Mutations in the voltage‐gated sodium channel gene associated with deltamethrin resistance in commercially sourced Phytoseiulus persimilis

• Published in: Insect molecular biology 2020-08, Vol.29 (4), p.373-380
• Main Authors: Benavent‐Albarracín, L., Alonso, M., Catalán, J., Urbaneja, A., Davies, T. G. E., Williamson, M. S., González‐Cabrera, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acaricides - pharmacology; Agricultural practices; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Arthropod Proteins - genetics; Arthropod Proteins - metabolism; Base Sequence; Binding sites; Biological control; Chemical pest control; Deltamethrin; Drug Resistance - genetics; Electric potential; Integrated pest management; Mites; Mutation; Nitriles - pharmacology; Pest control; Pest resistance; Pesticides; Pests; Phenotypes; Phytoseiulus persimilis; Point Mutation; Pyrethrins - pharmacology; pyrethroids; Sequence Alignment; Sodium; Sodium channels; Sodium channels (voltage-gated); target site resistance; predatory mites; P. persimilis; Tetranychidae - genetics; Tetranychidae - metabolism; VGSC; Voltage; Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels - genetics; Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels - metabolism
• ISSN: 0962-1075; 1365-2583
• DOI: 10.1111/imb.12642

The implementation of Integrated Pest Management in current agricultural practice is a convenient and very effective strategy to keep pest populations under control. The use of biological control agents, such as Phytoseiulus persimilis, is key for the success of such an approach. This predatory mite is widely used as it is very effective for controlling Tetranychus urticae, one of the most devastating crop pests. Here, we identify several mutations located in the voltage‐gated sodium channel (VGSC) of commercially sourced P. persimilis that correlate with a reduced susceptibility to the pyrethroid deltamethrin. We found that the mites sourced from two different biocontrol product companies have intrinsic genotypic differences that correlate with their phenotype when tested with different concentrations of deltamethrin. Mites from Syngenta Bioline, carrying the mutations M918L and A1536T, were able to survive deltamethrin concentrations of up to 10 ppm, while the mites from Koppert Biological Systems, with the combination M918L, L925V and S1539T, survived treatment with 40 ppm. All of the point mutations identified in the predatory mite samples are located in a particular region of the VGSC, previously proposed as the binding site for this family of pesticides and identified as a ‘hot spot’ for resistance. Phytoseiulus persimilis is a predatory mite widely used to control the two‐spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). Commercial colonies of P. persimilis show resistance to deltamethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid. The resistance recorded is correlated with amino acid substitutions in the voltage‐gated sodium channel, the main target of pyrethroids.