Trichoplusia ni Transcriptomic Responses to the Phytosaponin Aglycone Hederagenin: Sex-Related Differences

Many plant species, particularly legumes, protect themselves with saponins. Previously, a correlation was observed between levels of oleanolic acid-derived saponins, such as hederagenin-derived compounds, in the legume Medicago truncatula and caterpillar deterrence. Using concentrations that reflect the foliar levels of hederagenin-type saponins, the sapogenin hederagenin was not toxic to 4th instar caterpillars of the cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni nor did it act as a feeding deterrent. Female caterpillars consumed more diet than males, presumably to obtain the additional nutrients required for oogenesis, and are, thus, exposed to higher hederagenin levels. When fed the hederagenin diet, male caterpillars expressed genes encoding trypsin-like proteins (LOC113500509, LOC113501951, LOC113501953, LOC113501966, LOC113501965, LOC113499659, LOC113501950, LOC113501948, LOC113501957, LOC113501962, LOC113497819, LOC113501946, LOC113503910) as well as stress-responsive (LOC113503484, LOC113505107) proteins and cytochrome P450 6B2-like (LOC113493761) at higher levels than females. In comparison, female caterpillars expressed higher levels of cytochrome P450 6B7-like (LOC113492289). Bioinformatic tools predict that cytochrome P450s could catalyze the oxygenation of hederagenin which would increase the hydrophilicity of the compound. Expression of a Major Facilitator Subfamily (MFS) transporter (LOC113492899) showed a hederagenin dose-dependent increase in gene expression suggesting that this transporter may be involved in sapogenin efflux. These sex-related differences in feeding and detoxification should be taken into consideration in insecticide evaluations to minimize pesticide resistance.

Pyrethroid metabolism by eleven Helicoverpa armigera P450s from the CYP6B and CYP9A subfamilies

Lepidopteran P450s of the CYP6B and CYP9A subfamilies are thought to play important roles in host plant adaptation and insecticide resistance. An increasing number of paralogs and orthologs with high levels of sequence identity have been found in these subfamilies by mining recent genome projects. However, the biochemical function of most of them remains unknown. A better understanding of the evolution of P450 genes and of the catalytic competence of the enzymes they encode is needed to facilitate studies of host plant use and insecticide resistance. Here, we focused on the full complement of CYP6B (4 genes) and CYP9A (7 genes) in the generalist herbivore, Helicoverpa armigera. These P450s were heterologously expressed in Sf9 cells and compared functionally. In vitro assays showed that all CYP6B and CYP9A P450s can metabolize esfenvalerate efficiently, except for the evolutionarily divergent CYP6B43. A new 2'-hydroxy-metabolite of esfenvalerate was identified and found to be the main metabolite produced by CYP9A12. All tested P450s showed only low induction responses to esfenvalerate. To put these results from H. armigera P450s in perspective, 158 complete CYP6B and 100 complete CYP9A genes from 34 ditrysian species were manually curated. The CYP9A subfamily was more widespread than the CYP6B subfamily and the latter showed dramatic gains and losses, with ten species lacking CYP6B genes. Two adjacent CYP6B loci were found on chromosome 21, with different fates during the evolution of Lepidoptera. The diversity and functional redundancy of CYP6B and CYP9A genes challenge resistance management and pest control strategies as many P450s are available to insects to cope with chemical stresses they encounter.

Exposure of Helicoverpa armigera Larvae to Plant Volatile Organic Compounds Induces Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenases and Enhances Larval Tolerance to the Insecticide Methomyl

Plants release an array of volatile chemicals into the air to communicate with other organisms in the environment. Insect attack triggers emission of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs). How insect herbivores use these odors to plan their detoxification systems is vital for insect adaptation to environmental xenobiotics. Here we show that the larvae of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), a broadly polyphagous lepidopteran herbivore, have the capacity to use plant volatiles as cues to upregulate multiple detoxification systems, including cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s), for detoxification of insecticides. Olfactory exposure of the fifth instars to two terpene volatiles limonene and nerolidol, and two green-leaf volatiles 2-heptanone and cis-3-hexenyl acetate significantly reduced larval susceptibility to the insecticide methomyl. However, larval pretreatment with piperonyl butoxide (PBO), a known P450 inhibitor, neutralized the effects of volatile exposure. Furthermore, larval exposure to the four plant volatiles enhanced activities of P450 enzymes in midguts and fatbodies, and upregulated expression of CYP6B2, CYP6B6 and CYP6B7, P450s involved in detoxification of the insecticide. Larval exposure to 2-heptanone and limonene volatiles also enhanced activities of glutathione-s-transferase and carboxylesterase. Our findings suggest that olfactory exposure to HIPVs enhances larval insecticide tolerance via induction of detoxification P450s.

