A collaborative research group including Researcher Kohei Toga and Professor Hidemasa Bono of the Graduate School of Integrated Life Sciences at Hiroshima University, and Researchers Fumiko Kimoto and Hiroki Fujii of Fumakilla Co., Ltd., determined the genome sequence of an insecticide-resistant bedbug and discovered 729 transcripts with specific mutations.

 Bedbug infestations have increased dramatically over the past 20 years, partly due to the development of resistance to insecticides.

 In this study, in order to identify the genes responsible for the acquisition of insecticide resistance in bedbugs, we attempted to sequence the entire genomes of bedbugs that are susceptible to insecticides (susceptible strain) and bedbugs that are not susceptible to insecticides (resistant strain). By using long-read sequencing, which enables highly accurate genome determination, we succeeded in constructing genome sequences for both strains that are longer (more complete) than the existing bedbug genome sequences (reference genomes).

 Using these, they compared the gene sequences of susceptible and resistant strains and discovered 599 genes (729 transcripts) with mutations that were specifically found in the resistant strains. Many of these genes were already known to contribute to the development of insecticide resistance in other insects, such as DNA repair and enzymes that work in lysosomes, strongly suggesting that the resulting gene list may be involved in the acquisition of insecticide resistance. In addition, they confirmed that there were many mutations in genes that promote sugar uptake in response to starvation, although their responsiveness to insecticides is unknown.

 In the future, if the relationship between the identified gene mutations and the development of insecticide resistance can be elucidated using gene function analysis such as genome editing, it is expected that this will lead to elucidation of the evolutionary mechanism of insecticide resistance, which may in turn be useful for developing more effective pesticides and predicting insecticide resistance in wild individuals.

Paper information:【Insects】Genome-wide Search for Gene Mutations likely Conferring Insecticide Resistance in the Common Bed Bug, Cimex lectularius

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