On April 15th, the team led by Professor Xu Yijuan from the College of Plant Protection at South China Agricultural University published their latest research findings in The ISME Journal. The study delves into how gut symbiotic bacteria in insects indirectly regulate the detoxification function of their host, the fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis, thereby enhancing its resistance to drugs.
According to reports, this research represents another significant discovery in the field of insect drug resistance following the team's 2017 publication in Microbiome regarding how gut symbiotic bacteria directly metabolize insecticides to boost fruit fly resistance. It offers a new perspective on understanding the interaction between hosts and microbes.
Gut symbiotic bacteria play a crucial role in the physiological activities of insect hosts. They actively participate in detoxifying plant toxins and synthetic insecticides by secreting hydrolytic enzymes, helping hosts cope with harmful substances from the environment. While some symbiotic bacteria are closely associated with the detoxification activity of hosts, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unclear.
In this study, the authors used techniques such as transcriptome sequencing, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, RNA interference, and dual-luciferase reporter gene assays to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which gut microbiota regulates the detoxification enzyme activity of B. dorsalis, thereby enhancing its resistance to drugs. They specifically reported that two lactic acid-producing bacteria—Enterococcus caseliflavus and Lactococcus lactis—secreted lactic acid, significantly increasing the expression of genes associated with BdNOX5-ROS activity regulation through the CncC pathway linked to the BdLDH gene. This subsequently affected the activity of P450 and GST, ultimately enhancing the fruit fly's resistance to the highly efficient chlorpyrifos.
This study not only deepens our understanding of the biochemical pathways of insect drug resistance but also lays the groundwork for innovative pest management utilizing these microbe-host interactions.
The research received funding from the National Key R&D Program and the Lingnan Modern Agriculture Experimental Laboratory's Free Exploration Program.
For more information, please refer to the related paper: Link.