Identification of the 2-tridecanone cis-acting element in the promoter of cytochrome P450 CYP6B7 in Helicoverpa armigera

The expression level of cytochrome P450 genes in insects can be induced by plant allelochemicals, which is important for insects to adapt to host plants. Cytochrome P450 CYP6B7 has been reported to be involved in pyrethroid insecticide resistance in Helicoverpa armigera, and its transcription level was induced by some inducers. Currently, the regulatory mechanism of the induced expression of CYP6B7 remains unknown, although it is very important for understanding the detoxification mechanism to allelochemicals in host plants. The objective of the present study was to investigate the cis-acting element in the promoter of CYP6B7 mediating the inducible up-regulation of CYP6B7 in H. armigera by 2-tridecanone. The promoter region of CYP6B7 was cloned by genome walking technique and analyzed by transient transfection assay. Progressive 5' deletion of the promoter region of CYP6B7 revealed that the relative luciferase activity of construct -320/+232 could be significantly induced by 2-tridecanone. Further stepwise deletion between -320 and -238 bp found that construct -292/+232 could also be significantly induced by 2-tridecanone, but the adjacent construct -256/+232 could not, suggesting the essential role of the sequence between -292 and -257 bp for 2-tridecanone induction. Nucleotide mutations between -292 and -281 bp had no influence on the induction effect by 2-tridecanone, but nucleotide mutations between -280 and -257 bp significantly decreased the induction effect. These results demonstrated that the cis-acting element for 2-tridecanone induction was between -280 and -257 bp in the promoter of CYP6B7.

Multiple recombination events between two cytochrome P450 loci contribute to global pyrethroid resistance in Helicoverpa armigera

The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) is one of the most serious insect pest species to evolve resistance against many insecticides from different chemical classes. This species has evolved resistance to the pyrethroid insecticides across its native range and is becoming a truly global pest after establishing in South America and having been recently recorded in North America. A chimeric cytochrome P450 gene, CYP337B3, has been identified as a resistance mechanism for resistance to fenvalerate and cypermethrin. Here we show that this resistance mechanism is common around the world with at least eight different alleles. It is present in South America and has probably introgressed into its closely related native sibling species, Helicoverpa zea. The different alleles of CYP337B3 are likely to have arisen independently in different geographic locations from selection on existing diversity. The alleles found in Brazil are those most commonly found in Asia, suggesting a potential origin for the incursion of H. armigera into the Americas.

Overexpression of cytochrome P450s in a lambda-cyhalothrin resistant population of Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür)

The mirid bug, Apolygus lucorum Meyer-Dür, has been an important pest of cotton crop in China, and is primarily controlled with insecticides, such as pyrethroids. To elucidate the potential resistant mechanisms of A. lucorum to lambda-cyhalothrin, a series of biological, biochemical, and molecular assays were conducted in the reference (AL-S) and lambda-cyhalothrin-resistant (AL-R) populations. Comparison of the molecular target of pyrethroid insecticides, voltage-gated sodium channel, revealed that there were no mutation sites in the resistant population, indicating target insensitivity is not responsible for increased resistance of AL-R to lambda-cyhalothrin. Furthermore, the synergism assays and the activities of detoxification enzymes were performed to determine detoxification mechanism conferring the lambda-cyhalothrin resistance. In the tested synergists, the piperonyl butoxide had the highest synergism ratio against lambda-cyhalothrin, which was up to five-fold in both populations. In addition, the result also showed that only cytochrome P450 had significantly higher O-deethylase activity with 7-ethoxycoumarin (1.78-fold) in AL-R population compared with AL-S population. Seven cytochrome P450 genes were found to be significantly overexpressed in the resistant AL-R population compared with AL-S population. Taken together, these results demonstrate that multiple over-transcribed cytochrome P450 genes would be involved in the development of lambda-cyhalothrin resistance in AL-R population.

Phylogenetic and functional characterization of ten P450 genes from the CYP6AE subfamily of Helicoverpa armigera involved in xenobiotic metabolism

The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, is a generalist herbivore widely distributed over the world and is a major lepidopteran pest on cotton. Studies, especially from Asia, show that it relies on cytochrome P450 monooxygenases with broad substrate specificities to protect itself from pesticides. The number of P450s may have expanded in the processes of coping with the wide diversity of phytochemicals that the insect encounters among its numerous host plants. In order to examine the metabolic capabilities of these P450s, we focused here on all ten P450s of the Helicoverpa armigera CYP6AE subfamily, which can be easily induced by plant toxins and pyrethroids. These P450s, along with cytochrome P450 reductase, were heterologously expressed in insect cells and compared functionally. In vitro metabolism showed that all CYP6AE subfamily members can convert esfenvalerate to 4'-hydroxyesfenvalerate efficiently except CYP6AE20. In contrast, none of the recombinant CYP6AE enzymes could metabolise gossypol under our experimental conditions. Epoxidation capabilities were observed in the CYP6AE subfamily, aldrin can be converted to dieldrin at rates up to 0.45 ± 0.04 pmol/min/pmol P450. Seven P450s in this subfamily can metabolise imidacloprid, but with lower efficiency than Bemisia tabaci CYP6CM1vQ. CYP6AE20 had virtually no metabolic competence to these four compounds but could metabolise several model fluorogenic substrates. These results showed the broad substrate spectrum of H. armigera CYP6AE P450s and suggest a limited role of gossypol upon the evolution of H. armigera CYP6AE genes.

An independent occurrence of the chimeric P450 enzyme CYP337B3 of Helicoverpa armigera confers cypermethrin resistance in Pakistan

The increasing resistance level of insect pest species is a major concern to agriculture worldwide. The cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, is one of the most important pest species due to being highly polyphagous, geographically widespread, and resistant towards many chemical classes of insecticides. We previously described the mechanism of fenvalerate resistance in Australian populations conferred by the chimeric cytochrome P450 monooxygenase CYP337B3, which arose by unequal crossing-over between CYP337B1 and CYP337B2. Here, we show that this mechanism is also present in the cypermethrin-resistant FSD strain from Pakistan. The Pakistani and the Australian CYP337B3 alleles differ by 18 synonymous and three nonsynonymous SNPs and additionally in the length and sequence of the intron. Nevertheless, the activity of both CYP337B3 proteins is comparable. We demonstrate that CYP337B3 is capable of metabolizing cypermethrin (trans- and especially cis-isomers) to the main metabolite 4'-hydroxycypermethrin, which exhibits no intrinsic toxicity towards susceptible larvae. In a bioassay, CYP337B3 confers a 7-fold resistance towards cypermethrin in FSD larvae compared to susceptible larvae from the Australian TWB strain lacking CYP337B3. Linkage analysis shows that presence of CYP337B3 accounts for most of the cypermethrin resistance in the FSD strain; up-regulation of other P450s in FSD plays no detectable role in resistance. The presence or absence of CYP337B3 can be easily detected by a simple PCR screen, providing a powerful tool to rapidly distinguish resistant from susceptible individuals in the field and to determine the geographical distribution of this resistance gene. Our results suggest that CYP337B3 evolved twice independently by unequal crossing-over between CYP337B2 and two different CYP337B1 alleles.

Resistance of Australian Helicoverpa armigera to fenvalerate is due to the chimeric P450 enzyme CYP337B3

Worldwide, increasing numbers of insects have evolved resistance to a wide range of pesticides, which hampers their control in the field and, therefore, threatens agriculture. Members of the carboxylesterase and cytochrome P450 monooxygenase superfamilies are prominent candidates to confer metabolic resistance to pyrethroid insecticides. Both carboxylesterases and P450 enzymes have been shown to be involved in pyrethroid resistance in Australian Helicoverpa armigera, the noctuid species possessing by far the most reported resistance cases worldwide. However, specific enzymes responsible for pyrethroid resistance in field populations of this species have not yet been identified. Here, we show that the resistance toward fenvalerate in an Australian strain of H. armigera is due to a unique P450 enzyme, CYP337B3, which arose from unequal crossing-over between two parental P450 genes, resulting in a chimeric enzyme. CYP337B3 is capable of metabolizing fenvalerate into 4'-hydroxyfenvalerate, which exhibits no toxic effect on susceptible larvae; enzymes from the parental P450 genes showed no detectable fenvalerate metabolism. Furthermore, a polymorphic H. armigera strain could be bred into a susceptible line possessing the parental genes CYP337B1 and CYP337B2 and a resistant line possessing only CYP337B3. The exclusive presence of CYP337B3 in resistant insects of this strain confers a 42-fold resistance to fenvalerate. Thus, in addition to previously documented genetic mechanisms of resistance, recombination can also generate selectively advantageous variants, such as this chimeric P450 enzyme with an altered substrate specificity leading to a potent resistance mechanism.

