Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.), which belongs to the Euphorbiaceae, has been considered a new potential oil crop because of its high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in its seed oil. The seed oil especially contains high amounts of α-linolenic acid (ALA), which is useful for the prevention of various diseases. However, little is known about the genetic information and genome sequence of Sacha Inchi, which has largely hindered functional genomics and molecular breeding studies. In this study, a de novo transcriptome assembly based on transcripts sequenced in eight major organs, including roots, stems, shoot apexes, mature leaves, male flowers, female flowers, fruits, and seeds of Sacha Inchi was performed, resulting in a set of 124,750 non-redundant putative transcripts having an average length of 851 bp and an N50 value of 1909 bp. Organ-specific unigenes analysis revealed that the most organ-specific transcripts are found in female flowers (2244 unigenes), whereas a relatively small amount of unigenes are detected to be expressed specifically in other organs with the least in stems (24 unigenes). A total of 42,987 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were detected, which will contribute to the marker assisted selection breeding of Sacha Inchi. We analyzed expression of genes related to the α-linolenic acid metabolism based on the de novo assembly and annotation transcriptome in Sacha Inchi. It appears that Sacha Inchi accumulates high level of ALA in seeds by strong expression of biosynthesis-related genes and weak expression of degradation-related genes. In particular, the up-regulation of FAD3 and FAD7 is consistent with high level of ALA in seeds of Sacha Inchi compared with in other organs. Meanwhile, several transcription factors (ABI3, LEC1 and FUS3) may regulate key genes involved in oil accumulation in seeds of Sacha Inchi. The transcriptome of major organs of Sacha Inchi has been sequenced and de novo assembled, which will expand the genetic information for functional genomic studies of Sacha Inchi. In addition, the identification of candidate genes involved in ALA metabolism will provide useful resources for the genetic improvement of Sacha Inchi and the metabolic engineering of ALA biosynthesis in other plants.

Pathogen-induced fruit decay is a significant threat to the kiwifruit industry, leading to considerable economic losses annually. The cell-wall-degrading enzymes (CWDEs) secreted by these pathogens are crucial for penetrating the cell wall and accessing nutrients. Among them, Diaporthe species are recognized as major causal agents of soft rot in kiwifruit, yet their pathogenic mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we explored the production of various CWDEs secreted by Diaporthe Z1-1N, including polygalacturonase (PG), polymethylgalacturonase (PMG), polygalacturonic acid transeliminase (PGTE), pectin methyltranseliminase (PMTE), endoglucanase (Cx), and β-glucosidase (β-glu), both in liquid cultures and within infected kiwifruit tissues. Our findings revealed significant activities of two pectinases (PG and PMG) and cellulases (Cx and β-glu) in the infected tissues. In contrast, very low levels of PMTE and PGTE activities were observed under the same conditions. When orange pectin served as the carbon source, PG and PMG showed notable activities, while PMTE and PGTE remained inactive. Moreover, the activities of Cx and β-glu significantly decreased by more than 63 times in the liquid medium with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the carbon source compared to their levels in infected kiwifruit. A further analysis indicated that the necrotic lesions produced by pectinase extracts were larger than those produced by cellulase extracts. Notably, four enzymes—PG, PMG, Cx, and β-glu—exhibited high activities on the third or fourth day post-infection with Diaporthe Z1-1N. These results suggest that Diaporthe Z1-1N secretes a range of CWDEs that contribute to kiwifruit decay by enhancing the activities of PG, PMG, Cx, and β-glu. This study sheds light on the pathogenicity of Diaporthe in kiwifruit and highlights the importance of these enzymes in the decay process.

Olfaction is essential for key insect behaviors, such as host-seeking and mating, and is initiated by odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), which bind and transport hydrophobic odors. Thrips hawaiiensis is a major pest that infests the flowers of numerous horticultural crops, yet its chemosensory mechanisms remain poorly understood. Now, the availability of its genome assembly allows us to address this gap. To this end, we performed a comprehensive exploration and comparative analysis of its OBP genes. Our genome-wide analysis identified a total of 12 OBP genes in T. hawaiiensis, whereas the repertoire across other published thrips genomes ranges from 10 to 17, a count significantly lower than that in most other insects. Notably, transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analyses revealed consistent male-biased expression of OBPs in T. hawaiiensis, supporting their role in mate-finding and foraging behaviors. Furthermore, we identified 11 chemosensory proteins (CSPs). Transcriptomic and RT-qPCR analyses revealed that these CSPs exhibit an expression pattern similar to that of the OBPs, with over half of the genes showing significantly higher expression in males. This work provides a foundational framework for future functional studies of olfactory proteins, both in T. hawaiiensis and the wider insect community.

The insect microbiome profoundly influences host physiology and ecology, yet its composition and evolutionary dynamics in thrips remain poorly understood. Here, we present a systematic characterization of thrips‐associated microbiomes through integrated metagenomic and culture‐based approaches. Our analysis reveals that thrips microbiomes are dominated by both intracellular symbionts (e.g., Wolbachia and Spiroplasma ) and extracellular taxa (e.g., Serratia , Pantoea , and Acinetobacter ), with species‐specific compositions exhibiting frequent gains and losses of bacterial lineages. We demonstrate that thrips microbiomes exhibit low interspecific microbial sharing, forming host‐specific bacterial communities with minimal overlap between species. To address methodological challenges in microbiome research, we developed a dual‐sequencing framework combining short‐read sequencing (for comprehensive taxonomic detection) and long‐read sequencing (for genomic verification), enabling the reconstruction of high‐quality metagenome‐assembled genomes that validated short‐read findings. Furthermore, we isolated and sequenced the complete genomes of two dominant extracellular symbionts— Pantoea dispersa and Serratia marcescens —and performed pan‐genome analyses. These revealed small core gene sets and expansive accessory genomes, including host‐specific functional genes (e.g., hydrolases and neurotoxic N‐acetyltransferases) likely involved in host adaptation. Our study provides a foundational genomic resource and a robust analytical pipeline for dissecting thrips microbiome evolution, with implications for understanding insect–microbe interactions and symbiont‐mediated adaptations.