Robust discriminator of chiral molecules via a topological invariant.

We propose a scheme for chirality discrimination via a topological invariant. The physical model is based on a three-level subspace of a molecule. By modulating the components of the control field with proper frequencies, two different two-level effective Hamiltonians are derived for the left-handed and the right-handed molecules. We parameterize the effective Hamiltonians with two angles and demonstrate that a topological quantum phase transition can be induced by tuning the effective Rabi frequency if the molecule is right-handed. This phenomenon provides a method to discriminate the chirality of the molecule by measuring a topological invariant, i.e., the Chern number, of the parametric manifold. Since the Chern number is robust against perturbations to the system, the scheme is insensitive to the systematic errors of the control fields, the deviations of the modulation frequencies, and decoherence of the molecule. Therefore, the scheme may provide useful perspectives to construct a robust discriminator of chiral molecules.

New insights on gut microbiome and autism.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that often coincides with gut dysbiosis. Studies show that alterations in gut microbiota influence brain function and could serve as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This forum article discusses the role of gut microbiota in ASD pathogenesis and its diagnostic and therapeutic potential.

Role of plasma fatty acid in age-related macular degeneration: insights from a mendelian randomization analysis.

BACKGROUND: An imbalance in lipid metabolism has been linked to the development of AMD, but the causal relationship between AMD and plasma fatty acids (FAs) remains controversial. Using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach, we sought to evaluate the impact of specific FA plasma levels on the risk of different AMD subtypes. METHODS: We analysed genome-wide association data of circulating FAs from 115,006 European-descended individuals in the UK Biobank. These data were used in a two-sample MR framework to assess the potential role of circulating FAs in developing wet and dry AMD. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to ensure the robustness of our findings. Additional multivariable and locus-specific MR analyses were conducted to evaluate direct effects of FA on AMD subtypes, minimizing biases from lipoprotein-related traits and triglycerides. RESULTS: Mendelian randomization revealed associations of omega-3 was associated with decreased wet (OR 0.78, 95%CI 0.66-0.92) and dry AMD (0.85, 0.74-0.97) risk, showed a protective effect on AMD. Notably, the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio showed potential causal effects on both wet (1.27, 1.03-1.56) and dry AMD (1.18, 1.02-1.37). Multivariable MR suggested that the causal relationship of omega-3, omega-6 to omega-3 ratio on wet AMD persists after conditioning on HDL, LDL and triglycerides, albeit with slightly diminished evidence strength. Locus-specific MR linked to omega-3(FADS1, 0.89, 0.82-0.98; FADS2, 0.88, 0.81-0.96) and omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (FADS1, 1.10, 1.02-1.20; FADS2, 1.11, 1.03-1.20) suggests causal effects of these factors on wet AMD. CONCLUSIONS: The associations between plasma FA concentrations and AMD, suggest potential causal role of omega-3, and the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in wet AMD. These results underscore the impact of an imbalanced circulating omega-3 and omega-6 FA ratio on AMD pathophysiology from MR perspective.

Course-based intra-articular injection of medical chitosan mitigates excessive deposition of triacylglycerides in the synovial tissue of the knee osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of intra-articular injections of medical chitosan for treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and measure the lipid metabolism profiles of the synovial tissue. METHODS: 60 patients with KOA undergoing conservative treatment were recruited and randomized into two groups: one without pharmacological intervention (OA group) and the other receiving course-based intra-articular medical chitosan injections (CSI group). Quantitative lipidomic profile of synovial tissue was analyzed. Functional scores, including Kellgren-Lawrence rating (K-L), VAS, WOMAC scoring, and AKS scoring were conducted. RESULTS: Survival from the initial conservative treatment to final knee arthroplasty was significantly longer in the CSI group compared to the OA group. Except for the pre-surgery VAS score, no statistically significant differences were observed in the other scores, including K-L, initial VAS, WOMAC, and AKS. However, the CSI group experienced a slightly more pronounced decline in AKS-Knee subscores compared to the OA group. Compared to the CSI group, the OA group exhibited a significant upregulation in most differential lipids, particularly triacylglycerides (TAGs, 77%). The OA group had notably higher levels of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids. CONCLUSION: Intra-articular injection of medical chitosan significantly prolongs the survival period before knee arthroplasty and reduces the deposition of TAGs metabolites.

