Since the early 1990s, western corn rootworm-insecticide resistance has
resulted in control failures and economic losses throughout Nebraska. Previous
research has determined that: 1) esterase-mediated hydrolysis is the main
factor contributing to organophosphate insecticide resistance in Nebraska
western corn rootworms, 2) "group II" esterases are a reliable diagnostic
marker for resistance monitoring in field populations, and 3) "group II"
esterases are present in increased abundance based on protein purification and
biochemical characterization assays. The studies reported here further
characterize "group II" esterases by gel filtration, two-dimensional gel
electrophoresis, and the use of a diagnostic polyclonal antiserum specific to
the 60 kDa "group II" esterase protein. N-terminal sequence was also obtained
for the purified protein and cDNA-based approaches were employed to develop a
better understanding of the resistance-associated esterase.
Species 1: Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Diabrotica virgifera (western corn rootworm)
Keywords: esterase, insecticide resistance
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA