%0 Journal Article
%T The Mechanisms Underlying ¦Á-Amanitin Resistance in Drosophila melanogaster: A Microarray Analysis
%A Chelsea L. Mitchell
%A Michael C. Saul
%A Liang Lei
%A Hairong Wei
%A Thomas Werner
%J PLOS ONE
%D 2014
%I Public Library of Science (PLoS)
%R 10.1371/journal.pone.0093489
%X The rapid evolution of toxin resistance in animals has important consequences for the ecology of species and our economy. Pesticide resistance in insects has been a subject of intensive study; however, very little is known about how Drosophila species became resistant to natural toxins with ecological relevance, such as ¦Á-amanitin that is produced in deadly poisonous mushrooms. Here we performed a microarray study to elucidate the genes, chromosomal loci, molecular functions, biological processes, and cellular components that contribute to the ¦Á-amanitin resistance phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster. We suggest that toxin entry blockage through the cuticle, phase I and II detoxification, sequestration in lipid particles, and proteolytic cleavage of ¦Á-amanitin contribute in concert to this quantitative trait. We speculate that the resistance to mushroom toxins in D. melanogaster and perhaps in mycophagous Drosophila species has evolved as cross-resistance to pesticides, other xenobiotic substances, or environmental stress factors.
%U http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0093489