Characterization of Four Carboxylesterases Involved in Detoxification of β-Cypermethrin, λ-Cyhalothrin, and Malathion in <i>Helicoverpa armigera</i>

<i>Helicoverpa armigera</i> Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a globally devastating pest and has evolved with varying levels of resistance to a broader spectrum of insecticides. CarEs are major enzymes involved in insecticide detoxification and metabolic resistance. Four <i>CarE</i> genes were identified and cloned from <i>H. armigera</i>, and the expression pattern analyses indicated that they were predominantly expressed in the detoxifying tissues and larval feeding periods. The insecticide inductive assays further suggested that these <i>CarE</i> genes with expressions were significantly upregulated after <i>beta</i>-cypermethrin, <i>lambda</i>-cyhalothrin, malathion, and chlorpyrifos exposures. The purified recombinant proteins of both CarE016B and CarE016C by bacterial expression exhibited significantly higher catalytic efficiency toward α-naphthyl acetate and also showed relatively stronger binding with both β-cypermethrin and λ-cyhalothrin compared to the CarE006C and CarE015A. In vitro metabolism assay with HPLC suggests that CarE016B and CarE016C have the ability to metabolize β-cypermethrin, λ-cyhalothrin, and malathion with varying hydrolase activities. GC-MS/MS analysis identified 3-phenoxybenzaldehyde (3-PBAld) as the metabolite of both β-cypermethrin and λ-cyhalothrin. Homology modeling and molecular docking analyses further indicate that these three types of insecticides could be anchored into the active pocket of both CarEs. Collectively, these results demonstrate that both CarE016B and CarE016C play a critical role in the detoxification of pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides in <i>H. armigera</i>. This study provides the foundations for a comprehensive understanding of the role of the CarEs family in insecticide detoxification and resistance in <i>H. armigera</i>.