title: A Dalpha6 knockout strain of Drosophila melanogaster confers a high level of resistance to spinosad.
abstract: A null mutation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit Dalpha6, 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 Dalpha6 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 Dalpha6 orthologues may underpin the spinosad resistance identified in several economically important field pests.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. trentp@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Trent
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Batterham
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005808:Genes, Recessive; D007305:Insecticide Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D007306:Insecticides; D018942:Macrolides; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004338:Drug Combinations; D007306:Insecticides; D018942:Macrolides; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; C488972:nAChRalpha6 protein, Drosophila; C415329:spinosad