Department of Bio & Fermentation Convergence Technology, Kookmin University, Seoul, 02707, Republic of Korea.
Department of Bio & Fermentation Convergence Technology, Kookmin University, Seoul, 02707, Republic of Korea; Interdisciplinary Program for Bio-Health Convergence, Kookmin University, Seoul, 02707, Republic of Korea.
Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2021 Apr;131:103550. doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2021.103550. Epub 2021 Feb 4.
DEET is the most widely used active ingredient in insect repellents and offers protection against insect bites. We previously reported that DEET suppresses the feeding behavior of Drosophila, which is guided by gustatory receptors (GRs) in bitter-sensing gustatory receptor neurons. Here, we sought to identify new candidates using egg-laying assays. Upon screening all GR mutants, GR89a was identified as a potential DEET receptor. Gr89a mutants exhibited reduced oviposition avoidance, feeding avoidance, and electrophysiological responses compared to Gr32a, Gr33a, and Gr66a mutants. However, GR89a was found to modulate DEET avoidance, as demonstrated by genetic and RNA interference assays. Furthermore, we found that DEET ingestion severely affected larval and pupal development and survival, and therefore may act as an effective larvicide.
避蚊胺是驱虫剂中最广泛使用的活性成分，可防止昆虫叮咬。我们之前报道过，避蚊胺抑制了果蝇的取食行为，而果蝇的取食行为是由苦味感受味觉受体神经元中的味觉受体 (GRs) 指导的。在这里，我们使用产卵测定法来寻找新的候选物。在筛选所有 GR 突变体后，GR89a 被鉴定为潜在的避蚊胺受体。与 Gr32a、Gr33a 和 Gr66a 突变体相比，Gr89a 突变体的产卵回避、进食回避和电生理反应均降低。然而，通过遗传和 RNA 干扰实验证明，GR89a 调节避蚊胺的回避作用。此外，我们发现避蚊胺的摄入严重影响了幼虫和蛹的发育和生存，因此可能作为一种有效的杀虫剂。
