: Colorado Convention Center, Meeting Room 405-407
In-Person

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Julia Bowsher

    Associate Professor
    North Dakota State University
    Fargo, North Dakota

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Gagandeep S. Brar

    PhD Student
    North Dakota State University
    Fargo, North Dakota

  • Preetpal Singh

    Graduate Research Assistant
    North Dakota State University
    Fargo, North Dakota

    • Co-author(s)

  • Sarah Signor

    Assistant Professor
    North Dakota State University
    Fargo, North Dakota

  • GY

    George D. Yocum

    Research Physiologist
    USDA-ARS
    Fargo, North Dakota

  • Joseph P. Rinehart

    Research Biologist
    USDA
    Fargo, North Dakota

Environmental cues regulate diapause initiation in facultatively diapausing insects. In the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata, the main cues for diapause are maternally regulated. Transcriptomic data on diapause and post-diapause quiescence in M. rotundata have identified many candidate pathways associated with diapause progression. Whether these same pathways function during diapause initiation has not been tested. The goal of this work was to test whether methylation influence gene expression at the point of diapause initiation, and which genes were differentially expressed at that decision point. We compared prepupae that were diapause-destined and nondiapause-destined with whole genome bisulfite sequencing and RNAseq. Samples were collected early in the field season and late in the field season. We found that methylation rates were low across the genome regardless of diapause status, suggesting that methylation does not media diapause. We identified differentially expressed genes involved in oxidative stress and other diapause-related pathways. These results suggest that the maternal diapause response is not mediated through methylation despite gene expression differences.