Multikingdom and functional gut microbiota markers for autism spectrum disorder.

Associations between the gut microbiome and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been investigated although most studies have focused on the bacterial component of the microbiome. Whether gut archaea, fungi and viruses, or function of the gut microbiome, is altered in ASD is unclear. Here we performed metagenomic sequencing on faecal samples from 1,627 children (aged 1-13 years, 24.4% female) with or without ASD, with extensive phenotype data. Integrated analyses revealed that 14 archaea, 51 bacteria, 7 fungi, 18 viruses, 27 microbial genes and 12 metabolic pathways were altered in children with ASD. Machine learning using single-kingdom panels showed area under the curve (AUC) of 0.68 to 0.87 in differentiating children with ASD from those that are neurotypical. A panel of 31 multikingdom and functional markers showed a superior diagnostic accuracy with an AUC of 0.91, with comparable performance for males and females. Accuracy of the model was predominantly driven by the biosynthesis pathways of ubiquinol-7 or thiamine diphosphate, which were less abundant in children with ASD. Collectively, our findings highlight the potential application of multikingdom and functional gut microbiota markers as non-invasive diagnostic tools in ASD.

The evolution of social behaviors and risk preferences in settings with uncertainty.

Humans update their social behavior in response to past experiences and changing environments. Behavioral decisions are further complicated by uncertainty in the outcome of social interactions. Faced with uncertainty, some individuals exhibit risk aversion while others seek risk. Attitudes toward risk may depend on socioeconomic status; and individuals may update their risk preferences over time, which will feedback on their social behavior. Here, we study how uncertainty and risk preferences shape the evolution of social behaviors. We extend the game-theoretic framework for behavioral evolution to incorporate uncertainty about payoffs and variation in how individuals respond to this uncertainty. We find that different attitudes toward risk can substantially alter behavior and long-term outcomes, as individuals seek to optimize their rewards from social interactions. In a standard setting without risk, for example, defection always overtakes a well-mixed population engaged in the classic Prisoner's Dilemma, whereas risk aversion can reverse the direction of evolution, promoting cooperation over defection. When individuals update their risk preferences along with their strategic behaviors, a population can oscillate between periods dominated by risk-averse cooperators and periods of risk-seeking defectors. Our analysis provides a systematic account of how risk preferences modulate, and even coevolve with, behavior in an uncertain social world.

Factors influencing recurrence and model development for recurrence of minimally invasive percutaneous transhepatic lithotripsy: a single-center retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors influencing recurrence after percutaneous transhepatic choledochoscopic lithotripsy (PTCSL) and to develop a predictive model. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 354 patients with intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile duct stones treated with PTCSL at Qinzhou First People's Hospital between February 2018 and January 2020. Patients were followed for three years and categorized into non-recurrence and recurrence groups based on postoperative outcome. Univariate analysis identified possible predictors of stone recurrence. Data were split using the gradient boosting machine (GBM) algorithm, assigning 70% as the training set and 30% as the test set. The predictive performance of the GBM model was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve, and compared with a logistic regression model. RESULTS: Six factors were identified as significant predictors of recurrence: age, diabetes, total bilirubin, biliary stricture, number of stones, and stone diameter. The GBM model, developed based on these factors, showed high predictive accuracy. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.763 (95% CI: 0.695-0.830) for the training set and 0.709 (95% CI: 0.596-0.822) for the test set. Optimal cutoff values were 0.286 and 0.264, with sensitivities of 62.30% and 66.70%, and specificities of 77.20% and 68.50%, respectively. Calibration curves indicated good agreement between predicted probabilities and observed recurrence rates in both sets. DeLong's test revealed no significant differences between the GBM and logistic regression models in predictive performance (training set: D = 0.003, P = 0.997 > 0.05; test set: D = 0.075, P = 0.940 > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Biliary stricture, stone diameter, diabetes, stone number, age, and total bilirubin significantly influence stone recurrence after PTCSL. The GBM model, based on these factors, demonstrates robust accuracy and discrimination. Both GBM and logistic regression models effectively predicted stone recurrence post-PTCSL.

The Trend of Smoking-Related Cognition and Its Association with Smoking Behaviors Among Junior High School Students - China, 2013-2021.

