Abstract

The globally distributed pest Aleuroglyphus ovatus causes significant economic losses and threatens food safety. Although carbon dioxide-modified atmospheres (MAs) treatment has proven effective, the underlying molecular mechanisms of its action remain poorly understood. This study investigated the molecular response mechanisms of A . ovatus to high-concentration CO 2 stress. Through transcriptomic analysis, we compared the gene expression profiles of mites after 24 h exposure to 35% and 75% CO 2 concentrations. The results revealed that both CO 2 concentrations induced substantial differential gene expression, with 4434 differentially expressed genes identified in the 35% CO 2 treatment group and 5332 in the 75% CO 2 treatment group. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated that these differentially expressed genes were primarily involved in detoxification metabolism, energy metabolism, and amino acid degradation. Notably, multiple subunits of vacuolar H + -ATPase showed significant upregulation under CO 2 stress, with the most pronounced expression changes observed in the “a” subunit. RNA interference-mediated silencing of the AoV-ATPase a gene significantly increased mite mortality under 35% CO 2 exposure, confirming its crucial role in the mite's response to CO 2 stress. This research provides new insights into the molecular adaptation mechanisms of storage mites to CO 2 stress and establishes a theoretical foundation for developing RNAi-based pest control strategies.