The Regulatory Landscape of Insecticide Resistance Evolution in Arthropod Pests

Insecticide resistance threatens global agriculture and public health, highlighting the need to understand its underlying molecular mechanisms. Transcriptional regulation is a major component of resistance evolution, shaping the temporal, spatial, and quantitative expression of resistance-associated genes. Accumulating evidence indicates that cis-regulatory variation and trans-acting factors frequently underpin this transcriptional reprogramming, while gene duplication provides additional dosage effects. Emerging studies further implicate RNA-mediated mechanisms as additional regulatory layers. These processes often operate through defined signaling pathways, particularly MAPK-mediated networks, that coordinate the expression of detoxification enzymes and transporters, enabling rapid adaptation while shaping associated fitness trade-offs. Dissecting these complex networks through multi-omics and functional genomics can help clarify the evolutionary architecture of metabolic resistance and provide a basis for improved resistance monitoring and management.