Brassica plants have glucosinolate (GLs)-myrosinase defense mechanisms to deter herbivores. However, Plutella xylostella specifically feeds on Brassica vegetables. The larvae possess three glucosinolate sulfatases (PxGSS1-3) that compete with plant myrosinase for shared GLs substrates and produce nontoxic desulfo-GLs (deGLs). Although PxGSSs are considered potential targets for pest control, the lack of a comprehensive review has hindered the development of PxGSSs-targeted pest control methods. Recent advances in integrative multi-omics analysis, substrate-enzyme kinetics, and molecular biological techniques have elucidated the evolutionary origin and functional diversity of these three PxGSSs. This review summarizes research progress on PxGSSs over the past 20 years, covering sequence properties, evolution, protein modification, enzyme activity, structural variation, substrate specificity, and interaction scenarios based on functional diversity. Finally, we discussed the potential applications of PxGSSs-targeted pest control technologies driven by artificial intelligence, including CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene drive, transgenic plant-mediated RNAi, small-molecule inhibitors, and peptide inhibitors. These technologies have the potential to overcome current management challenges and promote the development and field application of PxGSSs-targeted pest control.
Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9; gene drive; gene duplication; pest control technology; sulfatases.