The N-glycan profile of the peritrophic membrane in the Colorado potato beetle larva (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)

• Published in: Journal of insect physiology Vol. 115; pp. 27 - 32
• Main Authors: Liu, Dongdong, De Schutter, Kristof, Smargiasso, Nicolas, De Pauw, Edwin, Van Damme, Els. J.M., Smagghe, Guy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2019
• Subjects: Animals; Coleoptera - metabolism; Gastrointestinal Tract - metabolism; Glycosylation; Larva - metabolism; Leptinotarsa decemlineata; Midgut; N-glycome; N-glycosylation; Peritrophic membrane; Polysaccharides - metabolism; Transcriptome; Gal; Fuc; Leptinotarsa decemlineata; Midgut; Transcriptome; GlcNAc; N-glycome; Peritrophic membrane; Man; N-glycosylation; Glc; GalNAc
• ISSN: 0022-1910; 1879-1611
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2019.03.009

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•First report on the N-glycome of the peritrophic matrix of Colorado potato beetle.•97% of the N-glycan pool in the PM consists of three dominating groups.•These groups are paucimannoses, mono-fucosylated paucimannoses and high mannoses.•The three most abundant N-glycans are GlcNAc2Man3Fuc, GlcNAc2Man3 and GlcNAc2Man5.•NGRGs are identified in the tissue specific transcriptome of the midgut epithelium.•The N-glycome of the PM correlates with the presence of the NGRGs in the epithelium.
The insect peritrophic membrane (PM) is a non-cellular structure composed of secreted proteins imbedded in a proteoglycan matrix together with chitin. It separates the midgut epithelium from the intestinal contents, and functions in the digestion of food. Furthermore it acts as a protective barrier against abrasive particles and microbial infections. Here we studied for the first time the N-glycome of the PM. We identified the N-glycan structures present in the PM of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) at the fourth larval stage using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. In parallel, we correlated the N-glycan data to the presence of the N-glycosylation related genes (NGRGs) in the transcriptome of epithelial midgut cells. The presumed activities of the identified genes support the N-glycan profile resolved for the proteins in the PM. To our knowledge these data are the first report on the N-glycome of the PM of a pest insect. These results will contribute to the study of the importance of N-glycosylation in the function and structure of the PM. In addition, the data can help to find novel targets and design better biopesticides for pest control.