Biotech Updates

Cornell Researchers Identify How Insects Resist Bt Pesticides

September 2, 2011

By identifying how insects resist Bacilllus thuringiensis (Bt) pesticides, Cornell University researchers have paved the way for new management strategies for Bt-resistant insects. Ping Wang and colleagues report their discovery in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Crops genetically engineered with Bt genes are grown in 59 million hectares worldwide.

The team explained that Bt toxin Cry1Ac binds to an enzyme called APN 1 along the wall of the insect's gut, where the toxin destroys the gut lining. When cabbage loopers develop resistance, APN 1 significantly decreases. This allows the insect to properly digest food and Bt without harm.

A media release from Cornell is at http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Aug11/BtLooper.html