Perspectives on gene copy number variation and pesticide resistance

Although the generation of evolutionary diversity by gene duplication has long been known, the implications for pesticide resistance are just now beginning to be appreciated. A few examples will be cited to illustrate the point that there are many variations on the theme that gene duplication does not follow a set pattern. Transposable elements may facilitate the process but the mechanistic details are obscure and unpredictable. New developments in DNA sequencing technology and genome assembly promise to reveal more examples, yet care must be taken in interpreting the results of transcriptome and genome assemblies and independent means of validation are important. Once a specific gene family is identified, special methods generally must be used to avoid underestimating population polymorphisms and being trapped in preconceptions about the simplicity of the process. (c) 2021 The Author. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Automated summary

Gene duplication has long been known to generate evolutionary diversity, but its implications for pesticide resistance are just beginning to be understood. Transposable elements may facilitate this process, but the mechanistic details remain obscure and unpredictable. New developments in DNA sequencing technology and genome assembly offer promise for revealing more examples, but caution is needed in interpreting the results and validation through independent means is crucial.