A Dalpha6 knockout strain of Drosophila melanogaster confers a high level of resistance to spinosad.

A null mutation of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit Dalpha6, in Drosophila melanogaster, confers 1181-fold resistance to a new and increasingly important biopesticide, spinosad. This study's molecular characterisation of a spinosad resistance mechanism identifies Dalpha6 as a major spinosad target in D. melanogaster. Although D. melanogaster is not a major field pest, target site resistances found in this species are often conserved in pest species. This, combined with the high degree of evolutionary conservation of nAChR subunits, suggests that mutations in Dalpha6 orthologues may underpin the spinosad resistance identified in several economically important field pests.