Global ID of lncRNAs associated with insecticide resistance in diamondback moths

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are now considered important regulatory factors, with a variety of biological functions in many species including insects. Some lncRNAs have the ability to show rapid responses to diverse stimuli or stress factors and are involved in responses to insecticide. However, there are no reports to date on the characterization of lncRNAs associated with chlorantraniliprole resistance in Plutella xylostella.

Researchers at the China Agricultural University in Beijing sequenced nine RNA libraries constructed from one susceptible (CHS) and two chlorantraniliprole-resistant P. xylostella strains (CHR, ZZ) and identified 1309 lncRNAs, including 877 intergenic lncRNAs, 190 intronic lncRNAs, 76 anti-sense lncRNAs and 166 sense-overlapping lncRNAs. Of the identified lncRNAs, 1059 were novel. Furthermore, the researchers found that 64 lncRNAs were differentially expressed between CHR and CHS and 83 were differentially expressed between ZZ and CHS, of which 22 were differentially expressed in both CHR and ZZ. Most of the differentially expressed lncRNAs were hypothesized to be associated with chlorantraniliprole resistance in P. xylostella. The targets of lncRNAs via cis- (<10 kb upstream and downstream) or trans- (Pearson’s correlation, r > 0.9 or < -0.9, P < 0.05) regulatory effects were also identified; many of the differently expressed lncRNAs were correlated with various important protein-coding genes involved in insecticide resistance, such as the ryanodine receptor, uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase (UGTs), cytochrome P450, esterase and the ATP-binding cassette transporter.

Differentially expressed lncRNAs identified among CHS, CHR and ZZ

a Hierarchical clustering of the differentially expressed lncRNAs between CHS and CHR; b Hierarchical clustering of the differentially expressed lncRNAs between CHS and ZZ; c Detailed statistics of differentially expressed lncRNAs between CHS and CHR; d Detailed statistics of differentially expressed lncRNAs between CHS and ZZ; e Category of differentially expressed lncRNAs between CHS and CHR; f Category of differentially expressed lncRNAs between CHS and ZZ

These results represent the first global identification of lncRNAs associated with chlorantraniliprole resistance in P. xylostella. These results will facilitate future studies of the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs in chlorantraniliprole and other insecticide resistance and in other biological processes in P. xylostella.