Genome editing of the SfABCC2 gene confers resistance to Cry1F toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis in Spodoptera frugiperda

ATP-binding cassette transporter C2 (ABCC2) is known to be a receptor for Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins in several lepidopteran insects. Mutations in the ABCC2 gene have been genetically linked to field-evolved resistance to the Cry1F toxin from Bt in Spodoptera frugiperda. Here we generated a SfABCC2 knockout strain of S. frugiperda using the CRISPR/Cas9 system to provide further functional evidence of the role of this gene in susceptibility and resistance to Cry1F. Results from bioassays showed that the SfABCC2 knockout S. frugiperda strain displayed 118-fold resistance to Cry1F compared with the parental DH19 strain, but no resistance to Vip3A toxin from Bt. These results provide the first reverse genetic evidence for SfABCC2 as a functional receptor for Cry1F.