A Core Metabolic Enzyme Mediates Resistance to Phosphine Gas

Dissecting Phosphine Resistance Worldwide populations of pest insects—such as the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica , and the rust-red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum —have become highly resistant to the fumigant phosphine, providing a potential threat to global food security. The nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans is vulnerable to phosphine, but phosphine-resistant strains are known. Schlipalius et al. (p. 807 ) show that mutations in the delta-1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase ( dld-1 ) genes both give rise to phosphine resistance in C. elegans . Phosphine resistance mutants in R. dominica , and T. castaneum also map to the dld-1 gene, which codes for a core metabolic enzyme. These mutants are, however, hypersensitive to arsenic, mimics of which might thus synergize with phosphine.