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Significance Rational control of arthropod pests is important for animal and human health as well as biodiversity preservation. As an alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides, natural repellents represent an ecological… Click to show full abstract
Significance Rational control of arthropod pests is important for animal and human health as well as biodiversity preservation. As an alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides, natural repellents represent an ecological method of pest control. Through an exceptional gene library screening in Mesobuthus martensii scorpions, we here uncover a transient receptor potential ion channel as the chemosensory sensor for plant-derived repellents. Its ortholog ion channel in Drosophila melanogaster also acts as a molecular receptor of natural repellents and mediates avoidance behavior. This work thus identifies a molecular basis for arthropod chemosensing and should help update the ecological strategies for pest control while preserving biodiversity.
Journal Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Year Published: 2022
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