What is already known about this topic?: In 2013, 31.61% of students perceived quitting smoking as difficult, 61.73% considered smoking less attractive, and 73.89% believed that secondhand smoke is definitely harmful to health. What is added by this report?: The percentage of students who perceived quitting smoking as difficult increased from 31.61% in 2013 to 38.83% in 2021, while the percentage of students who found smoking less attractive rose from 61.73% to 69.40%. Conversely, there was a decrease in the percentage of students who perceived secondhand smoke as harmful, from 73.89% to 68.46%. An increased awareness of the hazards of secondhand smoke was associated with a reduction in smoking behaviors. What are the implications for public health practice?: It is imperative to enhance health education efforts that aim to raise awareness of the hazards of secondhand smoke.

The impact of microplastics polystyrene on the microscopic structure of mouse intestine, tight junction genes and gut microbiota.

Microplastics, which are tiny plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter, are widely present in the environment, have become a serious threat to aquatic life and human health, potentially causing ecosystem disorders and health problems. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of microplastics, specifically microplastics-polystyrene (MPs-PS), on the structural integrity, gene expression related to tight junctions, and gut microbiota in mice. A total of 24 Kunming mice aged 30 days were randomly assigned into four groups: control male (CM), control female (CF), PS-exposed male (PSM), and PS-exposed female (PSF)(n = 6). There were significant differences in villus height, width, intestinal surface area, and villus height to crypt depth ratio (V/C) between the PS group and the control group(C) (p <0.05). Gene expression analysis demonstrated the downregulation of Claudin-1, Claudin-2, Claudin-15, and Occludin, in both duodenum and jejunum of the PS group (p < 0.05). Analysis of microbial species using 16S rRNA sequencing indicated decreased diversity in the PSF group, as well as reduced diversity in the PSM group at various taxonomic levels. Beta diversity analysis showed a significant difference in gut microbiota distribution between the PS-exposed and C groups (R2 = 0.113, p<0.01), with this difference being more pronounced among females exposed to MPs-PS. KEGG analysis revealed enrichment of differential microbiota mainly involved in seven signaling pathways, such as nucleotide metabolism(p<0.05). The relative abundance ratio of transcriptional pathways was significantly increased for the PSF group (p<0.01), while excretory system pathways were for PSM group(p<0.05). Overall findings suggest that MPs-PS exhibit a notable sex-dependent impact on mouse gut microbiota, with a stronger effect observed among females; reduced expression of tight junction genes may be associated with dysbiosis, particularly elevated levels of Prevotellaceae.

Human Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells (hPDLSCs) Spontaneously Differentiate into Myofibroblasts to Repair Diabetic Wounds.

Advanced glycation end product (AGE) accumulation due to diabetes causes vascular and neurological lesions, delaying healing. The use of stem cells could overcome these problems. Although many studies have shown the potential beneficial effects of stem cell therapies in the treatment of chronic and refractory skin ulcers, their delivery methods are still under investigation. Human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) can spontaneously differentiate into myofibroblasts in specific cultures; therefore, they have the potential to effectively treat diabetic wounds and may also have applications in the field of medical cosmetics. The myofibroblastic differentiation ability of hPDLSCs in the presence of AGEs was evaluated by the expression of α-SMA and COL1A1 using RT-qPCR and WB technology. Wound healing in diabetic mice, induced by streptozotocin (STZ) and assessed using H&E staining, Masson staining, and immunohistochemical (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) staining, was used to validate the effects of hPDLSCs. In the wound tissues, the expression of α-SMA, COL1A1, CD31, CD206, iNOS, and vimentin was detected. The findings indicated that in H-DMEM, the expression of COL1A1 exhibited a significant decrease, while α-SMA demonstrated an increase in P7 cells, ignoring the damage from AGEs (p < 0.05). In an STZ-induced diabetic C57BL/6J mice whole-skin defect model, the healing rate of the hPDLSCs treatment group was significantly higher than that in the models (on the 7th day, the rate was 65.247% vs. 48.938%, p < 0.05). hPDLSCs have been shown to spontaneously differentiate into myofibroblasts in H-DMEM and resist damage from AGEs in both in vivo and in vitro models, suggesting their potential in the field of cosmetic dermatology.

