Combined PacBio Iso-Seq and Illumina RNA-Seq Analysis of the Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) Transcriptome and Cytochrome P450 Genes

Simple Summary Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is an invasive pest that is extremely difficult to control. It exhibits varying levels of resistance to many insecticides. The use of compound insecticides has emerged as a new choice due to their ability to enhance insecticidal activity and delay the increased rate of resistance. The combined sequencing technology of PacBio Iso-Seq and Illumina RNA-seq is very beneficial to perform the in-depth exploration of its life activities. In this study, we obtained full-length transcriptome and comparative transcriptome data for T. absoluta by using the combined sequencing technology, and 21 P450 genes related to abamectin and chlorantraniliprole complex metabolism were excavated and the phylogenetic tree was constructed. Eight upregulated P450 genes were verified by qRT-PCR. It is speculated that these genes are closely related to the response of T. absoluta to abamectin and chlorantraniliprole complex. Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) is a devastating invasive pest worldwide. The abamectin and chlorantraniliprole complex have become an alternative option for chemical control because they can enhance insecticidal activity and delay increased drug resistance. Notably, pests are inevitably resistant to various types of insecticides, and compound insecticides are no exception. To identify potential genes involved in the detoxification of abamectin and chlorantraniliprole complex in T. absoluta, PacBio SMRT-seq transcriptome sequencing and Illumina RNA-seq analysis of abamectin and chlorantraniliprole complex-treated T. absoluta were performed. We obtained 80,492 non-redundant transcripts, 62,762 (77.97%) transcripts that were successfully annotated, and 15,524 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs). GO annotation results showed that most of these DETs were involved in the biological processes of life-sustaining activities, such as cellular, metabolic, and single-organism processes. The KEGG pathway enrichment results showed that the pathways related to glutathione metabolism, fatty acid and amino acid synthesis, and metabolism were related to the response to abamectin and chlorantraniliprole complex in T. absoluta. Among these, 21 P450s were differentially expressed (11 upregulated and 10 downregulated). The qRT-PCR results for the eight upregulated P450 genes after abamectin and chlorantraniliprole complex treatment were consistent with the RNA-Seq data. Our findings provide new full-length transcriptional data and information for further studies on detoxification-related genes in T. absoluta.

Automated summary

This study obtained full-length transcriptome and comparative transcriptome data for T. absoluta using combined sequencing technology, and identified 21 P450 genes related to abamectin and chlorantraniliprole metabolism. The upregulation of 8 P450 genes in response to abamectin and chlorantraniliprole complex was validated by qRT-PCR.