Insect Molecular Biology Group

In addition we have cloned and sequenced many of the subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), the target site of the neonicotinoid insecticides, in anticipation of resistance arising by target-site changes.

Davies, T.G.E., O’Reilly, A.O., Field, L.M., Wallace, B.A. and Williamson, M.S. (2008). Knockdown resistance: from target site mutations to molecular modelling. Pest. Manag. Sci. (in press). Bass, C.B., Williamson, M.S. and Field, L.M. (2008). Development of a multiplex real-time PCR assay for identification of members of the Anopheles gambiae species complex. Acta Tropica (in press). Bass, C., Nikou, D., Donnelly, M.J., Williamson M.S., Ranson, H., Ball, A., Vontas J. and Field, L.M. (2007). Detection of knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations in Anopheles gambiae: a comparison of two new high-throughput assays with existing methods. Malaria J., 6,111-. Usherwood, P.N.R., Mellor, I.R., Peng, F., Vais, H., Khambay, B.P.S., Davies, T.G.E., Field, L.M. and Williamson, M.W. (2007). Mutations in DIIS5 and the DIIS4-S4 linker of the Drosophila melanogaster para sodium channel characterise binding domains for pyrethroids and DDT. FEBS Letts 581, 5485-5492. Bass, C., Wilding C., Donnelly, M.J., Williamson, M.S. and Field, L.M. (2007). Identification of the main malaria vectors in the Anopheles gambiae species complex using a TaqMan real-time PCR assay. Malaria J. 6, 155- Bass, C., Lansdell, S.J., Millar, N.S., Schroeder, I., Turberg, A., Field, L.M. and Williamson, M.S. (2006). Molecular characterisation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits from the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Publicidae). Ins. Bioc. Mol. Biol. 36, 86-96. O’Reilly, A.O., Khambay, B.P.S., Williamson, M.S., Field, L.M., Wallace, B.A. and Davies, T.G.E. (2006). Modelling insecticide binding sites at the voltage-gated sodium channel. Biochem. J. 396, 255-263. Liu, Z., Williamson, M.S., Lansdell, S.J., Denholm, I., Han, Z.J. and Millar, N.S. (2006). A nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mutation (Y151S) causes reduced agonist potency to a range of neonicotinoids insecticides. J. Neurochem., 99, 1273-1281. Davies, T.G.E., Usherwood, P.N.R., Field, L.M. and Williamson, M.S. (2007). A comparative study of voltage-gated sodium channels in the Insecta: implications for pyrethroid reistance in Anopheline and other Neopteran species. Ins.  Mol. Biol. 16, 361-375. Davies, T.G.E., Field, L.M., Usherwood, P.N.R. and Williamson, M.S. (2007). DDT, pyrethrins, pyrethroids and insect sodium channels. IUBMB, 59, 151-162. Bass, C., Lansdell, S.J., Millar, N.S., Schroeder, I., Turberg, A., Field, L.M. and Williamson, M.S. (2006). Molecular characterisation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits from the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Publicidae). Ins. Biochem. Mol. Biol. 36, 86-96. O’Reilly, A.O., Khambay, B.P.S., Williamson, M.S., Field, L.M., Wallace, B.A. and Davies, T.G.E. (2006). Modelling insecticide binding sites at the voltage-gated sodium channel. Biochem. J. 396, 255-263. Andrews, M.C., Callaghan, A., Field, L.M., Williamson, M.S. and Moores, G.D. (2004). Identification of mutations conferring insecticide-insensitive AChE in the cotton-Melon aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover. (2004). Ins. Mol. Biol.13, 555-561. Bass, C., Schroeder, I., Turberg, A., Field, L.M. and Williamson, M.S. (2004). Identification of the Rdl mutation in laboratory and field strains of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). Pest. Manag. Sci. Published on-line August 2004. Williamson, M.S., Andrews, M.C., Anstead, J.A., Field, L.M., Moores, G.D., Foster, S.J., Devonshire, A.L. and Denholm, I. (2004). A mechanism-based approach to monitoring for insecticide resistance in the peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae. In: Neurotox '03:Neurotoxicological Targets from Functional Genomics and Proteomics. SCI. Eds Beadle, D.J., Mellor, I.R. and Usherwood P.N.R. pp 87-95. Javed, N., Viner, R., Williamson, M.S., Field, L.M. and Moores, G.D. (2003). Characterisation of acetylcholinesterases, and their genes from the hemipteran species Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Aphis gosypii (Glover), Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) and Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood). Ins. Mol. Biol. 12, 613-620.