Transcriptomic and Proteomic Responses of Sweetpotato Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, to Thiamethoxam

Nina Yang,Xin Yang,Huipeng Pan,Xiaobin Shi,Shaoli Wang,Yong Fang,Youjun Zhang,Xuguo Zhou,Qingjun Wu,Rumei Li,Baoyun Xu,Wen Xie,Baiming Liu

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0061820

Abstract

BackgroundThe sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is one of the most widely distributed agricultural pests. Although it has developed resistance to many registered insecticides including the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam, the mechanisms that regulate the resistance are poorly understood. To understand the molecular basis of thiamethoxam resistance, “omics” analyses were carried out to examine differences between resistant and susceptible B. tabaci at both transcriptional and translational levels.ResultsA total of 1,338 mRNAs and 52 proteins were differentially expressed between resistant and susceptible B. tabaci. Among them, 11 transcripts had concurrent transcription and translation profiles. KEGG analysis mapped 318 and 35 differentially expressed genes and proteins, respectively, to 160 and 59 pathways (p<0.05). Thiamethoxam treatment activated metabolic pathways (e.g., drug metabolism), in which 118 transcripts were putatively linked to insecticide resistance, including up-regulated glutathione-S-transferase, UDP glucuronosyltransferase, glucosyl/glucuronosyl transferase, and cytochrome P450. Gene Ontology analysis placed these genes and proteins into protein complex, metabolic process, cellular process, signaling, and response to stimulus categories. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis validated “omics” response, and suggested a highly overexpressed P450, CYP6CX1, as a candidate molecular basis for the mechanistic study of thiamethoxam resistance in whiteflies. Finally, enzymatic activity assays showed elevated detoxification activities in the resistant B. tabaci.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the applicability of high-throughput omics tools for identifying molecular candidates related to thiamethoxam resistance in an agricultural important insect pest. In addition, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses provide a solid foundation for future functional investigations into the complex molecular mechanisms governing the neonicotinoid resistance in whiteflies.

Highlights

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is one of the most widely distributed agricultural pests
Extensive and repetitive use of neonicotinoids have led to the development of resistance in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the green peach aphid Myzus persicae, the house fly Musca domestica L, the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens [4,5,6,7], and the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci [8,9]
To reveal the molecular events underlying transcriptomic profiles, sequence reads were mapped to a reference transcriptome containing both B and Q biotypes [32,33]

Summary

Introduction

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is one of the most widely distributed agricultural pests. Extensive and repetitive use of neonicotinoids have led to the development of resistance in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the green peach aphid Myzus persicae, the house fly Musca domestica L, the brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens [4,5,6,7], and the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci [8,9]. Bemisia tabaci is an important pest of arable and horticultural crops in the temperate regions of the world. It has a broad host range and can cause tremendous damages directly by feeding and indirectly by transmitting 115 species of begomoviruses [10,11]. B biotype has quickly displaced the indigenous B. tabaci populations, rapidly invaded the entire country, and has led to serious yield losses in many crops [17]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion