Overexpression of multiple cytochrome P450 genes associated with sulfoxaflor resistance in Aphis gossypii Glover

Sulfoxaflor is the first commercially available sulfoximine insecticide, which exhibits highly efficacy against many sap-feeding insect pests and has been applied as an alternative insecticide against cotton aphid in China. This study was conducted to investigate the risk of resistance development, the cross-resistance pattern and the potential resistance mechanisms of sulfoxaflor in Aphis gossypii. A colony (SulR strain) of A. gossypii with 245-fold resistance, originated from Xinjiang field population, was established by continuous selection using sulfoxaflor. The SulR strain has developed cross-resistance to imidacloprid (80.8-fold), acetamiprid (19.3-fold), thiamethoxam (10.0-fold), and flupyradifurone (107.5-fold), while no cross-resistance was detected to malathion, omethoate, bifenthrin, methomyl, and carbosulfan. Piperonyl butoxide and S, S, S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate could significantly increase the toxicity of sulfoxaflor to the SulR strain by 5.99- and 4.18-fold, respectively, whereas no synergistic effect with diethyl maleate was observed. The activities of P450s and carboxylesterase were significantly higher in the SulR strain than that in the SS strain. Further gene expression determination demonstrated that nine P450 genes were significantly increased in SulR strain and suppression the expression of CYP6CY13 and CYP6CY19 by RNAi significantly increased the susceptibility of SulR adult aphids to sulfoxaflor. These results demonstrated that the enhancing detoxification by cytochrome P450 monooxygenase may be involved in A.gossypii resistance to sulfoxaflor.