Toxicological actions of plant-derived and anthropogenic methylenedioxyphenyl-substituted chemicals in mammals and insects

The methylenedioxyphenyl (MDP) substituent is a structural feature present in many plant chemicals that deter foraging by predatory insects and herbivores. With increasing use of herbal extracts in alternative medicine, human exposure to MDP-derived plant chemicals may also be significant. Early studies found that most MDP agents themselves possess relatively low intrinsic toxicity, but strongly influence the actions of other xenobiotics in mammals and insects by modulating cytochrome P-450 (CYP)-dependent biotransformation. Thus, after exposure to MDP chemicals an initial phase of CYP inhibition is followed by a sustained phase of CYP induction. In insects CYP inhibition by MDP agents underlies their use as pesticide synergists, but analogous inhibition of mammalian CYP impairs the clearance of drugs and foreign compounds. Conversely, induction of mammalian CYP by MDP agents increases xenobiotic oxidation capacity. Exposure of insects to MDP-containing synergists in the environment, in the absence of coadministered pesticides, may also enhance xenobiotic detoxication. Finally, although most MDP agents are well tolerated, several, typified by safrole, aristolochic acid, and MDP-kavalactones, are associated with significant toxicities, including the risk of hepatotoxicity or tumorigenesis. Thus, the presence of MDP-substituted chemicals in the environment may produce a range of direct and indirect toxicities in target and nontarget species.

Identification of candidate genes for fenvalerate resistance in Helicoverpa armigera using cDNA-AFLP

A cDNA-amplified fragment length polymorphisms approach was undertaken to screen for candidate genes associated with fenvalerate resistance in the AN02 strain of Helicoverpa armigera. Larvae and adults of this strain manifest approximately 50-fold resistance, which is suppressible by piperonyl butoxide and controlled by the semidominant gene RFen1 previously mapped to AFLP Linkage Group 13. Two cytochrome P450s (CYP337B1 and CYP4S1), one carboxylesterase-like protein and one glutathione transferase were found to be constitutively upregulated in resistant insects. Mapping of these potential detoxification genes showed that one of them, the novel P450 CYP337B1, was tightly linked to the resistance locus. This suggests that the RFen1(R) allele has a cis-acting effect on CYP337B1 expression, and possible trans-acting effects on expression of other genes.

Evaluation of the role of CYP6B cytochrome P450s in pyrethroid resistant Australian Helicoverpa armigera

The AN02 strain of Helicoverpa armigera from eastern Australia exhibits 50-fold, PBO-suppressible resistance to the pyrethroid insecticide fenvalerate. The semidominant resistance gene RFen1 was previously mapped to AFLP Linkage Group 13. In evaluating the cytochrome P450 genes CYP6B7, CYP6B6, and CYP6B2 as candidates for RFen1, we found that they occur in a tandem array in the genome, next to the gene encoding the para-type sodium channel; the target of pyrethroid insecticides. We mapped these genes to AFLP Linkage Group 14, thus rejecting mutations within the P450 cluster or para as candidates for RFen1. RFen1 genotypes produced slightly different mRNA levels of the three P450s, but the differences were too small to convincingly account for resistance. We conclude that even if one or more of these P450s metabolize fenvalerate, they are unlikely to be responsible for the resistance in AN02.

Effect of pretreatment with piperonyl butoxide on pyrethroid efficacy against insecticide-resistant Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Bemisia tabaci (Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae)

Pyrethroid resistance in B-type Bemisia tabaci Gennadius and Australian Helicoverpa armigera Hübner field populations is primarily conferred by esterase isoenzymes which metabolise and sequester pyrethroid insecticides. It has been shown previously that pyrethroid resistance-associated esterases in H. armigera are inhibited by the insecticide synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO) over a 22-h period. It is demonstrated here that similar inhibition can be obtained against B-type B. tabaci. Small-scale field trials showed excellent levels of pyrethroid control when insects were pretreated with PBO and then dosed with pyrethroid during the time of maximum esterase inhibition. These results demonstrate that PBO can restore pyrethroid efficacy in the field against both B-type B. tabaci and resistant H. armigera.

