(Photo : Wikimedia Commons )
Scientists have seen how the Colorado potato beetle earns its reputation as a notorious pest because of its capability of resisting various kinds of pesticides.
A research team led by University of Vermont professor Yolanda Chen found that the beetles resist imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide, by managing their DNA. The beetles do this not by changing their genetic code, but instead by altering their DNA regulation.
They do this by turning particular genes off or on through DNA methylation. It is an epigenetic strategy that allows the beetles to shore up their defenses, probably by putting certain genes into overdrive that helps them tolerate many toxins. These strategies may be in the form of an enzyme flush or a more rapid excretion rate.