Genome Annotation of Molting-Related Protein-Coding Genes in Propsilocerus akamusi Reveals Transcriptomic Responses to Heavy Metal Contamination

The exoskeleton of insects, known as the cuticle, necessitates regular renewal during molting and metamorphosis, with chitin being its primary structural component. Consequently, the molting and metamorphosis processes in insects are characterized by periodic degradation and synthesis of chitin, which are tightly regulated by juvenile hormone (JH) and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). <i>Propsilocerus akamusi</i>, a species that plays a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems, demonstrates remarkable resilience to environmental pollutants, including metallic elements found in industrial waste. In this investigation, we systematically analyzed and summarized the metabolic pathways associated with JH, 20E, chitin, and heavy metal transport in <i>P. akamusi</i>. Based on previous genome assembly, we conducted a systematic annotation and functional analysis of genes involved in these metabolic pathways in <i>P</i>. <i>akamusi</i>. This was achieved by querying conserved domains using Pfam and SMART, as well as identifying gene-specific classical consensus regions through amino acid sequence alignment using DNAMAN. Through our validation, a total of 109 genes were definitively categorized into four distinct metabolic pathways: 27 genes were involved in the JH metabolic pathway, 24 in the 20E metabolic pathway, 27 in the chitin metabolic pathway, and 31 in metal transport pathways. A total of 30 genes failed our validation and were temporarily excluded. Furthermore, through RNA sequencing (RNA-seq)-based transcriptome analysis, we observed that under copper (Cu) stress, the expression levels of the majority of genes participating in these metabolic pathways in <i>P. akamusi</i> were altered. This finding suggests that copper exposure influences the molting process in <i>P. akamusi</i>.