Characterization, hazard identification, and risk assessment of volatile organic compounds in Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)-based food contact articles.

The chemical safety of poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) based food contact articles (FCAs) has aroused increasing toxicological concerns in recent years, but the chemical characterization and associated risk assessment still remain inadequate as it fails to elucidate the distribution pattern and discern the potential genotoxic and carcinogenic hazards of the identified substances. Herein, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 50 batches of PBAT-based FCAs of representative categories and 10 batches of PLA and PBAT pellets were characterized, by which 237 VOCs of 10 chemical categories were identified and exhibited characteristic distribution patterns in the chemical spaces derived from their molecular descriptors. Chemical hazards associated with the identified VOCs were discerned by a hazard-driven classification scheme integrating hazard-related knowledge from multiple publicly available sources, and 34 VOCs were found to bear genotoxic or carcinogenic hazards and to feature higher average molecular weight than the other VOCs. Finally, the Risk and hazard quotient (HQ) calculated as the metrics of risk suggested that all identified VOCs posed acceptable risks (Risk<10-4 or HQ < 1), whereas oxolane, butyrolactone, N,N-dimethylacetamide, 2-butoxyethanol, benzyl alcohol, and 1,2,3-trichloropropane posed non-negligible (Risk>10-6) genotoxic or carcinogenic risk and thus should be of prioritized concern to promote the chemical safety of PBAT-based FCAs.

Alteration of gut microbiome in goslings infected with goose astrovirus.

Goose astrovirus (GoAstV) is an emerging avian pathogen that induces gout in goslings with a mortality of up to 50%. Organ damage caused by GoAstV infection was considered the cause of gout, but it is still unclear whether other factors are involved. Human and murine studies have linked the gut microbiome-derived urate and gout, thus we hypothesized that gut microbiome may also play an important role in gout induced by GoAstV infection. This study tested the pathogenicity of our isolated GoAstV genotype 2 strain on goslings, while the appearance of clinical signs, histopathological changes, viral distribution and the blood level of cytokines were monitored for 18 d postinfection (dpi). The dynamics in the gut microbiome were profiled by 16S sequencing and then correlated with GoAstV infection. Results showed that this study successfully developed an experimental infection model for studying the pathogenicity of the GoAstV infection which induces typical symptoms of gout. GoAstV infection significantly altered the gut microbiome of goslings with the enrichment of potential proinflammatory bacteria and depletion of beneficial bacteria that can produce short-chain fatty acids. More importantly, the microbial pathway involved in urate production was significantly increased in goslings infected with GoAstV, suggesting that gut microbiome-derived urate may also contribute to the gout symptoms. Overall, this study demonstrated the role of gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of GoAstV infection, highlighting the potential of gut microbiome-based therapeutics against gout symptoms.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Sleep Disturbance in Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) is associated with sleep disturbance, but treatment options are limited. The etiology of PACS may be secondary to alterations in the gut microbiome. Here, we report the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in alleviating post-COVID insomnia symptoms in a nonrandomized, open-label prospective interventional study. METHODS: Between September 22, 2022, and May 22, 2023, we recruited 60 PACS patients with insomnia defined as Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) ≥8 and assigned them to the FMT group (FMT at weeks 0, 2, 4, and 8; n = 30) or the control group (n = 30). The primary outcome was clinical remission defined by an ISI of <8 at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included changes in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, blood cortisol and melatonin, and gut microbiome analysis on metagenomic sequencing. RESULTS: At week 12, more patients in the FMT than the control group had insomnia remission (37.9% vs 10.0%; P = .018). The FMT group showed a decrease in ISI score (P < .0001), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (P < .0001), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (P = .0019), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (P = .0057), and blood cortisol concentration (P = .035) from baseline to week 12, but there was no significant change in the control group. There was enrichment of bacteria such as Gemmiger formicilis and depletion of microbial pathways producing menaquinol derivatives after FMT. The gut microbiome profile resembled that of the donor in FMT responders but not in nonresponders at week 12. There was no serious adverse event. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study showed that FMT could be effective and safe in alleviating post-COVID insomnia, and further clinical trials are warranted. CLINICALTRIALS: gov, Number: NCT05556733.

