Nlgalectin mediates insecticide susceptibility in Nilaparvata lugens via modulation of bacterial symbiont.

Galectins are a family of carbohydrate-binding proteins known to maintain intestinal microbiota homeostasis. Emerging evidence suggests that the bacterial symbiont plays a role in modulating insecticide resistance in insect. However, whether galectins influence insecticide susceptibility through microbiota regulation remains unclear. In this study, we investigated endogenous galectin genes involved in regulating insecticide susceptibility in Nilaparvata lugens. Upon nitenpyram/sulfoxaflor exposure, the expression levels of Nlgal genes were significantly upregulated. qRT-PCR revealed higher Nlgal levels in susceptible strains, and their silencing reduced susceptibility to nitenpyram and sulfoxaflor. Concomitantly, the knockdown of Nlgal significantly increased total bacterial abundance, suggesting a potential link between Nlgal-mediated symbiont modulation and host insecticide susceptibility. These findings implicate Nlgal in insecticide susceptibility of N.lugens through putative interactions with bacterial symbionts, highlighting its potential as a novel target for resistance management.