ddRAD-seq and RNA-seq analysis of Plutella xylostella to identify genes involved in resistance to diamide insecticides

Plutella xylostella is an extremely destructive pest of Brassica worldwide. Plutella xylostella has developed resistance to many insecticides including diamides such as flubendiamide and chlorantraniliprole. We established a P. xylostella strain showing high level of resistance to not only flubendiamide and chlorantraniliprole but also to cyantraniliprole in the laboratory. In this study, we conducted QTL analysis of the resistance to flubendiamide and cyantraniliprole in P. xylostella using ddRAD-seq analysis to identify genomic regions responsible for the resistance. We also conducted RNA-seq analysis of P. xylostella to identify differentially expressed genes in strains resistant to the diamides and to identify amino acid mutations in a ryanodine receptor gene which is known as a target gene of the diamides. Genes involved in the resistance to the diamides were searched based on the results.