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Identification of multiple odorant receptors essential for pyrethrum repellency in Drosophila melanogaster.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Wang, Q; Xu, P; Andreazza, F; Liu, Y; Nomura, Y; Duran, P; Jiang, L; Chen, M; Takamatsu, G; Ihara, M; Matsuda, K; Isaacs, R; Oliveira, EE ...
Published in: PLoS genetics
July 2021

Pyrethrum extract from dry flowers of Tanacetum cinerariifolium (formally Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium) has been used globally as a popular insect repellent against arthropod pests for thousands of years. However, the mechanistic basis of pyrethrum repellency remains unknown. In this study, we found that pyrethrum spatially repels and activates olfactory responses in Drosophila melanogaster, a genetically tractable model insect, and the closely-related D. suzukii which is a serious invasive fruit crop pest. The discovery of spatial pyrethrum repellency and olfactory response to pyrethrum in D. melanogaster facilitated our identification of four odorant receptors, Or7a, Or42b, Or59b and Or98a that are responsive to pyrethrum. Further analysis showed that the first three Ors are activated by pyrethrins, the major insecticidal components in pyrethrum, whereas Or98a is activated by (E)-β-farnesene (EBF), a sesquiterpene and a minor component in pyrethrum. Importantly, knockout of Or7a, Or59b or Or98a individually abolished fly avoidance to pyrethrum, while knockout of Or42b had no effect, demonstrating that simultaneous activation of Or7a, Or59b and Or98a is required for pyrethrum repellency in D. melanogaster. Our study provides insights into the molecular basis of repellency of one of the most ancient and globally used insect repellents. Identification of pyrethrum-responsive Ors opens the door to develop new synthetic insect repellent mixtures that are highly effective and broad-spectrum.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

PLoS genetics

DOI

EISSN

1553-7404

ISSN

1553-7390

Publication Date

July 2021

Volume

17

Issue

7

Start / End Page

e1009677

Related Subject Headings

  • Sesquiterpenes
  • Receptors, Odorant
  • Pyrethrins
  • Odorants
  • Insecticides
  • Insect Repellents
  • Flowers
  • Drosophila melanogaster
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Developmental Biology
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
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Wang, Q., Xu, P., Andreazza, F., Liu, Y., Nomura, Y., Duran, P., … Dong, K. (2021). Identification of multiple odorant receptors essential for pyrethrum repellency in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS Genetics, 17(7), e1009677. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009677
Wang, Qiang, Peng Xu, Felipe Andreazza, Yahui Liu, Yoshiko Nomura, Phil Duran, Lan Jiang, et al. “Identification of multiple odorant receptors essential for pyrethrum repellency in Drosophila melanogaster.PLoS Genetics 17, no. 7 (July 2021): e1009677. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1009677.
Wang Q, Xu P, Andreazza F, Liu Y, Nomura Y, Duran P, et al. Identification of multiple odorant receptors essential for pyrethrum repellency in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS genetics. 2021 Jul;17(7):e1009677.
Wang, Qiang, et al. “Identification of multiple odorant receptors essential for pyrethrum repellency in Drosophila melanogaster.PLoS Genetics, vol. 17, no. 7, July 2021, p. e1009677. Epmc, doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1009677.
Wang Q, Xu P, Andreazza F, Liu Y, Nomura Y, Duran P, Jiang L, Chen M, Takamatsu G, Ihara M, Matsuda K, Isaacs R, Oliveira EE, Du Y, Dong K. Identification of multiple odorant receptors essential for pyrethrum repellency in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS genetics. 2021 Jul;17(7):e1009677.

Published In

PLoS genetics

DOI

EISSN

1553-7404

ISSN

1553-7390

Publication Date

July 2021

Volume

17

Issue

7

Start / End Page

e1009677

Related Subject Headings

  • Sesquiterpenes
  • Receptors, Odorant
  • Pyrethrins
  • Odorants
  • Insecticides
  • Insect Repellents
  • Flowers
  • Drosophila melanogaster
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Developmental Biology