The symbiont Wolbachia alleviates pesticide susceptibility in the two ‐spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae through enhanced host detoxification pathways

Wolbachia infection increases pesticide resistance in spider miteTetranychus urticae.Wolbachia infection upregulates the expression of detoxification genes inT. urticae. Abamectin treatment significantly improvedWolbachia abundance inT. urticae. AbstractThe two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) is one of the most well-known pesticide-resistant agricultural pests, with resistance often attributed to changes such as target-site mutations and detoxification activation. Recent studies show that pesticide resistance can also be influenced by symbionts, but their involvement in this process in spider mites remains uncertain. Here, we found that infection withWolbachia, a well-known bacterial reproductive manipulator, significantly increased mite survival after exposure to the insecticides abamectin, cyflumetofen, and pyridaben.Wolbachia-infected (WI) mites showed higher expression of detoxification genes such as P450, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), ABC transporters, and carboxyl/cholinesterases. RNA interference experiments confirmed the role of the two above-mentioned detoxification genes,TuCYP392D2 andTuGSTd05, in pesticide resistance. Increased GST activities were also observed in abamectin-treated WI mites. In addition, when wild populations were treated with abamectin, WI mites generally showed better survival than uninfected mites. However, genetically homogeneous mites with differentWolbachia strains showed similar survival. Finally, abamectin treatment increasedWo...

Source: Insect Science - February 23, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Qing ‐Tong Ye, Xue Gong, Huan‐Huan Liu, Bing‐Xuan Wu, Chang‐Wu Peng, Xiao‐Yue Hong, Xiao‐Li Bing Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research