Abstract

Simple SummaryThe Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata is a potato pest that can cause substantial damages to potato crops worldwide. Multiple approaches have been leveraged to control this pest including the use of a variety of insecticides. Resistance to different insecticides aimed at controlling this insect has been reported and much work has been conducted in recent years to elucidate the underlying molecular changes associated with insecticide resistance in L. decemlineata. However, information is sparse regarding the molecular impact associated with spinosad treatment in this insect pest. The current study thus explores transcriptional changes associated with spinosad response in L. decemlineata exposed to this compound using high-throughput sequencing. Results presented show multiple transcripts of interest that exhibit differential expression in spinosad-treated L. decemlineata and provide a preliminary footprint of transcripts affected by this insecticide in this potato pest. Select targets identified in this signature should be further explored in follow-up studies to better characterize their contribution, if any, in the process of spinosad resistance. The Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata is an insect pest that threatens potato crops globally. The primary method to control its damage on potato plants is the use of insecticides, including imidacloprid, chlorantraniliprole and spinosad. However, insecticide resistance has been frequently observed in Colorado potato beetles. The molecular targets and the basis of resistance to imidacloprid and chlorantraniliprole have both been previously quantified. This work was undertaken with the overarching goal of better characterizing the molecular changes associated with spinosad exposure in this insect pest. Next-generation sequencing was conducted to identify transcripts that were differentially expressed between Colorado potato beetles exposed to spinosad versus control insects. Results showed several transcripts that exhibit different expression levels between the two conditions, including ones coding for venom carboxylesterase-6, chitinase 10, juvenile hormone esterase and multidrug resistance-associated protein 4. In addition, several microRNAs, such as miR-12-3p and miR-750-3p, were also modulated in the investigated conditions. Overall, this work reveals a molecular footprint underlying spinosad response in Colorado potato beetles and provides novel leads that could be targeted as part of RNAi-based approaches to control this insect pest.

Highlights

  • The Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) can significantly harm potato crops and is an insect pest of substantial economic importance for the agricultural industry worldwide [1]

  • Work on a population of Colorado potato beetles collected in Long Island notably displayed a 309-fold increase in imidacloprid resistance when compared with control insects [10]

  • Given the accumulating reports of spinosad resistance in select populations of Colorado potato beetles [63] and the long-term objective of better characterizing the changes in gene expression potentially affected by spinosad, the current study investigated the molecular changes linked to spinosad response in Colorado potato beetles using a high-throughput sequencing approach

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Summary

Introduction

The Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) can significantly harm potato crops and is an insect pest of substantial economic importance for the agricultural industry worldwide [1]. Complete yield loss of potato crops was reported when defoliation was greater than 75%, underscoring the damage that this insect can cause to potato fields [2]. The use of insecticides remains a primary means by which Colorado potato beetles are targeted even though greater resistance against select compounds has been observed in recent years. Decreased susceptibility against the neonicotinoids thiamethoxam and clothianidin was reported in populations of Colorado potato beetles collected in Canada [7]. Work on a population of Colorado potato beetles collected in Long Island notably displayed a 309-fold increase in imidacloprid resistance when compared with control insects [10]

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