Journal of Pest Science (2020) 93, 1281-1294

Shao-Kun Guo, Ya-Jun Gong, Jin-Cui Chen, Pan Shi, Li-Jun Cao, Qiong Yang, Ary Anthony Hoffmann and Shu-Jun Wei (2020)
Increased density of endosymbiotic Buchnera related to pesticide resistance in yellow morph of melon aphid
Journal of Pest Science 93 (4), 1281-1294
Abstract: Many invertebrates develop into different color morphs in response to changes in environmental conditions. Color morphs can differ in their biology and stress tolerance including pesticide resistance, but underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we found that yellow morphs (predominant in hot summer conditions) of an agricultural pest, the melon aphid Aphis gossypii, have higher levels of resistance to the commonly used pesticides imidacloprid and sulfoxaflor compared to the green morphs (predominant in cooler spring and autumn conditions), while no difference was found in morph resistance to the antibiotic/pesticide avermectin. Transcriptome analysis and biochemical assays of enzyme activities revealed no differences in metabolic processes between the two color morphs except for differentially expressed genes related to wing development. Microbiome analysis revealed that the endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola is the dominant bacterium in both morphs, representing 86.76–99.88% of the microbiome. The yellow morph had a higher density of Buchnera compared to the green morph. When yellow morphs were treated with avermectin and antibiotics, the density of Buchnera was reduced to levels similar to the green morph, and their susceptibility to imidacloprid was simultaneously increased. These results indicate an association between resistance in the yellow morph of A. gossypii and symbiotic bacteria, providing novel insights into pesticide resistance mechanisms and the plasticity of stress adaptation.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Ary A. Hoffmann, Shu-Jun Wei

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Aphis gossypii