A male accessory gland specific gene takeout2 regulates male mating success in Bactrocera dorsalis

Abstract

Male accessory gland proteins (ACPs), secreted by the male accessory glands, are important components of seminal fluid proteins and play critical physiological roles in male and female adults. We previously identified a juvenile hormone-binding protein (JHBP) like protein in the male accessory glands of Bactrocera dorsalis. In this study, the open reading frame of this JHBP-like gene, which encodes 267 amino acid residues, was cloned. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that this gene belongs to a takeout gene family, and it was named Bdtakeout2. Spatio-temporal expression profiling was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Bdtakeout2 was highly expressed in male accessory glands, especially in sexually mature males. Treatment with exogenous hormones significantly decreased the expression level of Bdtakeout2. Photoperiod exposure produced a relatively lower expression during the photophase and a higher expression during the scotophase. Suppression of Bdtakeout2 expression by RNA interference significantly reduced both male mating success and the fertility of mated females. The data indicate that Bdtakeout2 plays a critical role in male mating behavior and fertility.