Author: Perry, T.; McKenzie, J. A.; Batterham, P.

Year: 2007

Title: A D alpha 6 knockout strain of Drosophila melahogaster confers a high level of resistance to spinosad

Journal: Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Volume: 37

Pages: 184-188

Date: Feb

Abstract: A null mutation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit Dab, in Drosophila melanogaster, confers 1181-fold resistance to a new and increasingly important biopesticide, spinosad. This study's molecular characterisation of a spinosad resistance mechanism identifies Do:6 as a major spinosad target in D. melanogaster. Although D. melanogaster is not a major field pest, target site resistances found in this species are often conserved in pest species. This, combined with the high degree of evolutionary conservation of nAChR subunits, suggests that mutations in Dab orthologues may underpin the spinosad resistance identified in several economically important field pests. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.