Project POLYADAPT: Molecular-genetic mechanisms of extreme adaptation in a polyphagous agricultural pest
2018-06-01 – 2023-11-30
- Abstract
Generalist (polyphagous) herbivores can feed and reproduce on many different plant species and include some of the most pesticide resistant and notorious pests in agriculture. An evolutionary link between host plant range and the development of pesticide resistance has been suggested. Although crucial for devising efficient crop protection strategies, the mechanisms underlying rapid adaptation are not well understood, especially in generalists. The spider mite Tetranychus urticae is a global pest known to feed on 1,100 different hosts from 140 plant families, including most major crops. With experimental advances and new tools developed for T. urticae, we are now poised for fundamental advances in understanding the molecular genetic make-up of adaption in generalist pests. We will generate a large collection of fully inbred and resistant mite strains and describe the sampled genomic variation in the context of selection and adaptation. We will study gene regulation mechanisms and quantify cis versus trans regulation of gene expression on a genome wide scale. We will then create a unique population resource that will allow us to map master regulators of gene expression and construct a gene-regulatory network of adaptation responsive genes. In a highly replicated experimental evolution study, combined with Bulk Segregant Analysis (BSA), we will uncover, without a prior hypothesis, the genomic loci that underlie complex cases of resistance and plant adaptation. A core set of adaptation genes will be validated by functional expression and high-throughput interaction assays. Further validation will come from the development of genome editing tools. In summary, POLYADAPT will exploit the genomic tools now available for spider mites to elucidate regulatory and causal variants underlying the extreme adaptation potential of polyphagous pests. This will in the long term lead to innovative methods of pest management.
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- Journal Article
- A1
- open access
Incidence and molecular mechanisms of insecticide resistance in Frankliniella occidentalis, Thrips tabaci and other economically important thrips species
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Incomplete reproductive barriers and genomic differentiation impact the spread of resistance mutations between green- and red-colour morphs of a cosmopolitan mite pest
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The complex II resistance mutation H258Y in succinate dehydrogenase subunit B causes fitness penalties associated with mitochondrial respiratory deficiency
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Recombinant expression and characterization of GSTd3 from a resistant population of Anopheles arabiensis and comparison of DDTase activity with GSTe2
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Increased metabolism in combination with the novel cytochrome b target-site mutation L258F confers cross-resistance between the Qo inhibitors acequinocyl and bifenazate in Tetranychus urticae
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- Journal Article
- A1
- open access
Activity, selection response and molecular mode of action of the isoxazoline afoxolaner in Tetranychus urticae
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- Journal Article
- A1
- open access
Trans-driven variation in expression is common among detoxification genes in the extreme generalist herbivore Tetranychus urticae
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- Journal Article
- A1
- open access
Interactions with plant defences isolate sympatric populations of an herbivorous mite
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- Journal Article
- A1
- open access
Biochemical and insecticidal effects of plant essential oils on insecticide resistant and susceptible populations of Musca domestica L. point to a potential cross-resistance risk
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- Journal Article
- A1
- open access
The H92R substitution in PSST is a reliable diagnostic biomarker for predicting resistance to mitochondrial electron transport inhibitors of complex I in European populations of Tetranychus urticae