Xenobiotic metabolism in the chelicerate model organism Tetranychus urticae, in relation to acaricide resistance and host range

The main aim of this projext is to study xenobiotic metabolism in T. urticae, taking advantage of the recently completed whole genome sequence and our genome annotation efforts. We will study the physiological adaptation mechanisms of T. urticae to both natural (plan allelochemicals) and synthetic (pesticides) xenobiotics. By this joint approach, we want to unravel in the long term whether similar genes are involved in the 'first defence' which is induced by plant chemicals when compared to genes that are constitutively over expressed after selection and adaptation.