<i>Acetobacter</i> Protects <i>DmDuox</i> -Deficient <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> from Impaired Detoxification

Dual oxidase (Duox) is essential for host physiological homeostasis. Loss of Duox disrupts host physiology and alters microbiota composition, potentially affecting the host tolerance to environmental stress. However, whether symbiotic bacteria can influence these detrimental effects remains unclear. This study investigated the role of symbiotic bacteria and <i>DmDuox</i> in regulating host detoxification gene expression in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>. Bioassays showed that silencing <i>DmDuox</i> increased <i>D. melanogaster</i> sensitivity to neonicotinoid insecticides, while axenic <i>D. melanogaster</i> displayed an even greater sensitivity. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene amplicons sequencing revealed <i>DmDuox</i> silencing significantly increased <i>Acetobacter</i> abundance, and reintroduction of the isolated <i>Acetobacter oryzifermentans</i> strain to axenic <i>DmDuox</i>RNAi <i>D. melanogaster</i> reduced host insecticide sensitivity. Further studies showed that <i>DmDuox</i> and <i>A. oryzifermentans</i> regulated P450 gene expression and enzyme activity. These findings demonstrate that <i>A. oryzifermentans</i> protects <i>DmDuox</i>-deficient <i>D. melanogaster</i> from impaired detoxification and enriches the mechanism underlying the host-symbiont synergistic response to xenobiotic toxins.