The molecular basis of two contrasting metabolic mechanisms of insecticide resistance.

The esterase-based insecticide resistance mechanisms characterised to date predominantly involve elevation of activity through gene amplification allowing increased levels of insecticide sequestration, or point mutations within the esterase structural genes which change their substrate specificity. The amplified esterases are subject to various types of gene regulation in different insect species. In contrast, elevation of glutathione S-transferase activity involves upregulation of multiple enzymes belonging to one or more glutathione S-transferase classes or more rarely upregulation of a single enzyme. There is no evidence of insecticide resistance associated with gene amplification in this enzyme class. The biochemical and molecular basis of these two metabolically-based insecticide resistance mechanisms is reviewed.