Digital gene expression profiling in larvae of Tribolium castaneum at different periods post UV-B exposure.

Abstract UV-B radiation is an important environmental factor. Exposure to excess UV-B radiation can cause serious effects on the development, survival, and reproduction of different organisms. Plants and animals have developed many different strategies to cope with UV-B-induced damage, but the physiological response of insects to UV-B remains unclear. In the present study, the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) was used to assess the stress response of UV-B. The underlying molecular mechanisms were explored using RNA sequencing. We investigated the transcriptomic profile of T. castaneum larvae at 4 and 24 h after treatment with UV-B radiation via digital gene expression analysis. The 310 and 996 differentially expressed genes were detected at 4 and 24 h, respectively. Then the biological functions and associated metabolic processes of these genes were determined by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis. The reliability of the data was verified using qRT-PCR. The results indicated that several differentially expressed genes are involved in antioxidation, DNA repair, protein folding, carbon flux diversion, and the extracellular matrix to protect against UV-B-induced damage. This study will increase our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying insect response to UV-B radiation. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • Transcriptome responses of Tribolium castaneum larvae exposed to UV-B were examined. • The data provided new evidence for the physiological response to radiation in insects. • The study illustrated the defense strategy against UV-B in Tribolium castaneum. • The data provided new evidence of physiological response to radiation in insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]