SENP3-regulated Nodal signaling plays a potential role in cardiac left-right asymmetry development.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a type of major defect that occurs during embryonic development. Although significant advances have been made in the treatment of CHD, its etiology and molecular mechanism remain unclear. To identify the critical role of SUMOylation in cardiac development, we generated SENP3 knockout mice and showed that SENP3 knockout mice die on embryonic day 8.5 with an open neural tube and reversed left-right cardiac asymmetry. Moreover, SENP3 knockout promoted apoptosis and senescence of H9C2 cells. Further studies showed that Nodal, a critical gene that forms left-right asymmetry, is regulated by SENP3 and that SENP3 regulates cell apoptosis and senescence in a Nodal-dependent manner. Furthermore, Nodal was hyper-SUMOylated after SENP3 knockout, and SUMOylation of Nodal inhibited its ubiquitination and ubiquitin-proteasome degradation pathway. Nodal overexpression enhanced cell apoptosis and senescence; however, the mutation at the SUMOylation site of Nodal reversed its effect on the apoptosis and senescence of H9C2 cells. More importantly, the SENP3-Nodal axis regulates cell senescence by inducing cell autophagy. These results suggest that the SENP3-Nodal signaling axis regulates cardiac senescence-autophagy homeostasis, which in turn affects cardiac development and results in the occurrence of CHD.

Pathogenicity analysis and seed transmission of watermelon virus A in bottle gourd.

Seed transmission is among the primary strategies utilized by plant viruses for long-distance dissemination, leading to the widespread occurrence of viral diseases globally. Watermelon virus A (WVA) is a novel wamavirus first found in watermelon. However, the pathogenicity and transmission mode of WVA are still unclear. Our previous work found that the incidence of WVA in bottle gourd is very high. Based on that, the pathogenicity and seed transmission mode of WVA in bottle gourd were studied. Compared with healthy plant, bottle gourd infected by WVA showed no visible disease symptom. Moreover, in the seeds of 20 bottle gourd cultivars, the occurrence of WVA varies from 0 to 90%, and one cultivar even reaches 100%. We also found that the transmission rate from seeds to the resulting seedlings was 100%. Furthermore, WVA was present in both the seed coat and embryo, and seed disinfection cannot eliminate WVA. Besides the seed and leaf, WVA can also be detected in stem, flower, and fruit, but not in the root. To our surprise, the level of transmission from WVA-infected plants to seeds was more than 85%. In addition, the viral accumulations of both WVA and CGMMV were increased in plants with co-infection of WVA and CGMMV. Taken together, these findings reveal that WVA is a seed-transmitted virus which causes no disease symptom in bottle gourd, and there may be synergism between WVA and CGMMV.

Misregulation of bromotyrosine compromises fertility in male Drosophila.

Biological regulation often depends on reversible reactions such as phosphorylation, acylation, methylation, and glycosylation, but rarely halogenation. A notable exception is the iodination and deiodination of thyroid hormones. Here, we report detection of bromotyrosine and its subsequent debromination during Drosophila spermatogenesis. Bromotyrosine is not evident when Drosophila express a native flavin-dependent dehalogenase that is homologous to the enzyme responsible for iodide salvage from iodotyrosine in mammals. Deletion or suppression of the dehalogenase-encoding condet (cdt) gene in Drosophila allows bromotyrosine to accumulate with no detectable chloro- or iodotyrosine. The presence of bromotyrosine in the cdt mutant males disrupts sperm individualization and results in decreased fertility. Transgenic expression of the cdt gene in late-staged germ cells rescues this defect and enhances tolerance of male flies to bromotyrosine. These results are consistent with reversible halogenation affecting Drosophila spermatogenesis in a process that had previously eluded metabolomic, proteomic, and genomic analyses.

Diallyl disulfide antagonizes DJ-1 mediated proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and chemoresistance in gastric cancer cells.

Diallyl disulfide (DADS), an organic component of allicin abstracted from garlic, possesses multi-target antitumor activity. DJ-1 performs a vital function in promoting AKT aberrant activation via down-regulating phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) in tumors. It is unknown the involvement of DJ-1 in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of gastric cancer (GC) cells. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether diallyl disulfide (DADS) intervenes in the role of DJ-1 in GC. Based on the identification that the correlation between high DJ-1 and low PTEN expression in GC was implicated in clinical progression, we illuminated that down-regulation of DJ-1 by DADS aided in an increase in PTEN expression and a decrease in phosphorylated AKT levels, which was in line with the results manifested in the DJ-1 knockdown and overexpressed cells, concurrently inhibiting proliferation, EMT, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, the antagonistic effects of DADS on DJ-1 were observed in in vivo experiments. Additionally, DADS mitigated the DJ-1-associated drug resistance. The current study revealed that DJ-1 is one of potential targets for DADS, which hopefully provides a promising strategy for prevention and adjuvant chemotherapy of GC.

