Profenofos insecticide poses risks to nontarget organisms including mammals and hydrobionts, and its effects on crops are not known. This study examined the invisible toxicity of profenofos on pakchoi (Brassica rapa L.), using transcriptome and metabolome analyses. Profenofos inhibited the photosynthetic efficiency and light energy absorption by leaves and severely damaged the chloroplasts, causing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Metabolomic analysis confirmed that profenofos promoted the conversion of β-carotene into abscisic acid (ABA), as evidenced by the upregulation of the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway genes: zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP), 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED3), and xanthoxin dehydrogenase (XanDH). The inhibitory effects on carotenoid accumulation, photosynthesis, and increased ABA and ROS contents of the leaves led to invisible injury and stunted growth of the pakchoi plants. The findings of this study revealed the toxicological risk of profenofos to nontarget crops and provide guidance for the safe use of insecticides.

中文翻译：

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转录组学和代谢组学联合分析揭示了丙溴磷通过抑制类胡萝卜素积累而对小白菜（Brassica rapa L.）造成隐形损伤


丙溴磷杀虫剂对包括哺乳动物和水生生物在内的非目标生物体构成风险，其对作物的影响尚不清楚。本研究通过转录组和代谢组分析，检验了丙溴磷对小白菜 (Brassica rapa L.) 的隐形毒性。丙溴磷抑制叶片光合效率和光能吸收，严重损害叶绿体，导致活性氧（ROS）积累。代谢组学分析证实，丙溴磷促进 β-胡萝卜素转化为脱落酸 (ABA)，类胡萝卜素生物合成途径基因的上调证明了这一点：玉米黄质环氧化酶 (ZEP)、9-顺式-环氧类胡萝卜素双加氧酶 (NCED3) 和黄素脱氢酶（XanDH）。对类胡萝卜素积累、光合作用以及叶片ABA和ROS含量增加的抑制作用导致小白菜植株受到无形损伤和生长发育不良。这项研究的结果揭示了丙溴磷对非目标作物的毒理学风险，并为安全使用杀虫剂提供了指导。