Asymmetrical cross-resistance between Bacillus thuringiensis toxins Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab in pink bollworm

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 106; no. 29; pp. 11889 - 11894
• Main Authors: Tabashnik, Bruce E, Unnithan, Gopalan C, Masson, Luke, Crowder, David W, Li, Xianchun, Carrière, Yves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 21-07-2009; National Acad Sciences
• Series: From the Cover
• Subjects: Animals; Bacillus thuringiensis; Bacillus thuringiensis - chemistry; Bacteria; Bacterial Proteins - toxicity; bacterial toxins; Bacterial Toxins - toxicity; Bioassay; Bioassays; Biological Assay; Biological Sciences; Bolls; Bollworms; Cotton; Crops; Cross resistance; Cry1Ac toxin; crystal proteins; Diet; Diets; Endotoxins - toxicity; Evolution; Female; Gossypium - parasitology; Gossypium hirsutum; Hemolysin Proteins - toxicity; Heredity; inheritance (genetics); Inheritance Patterns - drug effects; insecticidal properties; insecticidal proteins; Insecticide Resistance - drug effects; Insecticides; insects; Larva - drug effects; Larvae; Male; management plans; Midgut; mortality; Moths - drug effects; Pectinophora gossypiella; Pest resistance; Pests; plant-incorporated protectants; recessive genes; Selection, Genetic; Sprays; Survival Analysis; sustainable use; Tissue engineering; Toxins; Transgenic plants; Worms
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0901351106

Transgenic crops producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins kill some key insect pests and can reduce reliance on insecticide sprays. Sustainable use of such crops requires methods for delaying evolution of resistance by pests. To thwart pest resistance, some transgenic crops produce 2 different Bt toxins targeting the same pest. This "pyramid" strategy is expected to work best when selection for resistance to 1 toxin does not cause cross-resistance to the other toxin. The most widely used pyramid is transgenic cotton producing Bt toxins Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab. Cross-resistance between these toxins was presumed unlikely because they bind to different larval midgut target sites. Previous results showed that laboratory selection with Cry1Ac caused little or no cross-resistance to Cry2A toxins in pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella), a major cotton pest. We show here, however, that laboratory selection of pink bollworm with Cry2Ab caused up to 420-fold cross-resistance to Cry1Ac as well as 240-fold resistance to Cry2Ab. Inheritance of resistance to high concentrations of Cry2Ab was recessive. Larvae from a laboratory strain resistant to Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab in diet bioassays survived on cotton bolls producing only Cry1Ac, but not on cotton bolls producing both toxins. Thus, the asymmetrical cross-resistance seen here does not threaten the efficacy of pyramided Bt cotton against pink bollworm. Nonetheless, the results here and previous evidence indicate that cross-resistance occurs between Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab in some key cotton pests. Incorporating the potential effects of such cross-resistance in resistance management plans may help to sustain the efficacy of pyramided Bt crops.