High-Resolution Genetic Mapping Combined with Transcriptome Profiling Reveals That Both Target-Site Resistance and Increased Detoxification Confer Resistance to the Pyrethroid Bifenthrin in the Spider Mite Tetranychus urticae

A novel target-site mutation (H146Q) outside the ubiquinone binding site of succinate dehydrogenase confers high levels of resistance to cyflumetofen and pyflubumide in Tetranychus urticae

Mitochondrial electron transfer inhibitors at complex II (METI-II), also referred to as succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHI), represent a recently developed class of acaricides encompassing cyflumetofen, cyenopyrafen, pyflubumide and cyetpyrafen. Despite their novelty, resistance has already developed in the target pest, Tetranychus urticae. In this study a new mutation, H146Q in a highly conserved region of subunit B of complex II, was identified in a T. urticae population resistant to all METI-IIs. In contrast to previously described mutations, H146Q is located outside the ubiquinone binding site of complex II. Marker-assisted backcrossing of this mutation in a susceptible genetic background validated its association with resistance to cyflumetofen and pyflubumide, but not cyenopyrafen or cyetpyrafen. Biochemical assays and the construction of inhibition curves with isolated mitochondria corroborated this selectivity. In addition, phenotypic effects of H146Q, together with the previously described H258L, were further examined via CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. Although both mutations were successfully introduced into a susceptible T. urticae population, the H146Q gene editing event was only recovered in individuals already harboring the I260V mutation, known to confer resistance towards cyflumetofen. The combination of H146Q+I260V conferred high resistance levels to all METI-II acaricides with LC50 values over 5000 mg a.i./L for cyflumetofen and pyflubumide. Similarly, the introduction of H258L via gene editing resulted in high resistance levels to all tested acaricides, with extreme LC50 values (>5000 mg a.i./L) for cyenopyrafen and cyetpyrafen, but lower resistance levels for pyflubumide and cyflumetofen. Together, these findings indicate that different mutations result in a different cross-resistance spectrum, probably also reflecting subtle differences in the binding mode of complex II acaricides.

Contrasting roles of cytochrome P450s in amitraz and chlorfenapyr resistance in the crop pest Tetranychus urticae

The molecular mechanisms of amitraz and chlorfenapyr resistance remain only poorly understood for major agricultural pests and vectors of human diseases. This study focusses on a multi-resistant field strain of the crop pest Tetranychus urticae, which could be readily selected in the laboratory to high levels of amitraz and chlorfenapyr resistance. Toxicity experiments using tralopyril, the active toxophore of chlorfenapyr, suggested decreased activation as a likely mechanism underlying resistance. Starting from the same parental strain, transcriptome profiling revealed that a cluster of detoxifying genes was upregulated after amitraz selection, but unexpectedly downregulated after chlorfenapyr selection. Further functional validation associated the upregulation of CYP392A16 with amitraz metabolism and the downregulation of CYP392D8 with reduced activation of chlorfenapyr to tralopyril. Genetic mapping (QTL analysis by BSA) was conducted in an attempt to unravel the genetic mechanisms of expression variation and resistance. This revealed that chlorfenapyr resistance was associated with a single QTL, while 3 QTLs were uncovered for amitraz resistance. Together with the observed contrasting gene expression patterns, we argue that transcriptional regulators most likely underly the distinct expression profiles associated with resistance, but these await further functional validation.

The complex II resistance mutation H258Y in succinate dehydrogenase subunit B causes fitness penalties associated with mitochondrial respiratory deficiency

BACKGROUND

The acaricides cyflumetofen, cyenopyrafen and pyflubumide inhibit the mitochondrial electron transport chain at complex II [succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) complex]. A target site mutation H258Y was recently discovered in a resistant strain of the spider mite pest Tetranychus urticae. H258Y causes strong cross-resistance between cyenopyrafen and pyflubumide, but not cyflumetofen. In fungal pests, fitness costs associated with substitutions at the corresponding H258 position that confer resistance to fungicidal SDH inhibitors have not been uncovered. Here, we used H258 and Y258 near-isogenic lines of T. urticae to quantify potential pleiotropic fitness effects on mite physiology.