Corydalis sunhangii (Papaveraceae): A new species from Xizang, China, based on plastome and morphological data.

A new species of Papaveraceae, Corydalis sunhangii, in the section Trachycarpae, is described and illustrated from Nyingchi City, Xizang, China. The new species has some resemblance to Corydalis kingdonis, but differs by radical leaves prominent, usually several, blade tripinnate (vs. insignificant, few, blade bi- to triternate); cauline leaf usually one, much smaller than radical leaves, usually situated in lower half of stem (vs. usually two, larger than radical leaves, concentrated in upper third of stem); racemes densely 13-35-flowered (vs. rather lax, 4-11-flowered); claw of lower petal shallowly saccate (vs. very prominently and deeply saccate); capsule oblong, with raised lines of dense papillae (vs. broadly obovoid, smooth). Phylogenetic analysis, based on 68 protein-coding plastid genes of 49 samples, shows that C. sunhangii is not closely related to any hitherto described species, which is consistent with our morphological analysis.

Knockdown of one cytochrome P450 gene CYP6DW4 increases the susceptibility of Bemisia tabaci to dimpropyridaz, a novel pyridazine pyrazolecarboxamide insecticide.

Bemisia tabaci is a formidable insect pest worldwide, and it exhibits significant resistance to various insecticides. Dimpropyridaz is a novel pyridazine pyrazolecarboxamide insecticide used against sucking insect pests, but there is little information regarding its metabolic detoxification in arthropods or cross-resistance with other insecticides. In this study, we found that dimpropyridaz shows no cross-resistance with three other popular insecticides, namely abamectin, cyantraniliprole, and flupyradifurone. After treatment of B. tabaci adults with a high dose of dimpropyridaz, higher cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) activity was detected in the survivors, and the expression of the P450 gene CYP6DW4 was highly induced. Cloning and characterization of the full-length amino acid sequence of CYP6DW4 indicated that it contains conserved domains typical of P450 genes, phylogenetic analysis revealed that it was closely related to a B. tabaci protein, CYP6DW3, known to be involved in detoxification of imidacloprid. Silencing of CYP6DW4 by feeding insects with dsRNA significantly increased the susceptibility of B. tabaci to dimpropyridaz. In addition, homology modeling and molecular docking analyses showed the stable binding of dimpropyridaz to CYP6DW4, with binding free energy of -6.65 kcal/mol. Our findings indicate that CYP6DW4 plays an important role in detoxification of dimpropyridaz and possibly promotes development of resistance in B. tabaci.

Glutathione S-transferase directly metabolizes imidacloprid in the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci.

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci poses a significant threat to various crops and ornamental plants and causes severe damage to the agricultural industry. Over the past few decades, B. tabaci has developed resistance to several pesticides, including imidacloprid. Therefore, elucidating the mechanism that leads to insecticide detoxification is very important for controlling B. tabaci and managing whitefly resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides. Among insect detoxification enzymes, glutathione S-transferase (GST) is an important phase II detoxification enzyme that helps detoxify exogenous toxic substances. In this study, we cloned the BtGSTz1 gene and observed that its expression level was greater in imidacloprid-resistant populations than sensitive populations of B. tabaci. By silencing BtGSTz1 via RNA interference, we found a significant increase in the mortality of imidacloprid-resistant B. tabaci. Additionally, prokaryotic expression and in vitro metabolism studies revealed that the recombinant BtGSTz1 protein could metabolize 36.36% of the total imidacloprid, providing direct evidence that BtGSTz1 plays a crucial role in the detoxification of imidacloprid. Overall, our study elucidated the role of GSTs in physiological activities related to insecticide resistance, which helps clarify the resistance mechanisms conferred by GSTs and provides useful insights for sustainable integrated pest management.