Comparative transcriptomes and reciprocal best hit analysis revealed potential pigment genes in two color forms of Tetranychus urticae.

Tetranychus urticae Koch is a worldwide agricultural pest. There are two color forms: red and green. The molecular mechanism underlying this color variation is unknown. To elucidate the mechanism, we characterized differentially expressed pigment pathway genes shared in the transcriptomes of these two forms using RNA sequencing and reciprocal best hit analysis. Differentially expressed pigment pathway genes were determined by qRT-PCR to confirm the accuracy of RNA-Seq. The transcriptomes revealed 963 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 687 DEGs were higher in the green form. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed carotenoid biosynthesis genes in T. urticae. Reciprocal best hit analysis revealed 817 putative pigment pathway genes, 38 of which were differentially expressed and mainly classified into four categories: heme, melanin, ommochrome and rhodopsin. Phylogenetic analysis of homologous ommochrome genes showed that tetur09g01950 is closely related to Ok. This study revealed putative pigment pathway genes in the two forms of T. urticae, and might provide a new resource for understanding the mechanism of color variation.