The Essential and Enigmatic Role of ABC Transporters in Bt Resistance of Noctuids and Other Insect Pests of Agriculture.

ABSTRACT: In the last ten years, ABC transporters have emerged as unexpected yet significant contributors to pest resistance to insecticidal pore-forming proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Evidence includes the presence of mutations in resistant insects, heterologous expression to probe interactions with the three-domain Cry toxins, and CRISPR/Cas9 knockouts. Yet the mechanisms by which ABC transporters facilitate pore formation remain obscure. The three major classes of Cry toxins used in agriculture have been found to target the three major classes of ABC transporters, which requires a mechanistic explanation. Many other families of bacterial pore-forming toxins exhibit conformational changes in their mode of action, which are not yet described for the Cry toxins. Three-dimensional structu

SUBMITTER: Heckel DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8145640 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature