Characterization of acephate resistance in the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella

Decreased acetylcholinesterase (AChE) sensitivity and metabolic detoxification mediated by glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) were examined for their involvement in resistance to acephate in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. The resistant strain showed 47.5-fold higher acephate resistance than the susceptible strain had. However, the resistant strain was only 2.3-fold more resistant to prothiofos than the susceptible strain. The resistant strain included insects having the A298S and G324A mutations in AChE1, which are reportedly involved in prothiofos resistance in P. xylostella, showing reduced AChE sensitivity to inhibition by methamidophos, suggesting that decreased AChE1 sensitivity is one factor conferring acephate resistance. However, allele frequencies at both mutation sites in the resistant strain were low (only 26%). These results suggest that other factors such as GSTs are involved in acephate resistance. Expression of GST genes available in P. xylostella to date was examined using the resistant and susceptible strains, revealing no significant correlation between the expression and resistance levels.