Functional genetic validation of key genes conferring insecticide resistance in the major African malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae

Abstract

ABSTRACTResistance in Anopheles gambiae to members of all four major classes (pyrethroids, carbamates, organochlorines and organophosphates) of public health insecticides limits effective control of malaria transmission in Africa. Increased expression of detoxifying enzymes has been associated with resistance, but direct functional validation in An. gambiae has been lacking. Here we perform transgenic analysis using the GAL4/UAS system to examine insecticide resistance phenotypes conferred by increased expression of the three genes - Cyp6m2, Cyp6p3 and Gste2 - most often found upregulated in resistant An. gambiae. We report the first evidence in An. gambiae that organophosphate and organochlorine resistance is conferred by overexpression of GSTE2 in a broad tissue profile. Pyrethroid and carbamate resistance is bestowed by similar Cyp6p3 overexpression, and Cyp6m2 confers only pyrethroid resistance when overexpressed in the same tissues. Conversely, such Cyp6m2 overexpression increases susceptibility to the organophosphate malathion, presumably due to conversion to a more toxic metabolite. No resistant phenotypes are conferred when either Cyp6 gene overexpression is restricted to the midgut or oenocytes, answering long standing questions related to the importance of these tissues in resistance to contact insecticides. Validation of genes conferring resistance provides markers to guide control strategies, and the observed negative cross-resistance due to Cyp6m2 gives credence to proposed dual insecticide strategies to overcome pyrethroid resistance. These trasnsgenic An. gambiae resistant lines are being used to test potential liabilities in new active compounds early in development.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTInsecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes can derail malaria control programs, and to overcome it we need to discover the underlying molecular basis. Here, for the first time, we characterise three genes most often associated with insecticide resistance directly by their overproduction in genetically modified An. gambiae. We show that overexpression of each gene confers resistance to representatives of at least one insecticide class and, taken together, the three genes provide cross-resistance to all four major insecticide classes currently used in public health. These data validate the candidate genes as markers to monitor the spread of resistance in mosquito populations. The modified mosquitoes produced are also valuable tools to pre-screen new insecticides for potential liabilities to existing resistance mechanisms.