Cytochrome P450 CYP6X1 cDNAs and mRNA expression levels in three strains of the tarnished plant bug Lygus lineolaris (Heteroptera: Miridae) having different susceptibilities to pyrethroid insecticide

Three cDNAs, cloned from both pyrethroid-susceptible and -resistant strains of Lygus lineolaris, contained a 1548 nucleotide open reading frame encoding a 516 amino acid residue protein. Predicted cytochrome P450s from cDNAs were classified as the first three new members of subfamily CYP6X, CYP6X1v1 for a susceptible strain and CYP6X1v2 and CYP6X1v3 for two resistant strains. Putative cytochrome P450 CYP6X1s from L. lineolaris were highly similar (up to 42% amino acid sequence identity) to several insect CYP6s that are responsible for reduced sensitivity to pyrethroid insecticides. A total of twenty-six nucleotide substitutions were revealed between cDNAs of susceptible and resistant strains. Two nucleotide substitutions resulted in amino acid changes, Asp373 to Ala373 and Ser487 to Ala487, between susceptible and resistant strains. The resistant laboratory strain contained 2.1-fold higher cytochrome P450 mRNA per microgram total RNA than the susceptible laboratory strain. Topical treatment with 10 ng permethrin elevated cytochrome P450 mRNA levels by approximately 2-fold. The results of this study indicated that cytochrome P450 gene mutation, coupled with up-regulation, was present only in the pyrethroid resistant strains, and was possibly related to resistance development in the tarnished plant bug.

Molecular cloning and expression of CYP6B8: a xanthotoxin-inducible cytochrome P450 cDNA from Helicoverpa zea

Xanthotoxin, a plant allelochemical, induces alpha-cypermethrin insecticide tolerance in Helicoverpa zea (corn earworm); inhibition of tolerance by piperonyl butoxide implicates cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) in the detoxification of this insecticide. To characterize the xanthotoxin-inducible P450 that might mediate alpha-cypermethrin tolerance in this species, a cDNA library prepared from xanthotoxin-induced H. zea fifth instar larvae was screened with cDNAs encoding furanocoumarin-metabolizing P450s from Papilio polyxenes (CYP6B1v2) and P. glaucus (CYP6B4v2) as well as a sequence-related P450 from Helicoverpa armigera (CYP6B2). One full-length cDNA isolated in this screening shares 51-99% amino acid identity with the CYP6B subfamily of P450s isolated from Papilio and Helicoverpa species and, thus, has been designated CYP6B8. All of these CYP6B subfamily members share a number of highly conserved domains, including substrate recognition site 1 (SRS 1) that is critical for xanthotoxin metabolism by CYP6B1v2 from Papilio polyxenes and coumarin metabolism by CYP2a5 from Mus musculus. Northern and RT-PCR analyses indicate that CYP6B8 expression is strongly induced by xanthotoxin and phenobarbital and negligibly induced by alpha-cypermethrin.

Induction of cytochrome P450 CYP6B7 and cytochrome b5 mRNAs from Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) by pyrethroid insecticides in organ culture

An organ culture system derived from Helicoverpa armigera has been used to study the expression of cytochrome P450 and cytochrome b5 mRNAs. Northern analysis showed that levels of the mRNAs for cytochrome P450s, CYP6B2, CYP6B6 and CYP6B7, and cytochrome b5 in control tissue were commensurate with those in the tissue of whole larvae. Substantial induction of cytochrome P450, CYP6B7 and cytochrome b5 mRNAs by alpha-pinene, and the pyrethroids, fenvalerate, cypermethrin and permethrin were observed in fat body culture. Neither mRNA was induced, either in midgut or integument organ cultures. In contrast, the relatively water-soluble compound phenobarbital, could induce CYP6B7 mRNA but not cytochrome b5 mRNA in fat body cultures. As for pyrethroids, phenobarbital had no effect on the other tissues in culture. These results confirm a previous conclusion that pyrethroids could induce CYP6B7 mRNA, which was based upon a very slight induction observed in living insects. Because many cytochrome P450 substrates can act as their inducers, these results support a previous conclusion that CYP6B7 could be the enzyme that is involved in pyrethroid resistance in H. armigera.