LAUSR

BACKGROUND The biogenic amine histamine plays a critical role in the phototransduction and photopreference of most insects. Here, we study the function of histamine in Callosobruchus maculatus, a global storage pest. RESULTS In our experiment, we initially identified the histidine decarboxylase (hdc) gene through bioinformation analysis. We subsequently investigated effects of hdc and histamine on the photopreference of C. maculatus using a combination of RNA interference (RNAi) method, electroretinograms (ERG), immunostaining and photopreference behavior approaches. Our results showed that histamine was required for visual signal transduction of C. maculatus, and increased its photopreference regardless of the wavelength. CONCLUSION This is the first study analyzing the molecular characteristics of C. maculatus photopreference, which forms the basis for molecular mechanism of effects of histamine on its visual transduction and preference. In practice, better understanding the photopreference patterns contributes to IPM (integrated pest management) for this storage pest. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.