Data from: A linkage map and QTL analysis for pyrethroid resistance in the bed bug Cimex lectularius

The rapid evolution of insecticide resistance remains one of the biggest
challenges in the control of medically and economically important pests.
Insects have evolved a diverse range of mechanisms to reduce the efficacy
of the commonly used classes of insecticides and finding the genetic basis
of resistance is a major aid to management. In a previously unstudied
population, we performed an F2 resistance mapping cross for the common bed
bug, Cimex lectularius, for which insecticide resistance is increasingly
widespread. Using 334 SNP markers obtained through RAD-sequencing, we
constructed the first linkage map for the species, consisting of 14
putative linkage groups (LG), with a length of 407 cM and an average
marker spacing of 1.3 cM. The linkage map was used to reassemble the
recently published reference genome, facilitating refinement and
validation of the current genome assembly. We detected a major QTL on LG12
associated with insecticide resistance, occurring in close proximity (1.2
Mb) to a carboxylesterase encoding candidate gene for pyrethroid
resistance. This provides another example of this candidate gene playing a
major role in determining survival in a bed bug population following
pesticide resistance evolution. The recent availability of the bed bug
genome, complete with a full list of potential candidate genes related to
insecticide resistance, in addition to the linkage map generated here,
provides an excellent resource for future research on the development and
spread of insecticide resistance in this resurging pest species.