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Free amino acids in the phloem sap are the dominant nitrogen source for aphids, but their availability is usually poor. Although some studies have explored the effect of dietary amino acid restriction on aphid performance, little is known about the molecular basis of these effects. Here, we examined the performance and transcriptome of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, fed a standard diet (Control diet) or a diet containing 50% of the total amino acids of the Control diet (Half diet). Aphid weight and fecundity were significantly reduced in the Half diet group. Transcriptomic analysis showed that a total of 1460 genes were differentially expressed between the groups were fed on the two diets, which many of them were associated with nutrient and energy metabolism. When feeding on the Half diet, aphids upregulated genes associated with the amino acid biosynthetic pathway (predominantly amino acid biosynthesis genes and some amino acid transporter genes) as well as the cysteine and serine protease genes. Furthermore, these aphids displayed increased expression of genes associated with glycolysis, which could generate intermediates for de novo amino acid biosynthesis. Consistent with this, elevated glucose levels were observed in aphids in the Half diet group. Additionally, the expression levels of several genes associated with hormonal signaling pathway were altered. Several genes related to juvenile hormone and insulin-like peptide (ILP) signaling were downregulated, including Krüppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1) and insulin-like peptide 5 (Ilp5), respectively. In contrast, several genes related to ecdysone signaling were upregulated including broad-complex core protein (Br-c) and shade (Shd). Despite their poor performances, M. persicae adapted to dietary restriction of amino acids, through upregulation of genes involved in amino acid biosynthesis, glycolysis, and protein degradation, as well as by altering the expression level of genes involved in hormone signaling pathways.

Aphids exhibit wing polyphenism (winged or wingless) for adaption to predictable or temporally heterogeneous environmental changes; however, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. This morphological change could be stimulated by high aphid density, which in turn could affect octopaminergic signaling in aphids. Octopamine is a neurotransmitter synthesized in insects that can modify their physiological metabolism, locomotion, and other behaviors. We designed experiments to determine whether octopamine functions in wing formation of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris). We determined gene expression of tyramine β-hydroxylase (TβH), a key enzyme in octopamine synthesis at different developmental stages, in different body parts, and in different densities of aphids. We also used TβH RNAi, octopamine receptor agonists (octopamine and synephrine), and an antagonist (mianserin) to modify octopaminergic signaling. We found that transcription of TβH was related to aphid density, which affected the proportion of winged offspring. By manually modifying the mother’s octopaminergic signaling, TβH expression was suppressed, and TβH (enzyme) activity decreased. The proportion of winged offspring was also affected. Our results showed that octopamine could be a link in the wing determination system, as well as environmental stimulation. The RNAi results showed that the decrease of TβH expression increased aphid’s reproduction; however, the decrease of TβH expression declined the numbers of winged-offspring producers, but did not affect the proportion of winged nymphs produced by the winged-offspring producer. In conclusion, the decline in the proportion of winged daughters in the next generation was caused by the decline of winged nymph producers.