Genome of Arsenophonus sp. and its potential contribution in the corn planthopper, Peregrinus maidis

Monday, November 14, 2022

8:48 AM – 9:00 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 206

Presenting Author(s)

YW

Yu-Hui Wang

Ph.D. Student
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

Co-Author(s)

NG

Nicole Gutzmann-Martin

North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
DE

Dina Espinoza Rivera

North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina
BC

Brad S. Coates

Research Geneticist
USDA-ARS
Ames, Iowa
ML

Marcé Lorenzen

North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

The availability of genomic resources and the ability to utilize genomic tools open the door to new pest control methods. We obtained long-read PacBio HiFi reads to generate a high-quality genome assembly for Peregrinus maidis, a destructive pest of corn and sorghum. While we were in the process of P. maidis genome assembly, we found microbial reads, and it enabled us to assemble the genome of Arsenophonus sp., a bacterium identified in many insects. Since in insects, microbes can modulate numerous host phenotypes including development, nutrition, immunity and vector competence, we are doing analyses with the Arsenophonus genome assembly to unravel the role this interesting bacterium plays in P. maidis and determine if this microbe can be leveraged for use in novel P. maidis control methods.