Project description DEENESFRITPL Molecular insight into insecticide resistance Effective pest management is crucial for crop protection and food security, but the emergence of resistance to insecticides and plant defence chemicals impedes current interventions. Insects employ cytochrome P450 enzymes to protect themselves from natural and synthetic toxins. Changes in enzyme expression or alterations in metabolic activity may lead to insecticide resistance. Funded by the European Research Council, the P450RESIST project aims to delineate the molecular drivers associated with insecticide resistance. Researchers will also characterise P450 interaction with insecticides, offering unprecedented insight into the mechanism of resistance. Ultimately, this research will help develop new resistance screening tools and strategies for sustainable crop protection. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Insect resistance to synthetic insecticides and the anti-herbivore defence chemicals produced by many plants is an ongoing challenge to sustainable pest management while also an exceptional model system to study adaptive evolution. The cytochrome P450s are a superfamily of enzymes that are ubiquitous in nature, and one of the most important enzyme families used by insects to defend themselves against natural and synthetic xenobiotics. Insects have been shown to evolve resistance through quantitative changes in P450 expression or via qualitative changes in P450s that alter metabolic activity. Despite their importance in conferring resistance the variety of regulatory changes that modulate P450 expression in resistant insects and their relative frequency/impact is not fully understood. Furthermore, although qualitative changes in insect P450s associated with resistance are relatively rare they represent a unique opportunity to characterise insecticide/toxin binding and identify the critical structure/function determinants of the P450/insect toxin interaction.In this project I will exploit cutting-edge advances in genomics, epigenetics and transgenics to study the insect P450 resistome in three main workpackages:WP-1: Will identify the molecular drivers of quantitative changes to insect P450s.WP-2: Will explore the role of qualitative changes in insect P450s in mediating resistance and identify structure/function determinants of insecticide metabolism.WP-3: Will exploit the knowledge gained in WP1/2 and from previous research to deliver a ‘P450 toolkit’ consisting of in vitro and in vivo screening tools, with which to identify resistance breaking chemistry, and high-throughput diagnostics for use in resistance management.In summary this project will provide novel insights into this important enzyme family and provide tools that can be used to develop new products and strategies that slow, prevent, or overcome resistance and so ensure sustainable crop protection Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsDNAnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsmutationnatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyentomologynatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsepigenetics Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-CoG-2014 - ERC Consolidator Grant Call for proposal ERC-2014-CoG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant Host institution THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER Net EU contribution € 1 949 494,50 Address THE QUEEN'S DRIVE NORTHCOTE HOUSE EX4 4QJ Exeter United Kingdom See on map Region South West (England) Devon Devon CC Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 949 494,50 Beneficiaries (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER United Kingdom Net EU contribution € 1 949 494,50 Address THE QUEEN'S DRIVE NORTHCOTE HOUSE EX4 4QJ Exeter See on map Region South West (England) Devon Devon CC Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 949 494,50 ROTHAMSTED RESEARCH LTD United Kingdom Net EU contribution € 26 017,50 Address HARPENDEN AL5 2JQ Herts See on map Region East of England Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Hertfordshire Activity type Other Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 26 017,50
