Metabolic Assays and RNAi-Based Functional Characterization of the P450 Gene CYP6AQ1 under Environmental Stress in Apis cerana cerana

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases are crucial for insect detoxification of xenobiotics. Here, we investigate the function of CYP6AQ1 from Apis cerana cerana ( AccCYP6AQ1 ) in response to pesticide and heavy metal stress. This study reveals that AccCYP6AQ1 is significantly induced by pyrethroid insecticides. In vitro assays demonstrate that the encoded protein directly metabolizes cypermethrin and deltamethrin. Furthermore, through RNAi-mediated silencing, we find that AccCYP6AQ1 also mitigates cadmium- and mercury-induced toxicity. These results indicate that AccCYP6AQ1 participates in a multifunctional detoxification pathway, providing protection against both pesticides and heavy metals. Our results suggest that AccCYP6AQ1 is part of a broader detoxification network, likely representing an ecological adaptation of honey bees to complex chemical mixtures in agricultural environments.