EVOLUTION OF RESISTANCE IS THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT TO SUSTAINABILITY OF TRANSGENIC CROPS PRODUCING INSECTICIDAL PROTEINS FROM THE BACTERIUM BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS (BT), WHICH REPRESENT >80% OF THE CORN AND COTTON GROWN IN THE USA. THE FALL ARMYWORM IS A DEVASTATING PEST THAT HAS RAPIDLY DEVELOPED RESISTANCE TO THE CRY1FA BT TOXIN PRODUCED BY TRANSGENIC CORN IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN THE USA, BRAZIL AND ARGENTINA. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED AN ATP BINDING CASSETTE SUBFAMILY C2 (ABCC2) GENE IN FALL ARMYWORM (SFABCC2) AS A CRY1FA RECEPTOR, AND MUTATIONS IN THIS GENE LINKED TO RESISTANCE TO CRY1FA CORN. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL ELUCIDATE REGIONS OF ABCC2-CRY TOXIN INTERACTION THAT ARE CRITICAL TO INSECT SUSCEPTIBILITY (OBJECTIVE 1) AND USE TARGETED NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING TO SCREEN UP TO 6,000 FALL ARMYWORM FROM LOCATIONS IN THE USA, BRAZIL, COLOMBIA AND AFRICA FOR MUTATIONS IN THE SFABCC2 GENE. EXPECTED OUTCOMES ARE THE IDENTIFICATION OF REGIONS IN THE SFABCC2 PROTEIN THAT ARE CRITICAL FOR CRY1 TOXICITY, AND THE DEPLOYMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE AND HIGHLY SENSITIVE SYSTEM FOR MONITORING RESISTANCE TO TRANSGENIC BT CROPS.
$440,000FY2018National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA
University Of Tennessee, Memphis TN