Quantitative transcriptomic and proteomic analyses reveal the potential maintenance mechanism of female adult reproductive diapause in Chrysoperla nipponensis

BACKGROUND The green lacewing Chrysoperla nipponensis is an important natural enemy of many insect pests and exhibits reproductive diapause to overwinter. Our previous studies showed that adult C. nipponensis enters reproductive diapause under a short‐day photoperiod. However, the molecular mechanism underlying diapause maintenance in C. nipponensis is still unknown. RESULTS The total lipid and triglyceride content showed the reservation and degradation of energy during diapause in C. nipponensis. Thus, we performed combined transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of female reproductive diapause in C. nipponensis at three ecophysiological phases (initiation, maintenance and termination). A total of 64 388 unigenes and 5532 proteins were identified from the transcriptome and proteome. In‐depth dissection of the gene‐expression dynamics revealed that differentially expressed genes and proteins were predominately involved in the lipid and carbohydrate metabolic pathways, in particular fatty acid metabolism, metabolic pathways and the citrate cycle. Among of these genes, TIM, CLK, JHAMT2, PMK, HMGS, HMGR, FKBP39, Kr‐h1, Phm, ECR, IR1, ILP3, ILP4, mTOR, ACC, LSD1 and LSD2 were differentially expressed in diapause and non‐diapause female adults of C. nipponensis. The expression patterns of these genes were consistent with the occurrence of vitellogenesis and expression of either Vg or VgR. CONCLUSION Our findings indicated that diapause adult C. nipponensis accumulate energy resources to overwinter. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses suggested candidate key genes involved in the maintenance of C. nipponensis during adult reproductive diapause. Taken together, these results provide in‐depth knowledge to understand the maintenance mechanism of C. nipponensis during adult reproductive diapause. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. We quantitively analyzed the weight, lipid and triacylglycerol content in female adults of Chyrsoperla nipponensis during overwintering and reproductive diapause. We present a large‐scale investigation of changes in global gene and protein expression during reproductive diapause of female adults using transcriptome and proteome analysis.