Efficacy of genetically modified Bt toxins against insects with different genetic mechanisms of resistance

Bruce E. Tabashnik; Fangneng Huang; Mukti N. Ghimire; B. Rogers Leonard; Blair D. Siegfried; Murugesan Rangasamy; Yajun Yang; Yidong Wu; Linda J. Gahan; David G. Heckel; Alejandra Bravo; Mario Soberón

doi:10.1038/nbt.1988

Efficacy of genetically modified Bt toxins against insects with different genetic mechanisms of resistance

Bruce E. Tabashnik, Fangneng Huang, Mukti N. Ghimire, B. Rogers Leonard, Blair D. Siegfried, Murugesan Rangasamy, Yajun Yang, Yidong Wu, Linda J. Gahan, David G. Heckel, Alejandra Bravo, Mario Soberón

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

124 Scopus citations

Abstract

Transgenic crops that produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins are grown widely for pest control, but insect adaptation can reduce their efficacy. The genetically modified Bt toxins Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod were designed to counter insect resistance to native Bt toxins Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac. Previous results suggested that the modified toxins would be effective only if resistance was linked with mutations in genes encoding toxin-binding cadherin proteins. Here we report evidence from five major crop pests refuting this hypothesis. Relative to native toxins, the potency of modified toxins was >350-fold higher against resistant strains of Plutella xylostella and Ostrinia nubilalis in which resistance was not linked with cadherin mutations. Conversely, the modified toxins provided little or no advantage against some resistant strains of three other pests with altered cadherin. Independent of the presence of cadherin mutations, the relative potency of the modified toxins was generally higher against the most resistant strains.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1128-1131
Number of pages	4
Journal	Nature biotechnology
Volume	29
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.1988
State	Published - Dec 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Biotechnology
Bioengineering
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Molecular Medicine
Biomedical Engineering

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10.1038/nbt.1988

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title = "Efficacy of genetically modified Bt toxins against insects with different genetic mechanisms of resistance",

abstract = "Transgenic crops that produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins are grown widely for pest control, but insect adaptation can reduce their efficacy. The genetically modified Bt toxins Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod were designed to counter insect resistance to native Bt toxins Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac. Previous results suggested that the modified toxins would be effective only if resistance was linked with mutations in genes encoding toxin-binding cadherin proteins. Here we report evidence from five major crop pests refuting this hypothesis. Relative to native toxins, the potency of modified toxins was >350-fold higher against resistant strains of Plutella xylostella and Ostrinia nubilalis in which resistance was not linked with cadherin mutations. Conversely, the modified toxins provided little or no advantage against some resistant strains of three other pests with altered cadherin. Independent of the presence of cadherin mutations, the relative potency of the modified toxins was generally higher against the most resistant strains.",

author = "Tabashnik, {Bruce E.} and Fangneng Huang and Ghimire, {Mukti N.} and Leonard, {B. Rogers} and Siegfried, {Blair D.} and Murugesan Rangasamy and Yajun Yang and Yidong Wu and Gahan, {Linda J.} and Heckel, {David G.} and Alejandra Bravo and Mario Sober{\'o}n",

note = "Funding Information: We thank G. Benzon, J. Engleman, J. S{\'a}nchez, T. Spencer and A. Yelich for technical assistance and J. Fabrick for providing an antibody. This work was supported by US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Grant 2008-35302-0390, US National Science Foundation Grant 0517107, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Pioneer Hi-Bred and the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant 30870343.",

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doi = "10.1038/nbt.1988",

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AU - Tabashnik, Bruce E.

AU - Huang, Fangneng

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AU - Leonard, B. Rogers

AU - Siegfried, Blair D.

AU - Rangasamy, Murugesan

AU - Yang, Yajun

AU - Wu, Yidong

AU - Gahan, Linda J.

AU - Heckel, David G.

AU - Bravo, Alejandra

AU - Soberón, Mario

N1 - Funding Information: We thank G. Benzon, J. Engleman, J. Sánchez, T. Spencer and A. Yelich for technical assistance and J. Fabrick for providing an antibody. This work was supported by US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Grant 2008-35302-0390, US National Science Foundation Grant 0517107, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Pioneer Hi-Bred and the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant 30870343.

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N2 - Transgenic crops that produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins are grown widely for pest control, but insect adaptation can reduce their efficacy. The genetically modified Bt toxins Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod were designed to counter insect resistance to native Bt toxins Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac. Previous results suggested that the modified toxins would be effective only if resistance was linked with mutations in genes encoding toxin-binding cadherin proteins. Here we report evidence from five major crop pests refuting this hypothesis. Relative to native toxins, the potency of modified toxins was >350-fold higher against resistant strains of Plutella xylostella and Ostrinia nubilalis in which resistance was not linked with cadherin mutations. Conversely, the modified toxins provided little or no advantage against some resistant strains of three other pests with altered cadherin. Independent of the presence of cadherin mutations, the relative potency of the modified toxins was generally higher against the most resistant strains.

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Efficacy of genetically modified Bt toxins against insects with different genetic mechanisms of resistance

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