Combined transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of harmine on Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 cells to reveal the potential resistance mechanism.
The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is an important invasive pest and exhibits resistance to many insecticides. Harmine, a remarkable, natural β-carboline alkaloid, exhibits a variety of bioactivities and induces programmed cell death in Sf9 cells. In the present study, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were combined to investigate the effects of harmine on Sf9 cells. A sublethal dose, 0.05 mM, was selected and the transcriptomic analysis revealed 2463 upregulated and 689 downregulated genes after harmine treatment. The most frequently enriched pathways of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly involved in drug and xenobiotic metabolism. The proteomics analysis revealed 36 upregulated and 77 downregulated proteins, and the results showed a nonlinear relationship with mRNA expression. All the genes related to detoxification and resistance in the transcriptome and DEGs were identified and annotated. Complete open reading frames of 27 cytochrome P450s (CYPs), 27 glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), 11 carboxylesterases (CarEs), 10 UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) and 29 heat shock proteins (HSPs) were assembled and verified using qRT-PCR. Harmine exhibited a completely different detoxification mechanism from normal pesticides. The Sigma and Delta class GSTs and UGTs might play important roles, rather than CYP6 and CYP9 clans, CarEs or HSPs. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE Harmine, a natural β-carboline alkaloid, inhibits the cell proliferation and induces programmed cell death of Sf9 cells, which derived from Spodoptera frugiperda, an important world invasive pest. In the article, the combined transcriptomic and proteomic analysis is used to explore the potential solution for its resistance management. These results supporting that harmine can be applied as a novel adjuvant or pesticide. In addition, the systematically identified resistance-related genes in fall armyworm provide the foundation for potential resistance monitoring and management.