A novel cytochrome P450 CYP6AB14 gene in Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and its potential role in plant allelochemical detoxification

J Insect Physiol. 2015 Apr:75:54-62. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2015.02.013. Epub 2015 Mar 14.

Abstract

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) play a prominent role in the adaptation of insects to host plant chemical defenses. To investigate the potential role of P450s in adaptation of the lepidopteran pest Spodoptera litura to host plant allelochemicals, an expressed sequence data set derived from 6th instar midgut tissues was first mined. One sequence identified from the S. litura 6th instar midgut EST database was determined by phylogenetic analysis to belong to the CYP6AB P450 subfamily, and named CYP6AB14. Dietary supplementation of S. litura larvae with either xanthotoxin (XAN), coumarin (COU) and flavone (FLA) led to elevated CYP6AB14 transcript levels in both midgut and fat body tissues. Injection of CYP6AB14-derived double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into S. litura individuals significantly reduced CYP6AB14 transcript levels, and resulted in increased developmental abnormalities and higher mortality rates among XAN, COU and FLA-fed larvae. Our results strongly suggest a key role for CYP6AB14 in plant allelochemical detoxification in S. litura.

Keywords: CYP6AB14; Cytochrome P450; Plant allelochemical; RNA interference; Spodoptera litura.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Coumarins / toxicity
  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / genetics*
  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / metabolism
  • Digestive System / enzymology
  • Enzyme Induction
  • Flavones / toxicity
  • Insect Proteins / genetics*
  • Insect Proteins / metabolism
  • Larva / drug effects
  • Larva / metabolism
  • Methoxsalen / toxicity
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Pheromones / toxicity*
  • RNA Interference
  • RNA, Double-Stranded / genetics
  • Spodoptera / drug effects*
  • Spodoptera / metabolism

Substances

  • Coumarins
  • Flavones
  • Insect Proteins
  • Pheromones
  • RNA, Double-Stranded
  • Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System
  • coumarin
  • flavone
  • Methoxsalen