RESULTS

The H258Y mutation was not associated with consistent significant changes of single generation life history traits and fertility life table parameters. In contrast, proportional Sanger sequencing and droplet digital polymerase chain reaction showed that the frequency of the resistant Y258 allele decreased when replicated 50:50 Y258:H258 experimentally evolving populations were maintained in an acaricide-free environment for approximately 12 generations. Using in vitro assays with mitochondrial extracts from resistant (Y258) and susceptible (H258) lines, we identified a significantly reduced SDH activity (48% lower activity) and a slightly enhanced combined complex I and III activity (18% higher activity) in the Y258 lines.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the H258Y mutation is associated with a high fitness cost in the spider mite T. urticae. Importantly, while it is the most common approach, it is clear that only comparing life history traits and life table fecundity does not allow to reliably estimate fitness costs of target site mutations in natural pest populations. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

A review of the molecular mechanisms of acaricide resistance in mites and ticks

The Arachnida subclass of Acari comprises many harmful pests that threaten agriculture as well as animal health, including herbivorous spider mites, the bee parasite Varroa, the poultry mite Dermanyssus and several species of ticks. Especially in agriculture, acaricides are often used intensively to minimize the damage they inflict, promoting the development of resistance. Beneficial predatory mites used in biological control are also subjected to acaricide selection in the field. The development and use of new genetic and genomic tools such as genome and transcriptome sequencing, bulked segregant analysis (QTL mapping), and reverse genetics via RNAi or CRISPR/Cas9, have greatly increased our understanding of the molecular genetic mechanisms of resistance in Acari, especially in the spider mite Tetranychus urticae which emerged as a model species. These new techniques allowed to uncover and validate new resistance mutations in a larger range of species. In addition, they provided an impetus to start elucidating more challenging questions on mechanisms of gene regulation of detoxification associated with resistance.

Toward Overcoming Pyrethroid Resistance in Mosquito Control: The Role of Sodium Channel Blocker Insecticides

Diseases spread by mosquitoes lead to the death of 700,000 people each year. The main way to reduce transmission is vector control by biting prevention with chemicals. However, the most commonly used insecticides lose efficacy due to the growing resistance. Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs), membrane proteins responsible for the depolarizing phase of an action potential, are targeted by a broad range of neurotoxins, including pyrethroids and sodium channel blocker insecticides (SCBIs). Reduced sensitivity of the target protein due to the point mutations threatened malaria control with pyrethroids. Although SCBIs-indoxacarb (a pre-insecticide bioactivated to DCJW in insects) and metaflumizone-are used in agriculture only, they emerge as promising candidates in mosquito control. Therefore, a thorough understanding of molecular mechanisms of SCBIs action is urgently needed to break the resistance and stop disease transmission. In this study, by performing an extensive combination of equilibrium and enhanced sampling molecular dynamics simulations (3.2 μs in total), we found the DIII-DIV fenestration to be the most probable entry route of DCJW to the central cavity of mosquito VGSC. Our study revealed that F1852 is crucial in limiting SCBI access to their binding site. Our results explain the role of the F1852T mutation found in resistant insects and the increased toxicity of DCJW compared to its bulkier parent compound, indoxacarb. We also delineated residues that contribute to both SCBIs and non-ester pyrethroid etofenprox binding and thus could be involved in the target site cross-resistance.

Intraspecific diversity in the mechanisms underlying abamectin resistance in a cosmopolitan pest

Pesticide resistance relies on a myriad of mechanisms, ranging from single mutations to a complex and polygenic architecture, and it involves mechanisms such as target-site insensitivity, metabolic detoxification, or a combination of these, with either additive or synergistic effects. Several resistance mechanisms against abamectin, a macrocyclic lactone widely used in crop protection, have been reported in the cosmopolitan pest Tetranychus urticae. However, it has been shown that a single mechanism cannot account for the high levels of abamectin resistance found across different mite populations. Here, we used experimental evolution combined with bulked segregant analyses to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with abamectin resistance in two genetically unrelated populations of T. urticae. In these two independent QTL mapping experiments, three and four QTLs were identified, of which three were shared between experiments. Shared QTLs contained genes encoding subunits of the glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluCl) and harboured previously reported mutations, including G314D in GluCl1 and G326E in GluCl3, but also novel resistance candidate loci, including DNA helicases and chemosensory receptors. Surprisingly, the fourth QTL, present only in only one of the experiments and thus unique for one resistant parental line, revealed a non-functional variant of GluCl2, suggesting gene knock-out as resistance mechanism. Our study uncovers the complex basis of abamectin resistance, and it highlights the intraspecific diversity of genetic mechanisms underlying resistance in a cosmopolitan pest.