4,4-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been re-recommended by the WHO for malaria mosquito control. Its use has resulted in resistance and with continued use resistance will spread. Drosophila melanogaster is a model dipteran, related to malaria mosquitoes (which allows extrapolation), that has genetic tools available and many studies done on insecticide resistance.The 91-R strain of D. melanogaster is highly resistant to DDT, however, there is no model that accounts for the this level of resistance. Recently, reduced penetration, increased detoxification and excretion have been implicated but their interactions remain unclear. Use of UAS-RNAi transgenic lines allows the targeted knockdown of genes and has led to the identification of several cytochrome P450s, ABC transporters, and cuticular proteins involved in resistance. By injecting dsRNA into 91-R flies for each of these genes singularly, and then in combination, we will determine whether these multiple resistance mechanisms across all three chromosomes have additive or more than additive effects.

Determination of DDT resistance mechanisms and their synergism in <i>Drosophila melanogaster </i>using RNAi approaches

248th National Meeting (2014)

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Determination of DDT resistance mechanisms and their synergism in Drosophila melanogaster using RNAi approaches