Voltage-gated sodium channels are essential for the initiation and propagation of the action potential in neurons and other excitable cells. Because of their critical roles in electrical signaling, sodium channels are targets of a variety of naturally occurring and synthetic neurotoxins, including several classes of insecticides. This review is intended to provide an update on the molecular biology of insect sodium channels and the molecular mechanism of pyrethroid resistance. Although mammalian and insect sodium channels share fundamental topological and functional properties, most insect species carry only one sodium channel gene, compared to multiple sodium channel genes found in each mammalian species. Recent studies showed that two posttranscriptional mechanisms, alternative splicing and RNA editing, are involved in generating functional diversity of sodium channels in insects. More than 50 sodium channel mutations have been identified to be responsible for or associated with knockdown resistance (kdr) to pyrethroids in various arthropod pests and disease vectors. Elucidation of molecular mechanism of kdr led to the identification of dual receptor sites of pyrethroids on insect sodium channels. Most of the kdr mutations appear to be located within or close to the two receptor sites. The accumulating knowledge of insect sodium channels and their interactions with insecticides provides a foundation for understanding the neurophysiology of sodium channels in vivo and the development of new and safer insecticides for effective control of arthropod pests and human disease vectors.
Pyrethrum extracts from flower heads of Chrysanthemum spp. have been used worldwide in insecticides and repellents. While the molecular mechanisms of its insecticidal action are known, the molecular basis of pyrethrum repellency remains a mystery. In this study, we find that the principal components of pyrethrum, pyrethrins, and a minor component, (E)-β-farnesene (EBF), each activate a specific type of olfactory receptor neurons in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. We identify Ae. aegypti odorant receptor 31 (AaOr31) as a cognate Or for EBF and find that Or31-mediated repellency is significantly synergized by pyrethrin-induced activation of voltage-gated sodium channels. Thus, pyrethrum exerts spatial repellency through a novel, dual-target mechanism. Elucidation of this two-target mechanism may have potential implications in the design and development of a new generation of synthetic repellents against major mosquito vectors of infectious diseases.
Inflammatory responses mediated by activated microglia play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-associated neurocognitive disorders. Studies on identification of specific targets to control microglia activation and resultant neurotoxic activity are imperative. Increasing evidence indicate that voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels are involved in the regulation of microglia functionality. In this study, we investigated Kv1.3 channels in the regulation of neurotoxic activity mediated by HIV-1 glycoprotein 120 (gp120)-stimulated rat microglia. Our results showed treatment of microglia with gp120 increased the expression levels of Kv1.3 mRNA and protein. In parallel, whole-cell patch-clamp studies revealed that gp120 enhanced microglia Kv1.3 current, which was blocked by margatoxin, a Kv1.3 blocker. The association of gp120 enhancement of Kv1.3 current with microglia neurotoxicity was demonstrated by experimental results that blocking microglia Kv1.3 attenuated gp120-associated microglia production of neurotoxins and neurotoxicity. Knockdown of Kv1.3 gene by transfection of microglia with Kv1.3-siRNA abrogated gp120-associated microglia neurotoxic activity. Further investigation unraveled an involvement of p38 MAPK in gp120 enhancement of microglia Kv1.3 expression and resultant neurotoxic activity. These results suggest not only a role Kv1.3 may have in gp120-associated microglia neurotoxic activity, but also a potential target for the development of therapeutic strategies.
Several psychiatric disorders are associated with aberrant white matter development, suggesting oligodendrocyte and myelin dysfunction in these diseases. There are indications that radial glial cells (RGCs) are involved in initiating myelination, and may contribute to the production of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in the dorsal cortex. Liver X receptors (LXRs) are involved in maintaining normal myelin in the central nervous system (CNS), however, their function in oligodendrogenesis and myelination is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that loss of LXRβ function leads to abnormality in locomotor activity and exploratory behavior, signs of anxiety and hypomyelination in the corpus callosum and optic nerve, providing in vivo evidence that LXRβ deletion delays both oligodendrocyte differentiation and maturation. Remarkably, along the germinal ventricular zone-subventricular zone and corpus callosum there is reduced OPC production from RGCs in LXRβ(-/-) mice. Conversely, in cultured RGC an LXR agonist led to increased differentiation into OPCs. Collectively, these results suggest that LXRβ, by driving RGCs to become OPCs in the dorsal cortex, is critical for white matter development and CNS myelination, and point to the involvement of LXRβ in psychiatric disorders.
Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a devastating global pest of berry crops and cherries. Little is understood about its biology during the winter in northern temperate regions, including potential resources that it may utilize during this period. In this study, olfactory and behavioral responses of female D. suzukii to six volatiles (methionol, acetic acid, linalool, bornyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, and geosmin) were evaluated separately for electroantennogram (EAG) and behavioral assays between summer and winter morphs. Results of EAG indicated that isoamyl acetate, acetic acid, and geosmin elicited significantly higher olfactory responses from the antennae of female summer morph D. suzukii compared with those of female winter morph D. suzukii. Winter morph D. suzukii showed reduced antennal response to the volatiles overall. Geosmin and bornyl acetate elicited significantly different behavioral responses from the two morphs in no-choice laboratory behavioral assays. T-maze behavioral assays with geosmin further revealed that summer morphs had a significant aversion, while winter morphs showed no significant aversion to geosmin. Overall, we demonstrate that responses of the two seasonally induced morphs to environmental stimuli are different, and future studies are justified to further understand how these physiological and behavioral differences may contribute to improved pest management of D. suzukii.
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