Salivary protein expression profiles of five species of Pentatomidae (Hemiptera)

Stink bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) development typically requires feeding on a diversity of plant species and various plant tissues. During feeding, stink bugs discharge salivary enzymes with roles in extraoral digestion and countering plant defense responses. Although previous research has described digestive salivary proteins from stink bugs, less is known of the salivary proteins involved in the suppression of plant defenses. We sequenced the transcriptomes of salivary glands dissected from five stink bug species collected from non-crop habitats in Washington: Halyomorpha halys (Stal), Nezara viridula L., Euschistus conspersus (Uhler), Thyanta pallidovirens (Stal), and Chlorochroa ligata (Say). We identified a total of 677 candidate secreted proteins from the salivary glands of the five species. Based on work from other insects, many of the proteins have potential functions in the suppression of plant defense signaling and deactivation of plant defense molecules. We also identified salivary proteins with potential roles in the extraoral digestion of plant tissues, protection from entomopathogens, and deposition of salivary sheaths. This report provides a curation of putative salivary effector genes for further functional analysis.

Automated summary

Transcriptomes of salivary glands were sequenced from five stink bug species collected from non-crop habitats, and 677 putative secreted proteins were identified. These proteins may play roles in suppressing plant defense signaling and deactivating plant defense molecules, as well as participating in the digestion of plant tissues, protection from entomopathogens, and deposition of salivary sheaths.