Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Fujian Academy of Agriculture Sciences & Zhangzhou Institute of Technology, Zhangzhou, 363001, China.
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, P.O. Box 30772-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Sci Rep. 2020 Oct 29;10(1):18615. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-75782-3.
Anopheles gambiae s.s. is a key vector of Plasmodium parasites. Repellents, which may be a promising alternative to pesticides used to control malaria mosquitoes. Although citronellal is a known mosquito repellent, its repellency characteristics are largely unknown. Determining the specific odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and odorant receptors (ORs) that detect and transfer the citronellal molecule in A. gambiae s.s. will help to define the mode of action of this compound. In this research, we assessed the repellent activity of citronellal in A. gambiae s.s. using a Y-tube olfactory meter, screened candidate citronellal-binding OBPs and ORs using reverse molecular docking, clarified the binding properties of predicted proteins for citronellal using fluorescence competition binding assay. Results showed that citronellal had a dosage effect on repelling A. gambiae s.s.. The 50% repellent rate was determined to be 4.02 nmol. Results of simulated molecular docking showed that the only proteins that bound tightly with citronellal were AgamOBP4 and AgamORC7. Fluorescence competitive binding assays confirmed the simulations. This research determined that citronellal was captured by AgamOBP4 and transmitted to AgamORC7 in A. gambiae s.s.. Our study will be beneficial in the further understanding the repellent mechanism of citronellal against A. gambiae s.s..
冈比亚按蚊是疟原虫的主要传播媒介。驱避剂可能是替代用于控制疟疾蚊子的杀虫剂的有前途的选择。虽然香茅醛是一种已知的驱蚊剂,但它的驱避特性在很大程度上尚不清楚。确定检测和传递香茅醛分子的特定气味结合蛋白(OBP)和气味受体(OR)将有助于定义该化合物的作用方式。在这项研究中,我们使用 Y 型嗅觉计评估了香茅醛在冈比亚按蚊中的驱避活性,使用反向分子对接筛选候选香茅醛结合 OBP 和 OR,使用荧光竞争结合测定法阐明预测的香茅醛结合蛋白的结合特性。结果表明,香茅醛对冈比亚按蚊有剂量效应。确定的 50%驱避率为 4.02 nmol。模拟分子对接的结果表明,仅与香茅醛紧密结合的蛋白质是 AgamOBP4 和 AgamORC7。荧光竞争结合测定证实了模拟结果。这项研究确定香茅醛在冈比亚按蚊中被 AgamOBP4 捕获并传递给 AgamORC7。我们的研究将有助于进一步了解香茅醛对冈比亚按蚊的驱避机制。