BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Insect Sci.
Sec. Insect Economics
Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/finsc.2025.1621855
Complete mitochondrial genome of Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) reared on sauce-flavor Daqu
Provisionally accepted
- 1Agricultural and Rural Service Center of Moutai Town, Renhuai, China
- 2Moutai Institute, Renhuai, China
- 3Kweichow Moutai Distillery (Group) Hongyingzi Science & Technology Development Co., Ltd, Renhuai, China
- 4Moutai College, Renhuai, China
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The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), a cosmopolitan storedproduct pest frequently infesting sauce-flavor Daqu (a multi-microbial fermented starter), may experience mitochondrial genome variations under the selective pressure exerted by this enzyme-rich substrate. Here we test whether feeding on sauce-flavor Daqu is associated with mitogenomic differences in T. castaneum. We present the complete mitochondrial genome of T. castaneum from this environment: a 15,885 bp circular DNA (GenBank PV563855) retaining ancestral insect architecture with 71.81% A+T content and slight positive AT skew. The genome contains 37 functional elements: 22 tRNA genes (all exhibiting atypical cloverleaf structures except trnS1(AGN)), 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNA genes, and a 1,238 bp A+T-rich control region (82.80% AT). Eleven PCGs initiate with ATN codons, while cox1 (CTG) and nad1 (TTG) show divergent initiation. Ten PCGs terminate with TAA/TAG codons. Gene order aligns with basal insect mitogenomes. Comparative analysis with Jiangsu (China) and California (USA) strains revealed conserved structural features, though sequence/assembly discrepancies require further investigation to assess potential pressure-induced mutations. While these differences may reflect adaptations to the enzyme-rich Daqu environment, technical and geographical factors could also contribute; further functional studies are needed to establish causal links.
Keywords: Tribolium castaneum, Mitochondrial Genome, sauce-flavor Daqu, Comparative genomics, Genetic Variation
Received: 02 May 2025; Accepted: 17 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Huang, Chen, Li, Zhang, Yang and Lv. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jun Lv, Moutai College, Renhuai, China
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