Megalurothrips usitatus (Bagnall),
the main pest on legume vegetables, is controlled by pyrethroids in
the field. Field strains of M. usitatus resistant to pyrethroids were collected from three areas in Hainan
Province (Haikou, Ledong, and Sanya City), and two mutations, T929I
and K1774N, were detected in the voltage-gated sodium channel. In
this study, the sodium channel in M. usitatus was first subcloned and successfully expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The single mutation (T929I or K1774N) and double mutation
(T929I/K1774N) shifted the voltage dependence of activation in the
hyperpolarization direction. The three mutants all reduced the amplitude
of tail currents induced by type I (permethrin and bifenthrin) and
type II (deltamethrin and λ-cyhalothrin) pyrethroids. Homology
modeling analysis of these two mutations shows that they may change
the local hydrophobicity and positive charge of the sodium channel.
Our data can be used to reveal the causes of the resistance of M. usitatus to pyrethroids and provide guidance for
the comprehensive control of M. usitatus in the future.