Overall Effects of Btt Exposure, Pesticide Selection, and Pesticide Exposure on Gene Expression
Overall, we identified differentially expressed genes associated with immunity in beetles exposed to Btt compared to unexposed beetles. We also identified differentially expressed genes implicated in detoxification and resistance processes in OP- and Pyr-regime populations compared to control-regime populations. Few genes were significantly differentially expressed in pesticide-regime populations exposed to Btt compared to control-regime populations. However, Pyr-regime larvae infected with Btt exhibited dampened expression of immune genes. Dual exposure to OP pesticides and Btt also resulted in dampened immune, cuticle, and detoxification gene expression compared to expression with Btt infection alone. We expand on these main results below.