Determining the mechanism of Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides by real time PCR

The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is the main insect defoliator of potatoes, a crop that is an important nutritional resource worldwide. With increased pesticide application to control the insect, Colorado potato beetles have developed a resistance to all synthetic insecticides currently available to growers. Identifying the specific genes that are involved in the mechanism of this resistance is extremely important for the control of the pest, because this will allow for additional research into finding more effective control methods. RNA was extracted from two separate beetle strains kept in the laboratory, one strain was susceptible and one was resistant to neonicotinoid insecticides. Using TRIzol Reagent, RNA was extracted from multiple generations before and after insecticide exposure. Real time PCR was performed, which showed either an up or down regulation of specific genes. With each generation that becomes more resistant, it is hypothesized that there will be certain genes that will be more up regulated and some that are down regulated compared to a control housekeeping gene and the susceptible beetle strain.