Glutathione-S-transferase plays a regulatory role in the oxidative stress response of Megalurothrips usitatus under environmental stress conditions

The application of RNAi confirmed the gene’s function in managing oxidative stress induced by UV and lambda-cyhalothrin. The research demonstrated that Megalurothrips usitatus, the M. usitatus caterpillar, adapts to these stressors by modulating the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thereby exhibiting a robust adaptability to UV light and lambda-cyhalothrin exposure. Experimental silencing of MuGSTS1 has been shown to impair the M. usitatus’s oxidative stress management, resulting in accelerated cellular apoptosis and an increased susceptibility to lambda-cyhalothrin, with sensitivity being augmented by a factor of 2.89.

These findings provide a theoretical framework for understanding the adaptive mechanisms of insects to environmental stress.