Abstract
Antheraea pernyi larvae growing in the wild suffer damage from the drift diffusion of insecticides used in surrounding farmland. In this study, we assessed the toxicity of beta-cypermethrin, chlorantraniliprole, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam to different A. pernyi strains. It was found that the lowest LC(50) value of the Liaocanda9 strain against beta-cypermethrin (0.008 mg/L) was significantly higher than that of the Kangda strain (0.0047 mg/L). Additionally, beta-cypermethrin exposure was associated with significant increases in detoxification and antioxidant enzyme activities in both strains. Transcriptomic analysis showed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in pathways related to oxidoreductase activity and transmembrane transporter activity terms. Furthermore, these genes were differentially expressed following the beta-cypermethrin exposure. The dsRNA injection treatment effectively inhibited the expression of P450 genes, thereby reducing the tolerance of A. pernyi against beta-cypermethrin by 25.93-55.56%. Molecular docking predicted that beta-cypermethrin bound to ABCG1, ABCG5, and CYP9A22 with hydrogen bonds. These results indicate that ABC transporters and P450s contribute to the tolerance of A. pernyi against beta-cypermethrin.