Abstract
The evolution of resistance to insecticides is well known to be closely associated with the overexpression of detoxifying enzymes. Although the role of glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes in insecticide resistance has been widely reported, the underlying regulatory mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, one GST gene (GSTu1) and its antisense transcript (lnc-GSTu1-AS) were identified and cloned, and both of them were upregulated in several chlorantraniliprole-resistant Plutella xylostella populations. GSTu1 was confirmed to be involved in chlorantraniliprole resistance by direct degradation of this insecticide. Furthermore, we demonstrated that lnc-GSTu1-AS interacted with GSTu1 by forming an RNA duplex, which masked the binding site of miR-8525-5p at the GSTu1-3'UTR. In summary, we revealed that lnc-GSTu1-AS maintained the mRNA stability of GSTu1 by preventing its degradation that could have been induced by miR-8525-5p and thus increased the resistance of P. xylostella to chlorantraniliprole. Our findings reveal a new noncoding RNA-mediated pathway that regulates the expression of detoxifying enzymes in insecticide-resistant insects and offer opportunities for the further understanding of the mechanisms of insecticide and drug resistance.