Identification and expression patterns of voltage-gated sodium channel genes with intron retentions in different strains of Bactrocera dorsalis

Pyrethroid are the primary insecticides used for controlling of Bactricera dorsalis, a highly destructive and invasive fruit pest. Field populations have developed serious resistance, especially to β-cypermethrin. While mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (Vgsc) are a common mechanism of pyrethroid resistance, variations in BdVgsc associated with β-cypermethrin resistance remain unclear. Here, we reported the resistance levels of five field populations from China, with resistance ratio ranging from 1.54 to 21.34-fold. Cloning the full length of BdVgsc revealed no specific or known amino acid mutations between the most resistant population and the susceptible strain. However, three types of partial intron retention (IRE4–5, IRE19-f and IREL-24) were identified in BdVgsc transcripts, with these intron retentions containing stop codons. The expression of IRE4–5 transcripts and total BdVgsc showed different trends across developmental stages and tissues. Exposure to β-cypermethrin led to increased expression of IRE4–5. Comparison of genomic and transcriptional sequences reveled that IRE4–5 transcripts had two types (IRE4–5.5 T and IRE4–5.6 T) caused by genomic variations. Both field and congenic strains indicated that homozygotes for IRE4–5.5 T had lower IRE4–5 transcript levels than homozygotes for IRE4–5.6 T. However, congenic and field strains exhibited inconsistent results about the association of expression levels of IRE4–5 transcripts with sensitivity to β-cypermethrin. In summary, this study is the first to identify intron retention transcripts in the Vgsc gene from B. dorsalis and to examine their expression patterns across different developmental stages, tissues, and strains with varying sensitivities to β-cypermethrin. The potential role of the intron retentions of BdVgsc in insecticide toxicity is also discussed.