Functional Validation of Endogenous Redox Partner <i>Cytochrome P450 Reductase</i> Reveals the Key P450s <i>CYP6P9a</i>/-<i>b</i> as Broad Substrate Metabolizers Conferring Cross-Resistance to Different Insecticide Classes in <i>Anopheles funestus</i>

oleh: Sulaiman S. Ibrahim, Mersimine F. M. Kouamo, Abdullahi Muhammad, Helen Irving, Jacob M. Riveron, Magellan Tchouakui, Charles S. Wondji

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-07-01

Deskripsi

The versatility of cytochrome P450 reductase (<i>CPR</i>) in transferring electrons to P450s from other closely related species has been extensively exploited, e.g., by using <i>An. gambiae CPR</i> (<i>AgCPR</i>), as a homologous surrogate, to validate the role of <i>An. funestus</i> P450s in insecticide resistance. However, genomic variation between the <i>AgCPR</i> and <i>An. funestus CPR</i> (<i>AfCPR</i>) suggests that the full metabolism spectrum of <i>An. funestus</i> P450s might be missed when using <i>AgCPR.</i> To test this hypothesis, we expressed <i>AgCPR</i> and <i>AfCPR</i> side-by-side with <i>CYP6P9a</i> and <i>CYP6P9b</i> and functionally validated their role in the detoxification of insecticides from five different classes. Major variations were observed within the FAD- and NADP-binding domains of <i>AgCPR</i> and <i>AfCPR</i>, e.g., the coordinates of the second FAD stacking residue <i>AfCPR</i>-Y<sup>456</sup> differ from that of <i>AgCPR</i>-His<sup>456</sup>. While no significant differences were observed in the <i>cytochrome c</i> reductase activities, when co-expressed with their endogenous <i>AfCPR</i>, the P450s significantly metabolized higher amounts of permethrin and deltamethrin, with CYP6P9b-AfCPR membrane metabolizing α-cypermethrin as well. Only the CYP6P9a-AfCPR membrane significantly metabolized DDT (producing dicofol), bendiocarb, clothianidin, and chlorfenapyr (bioactivation into tralopyril). This demonstrates the broad substrate specificity of <i>An. funestus CYP6P9a/-b</i>, capturing their role in conferring cross-resistance towards unrelated insecticide classes, which can complicate resistance management.