▪ Abstract Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a valuable source of insecticidal proteins for use in conventional sprayable formulations and in transgenic crops, and it is the most promising alternative to synthetic insecticides. However, evolution of resistance in insect populations is a serious threat to this technology. So far, only one insect species has evolved significant levels of resistance in the field, but laboratory selection experiments have shown the high potential of other species to evolve resistance against Bt. We have reviewed the current knowledge on the biochemical mechanisms and genetics of resistance to Bt products and insecticidal crystal proteins. The understanding of the biochemical and genetic basis of resistance to Bt can help design appropriate management tactics to delay or reduce the evolution of resistance in insect populations.

Insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt) are used in sprayable formulations or produced in transgenic crops as the most successful alternatives to synthetic pesticides. The most relevant threat to sustainability of Bt insecticidal proteins (toxins) is the evolution of resistance in target pests. To date, high-level resistance to Bt sprays has been limited to one species in the field and another in commercial greenhouses. In contrast, there are currently seven lepidopteran and one coleopteran species that have evolved practical resistance to transgenic plants producing insecticidal Bt proteins. In this article, we present a review of the current knowledge on mechanisms of resistance to Bt toxins, with emphasis on key resistance genes and field-evolved resistance, to support improvement of Bt technology and its sustainability.

SUMMARY: Entomopathogenic bacteria produce insecticidal proteins that accumulate in inclusion bodies or parasporal crystals (such as the Cry and Cyt proteins) as well as insecticidal proteins that are secreted into the culture medium. Among the latter are the Vip proteins, which are divided into four families according to their amino acid identity. The Vip1 and Vip2 proteins act as binary toxins and are toxic to some members of the Coleoptera and Hemiptera. The Vip1 component is thought to bind to receptors in the membrane of the insect midgut, and the Vip2 component enters the cell, where it displays its ADP-ribosyltransferase activity against actin, preventing microfilament formation. Vip3 has no sequence similarity to Vip1 or Vip2 and is toxic to a wide variety of members of the Lepidoptera. Its mode of action has been shown to resemble that of the Cry proteins in terms of proteolytic activation, binding to the midgut epithelial membrane, and pore formation, although Vip3A proteins do not share binding sites with Cry proteins. The latter property makes them good candidates to be combined with Cry proteins in transgenic plants (Bacillus thuringiensis-treated crops [Bt crops]) to prevent or delay insect resistance and to broaden the insecticidal spectrum. There are commercially grown varieties of Bt cotton and Bt maize that express the Vip3Aa protein in combination with Cry proteins. For the most recently reported Vip4 family, no target insects have been found yet.

The biochemical mechanism for resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis crystal proteins was studied in a field population of diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella) with a reduced susceptibility to the bioinsecticidal spray. The toxicity and binding characteristics of three crystal proteins [CryIA(b), CryIB, and CryIC] were compared between the field population and a laboratory strain. The field population proved resistant (greater than 200-fold compared with the laboratory strain) to CryIA(b), one of the crystal proteins in the insecticidal formulation. Binding studies showed that the two strains differ in a membrane receptor that recognizes CryIA(b). This crystal protein did not bind to the brush-border membrane of the midgut epithelial cells of the field population, either because of strongly reduced binding affinity or because of the complete absence of the receptor molecule. Both strains proved fully susceptible to the CryIB and CryIC crystal proteins, which were not present in the B. thuringiensis formulation used in the field. Characteristics of CryIB and CryIC binding to brush-border membranes of midgut epithelial cells were virtually identical in the laboratory and the field population.

Evolution of pest resistance to insecticidal proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) would decrease our ability to control agricultural pests with genetically engineered crops designed to express genes coding for these proteins. Previous genetic and biochemical analyses of insect strains with resistance to Bt toxins indicate that (i) resistance is restricted to single groups of related Bt toxins, (ii) decreased toxin sensitivity is associated with changes in Bt-toxin binding to sites in brush-border membrane vesicles of the larval midgut, and (iii) resistance is inherited as a partially or fully recessive trait. If these three characteristics were common to all resistant insects, specific crop-variety deployment strategies could significantly diminish problems associated with resistance in field populations of pests. We present data on Bt-toxin resistance in Heliothis virescens, a major agricultural pest targeted for control with Bt-toxin-producing crops. A laboratory strain of H. virescens developed resistance in response to selection with the Bt toxin CryIA(c). In contrast to other cases of Bt-toxin resistance, this H. virescens strain exhibits cross-resistance to Bt toxins that differ significantly in structure and activity. Furthermore, the resistance in this strain is not accompanied by significant changes in toxin binding, and resistance is inherited as an additive trait when larvae are treated with high doses of CryIA(c) toxin. These findings have important implications for Bt-toxin-based pest control.

Insecticidal proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are becoming a cornerstone of ecologically sound pest management. However, if pests quickly adapt, the benefits of environmentally benign Bt toxins in sprays and genetically engineered crops will be short-lived. The diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella ) is the first insect to evolve resistance to Bt in open-field populations. Here we report that populations from Hawaii and Pennsylvania share a genetic locus at which a recessive mutation associated with reduced toxin binding confers extremely high resistance to four Bt toxins. In contrast, resistance in a population from the Philippines shows multilocus control, a narrower spectrum, and for some Bt toxins, inheritance that is not recessive and not associated with reduced binding. The observed variation in the genetic and biochemical basis of resistance to Bt, which is unlike patterns documented for some synthetic insecticides, profoundly affects the choice of strategies for combating resistance.