Isolation of a deet-insensitive mutant of Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae).
Despite the widespread use of N,N,-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet) in insect repellent products, nothing is known about the molecular basis for the repellency of deet, we initiated a molecular genetics program to elucidate the molecular mechanism of deet repellency in Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen). Deet repellency was apparently due to airborne vapors, as wild type flies were repelled by a deet-treated surface in the absence of physical contact and in the dark. A mutant was isolated using chemical mutagenesis and at choice assay. In a choice assay, mutant flies entered 82 +/- 1% of deet-containing tubes, whereas wild type flies entered only 6 +/- 2% of deet-containing tubes. The mutant was repelled by other repellents, benzaldehyde and citronellal. The mutation was recessive and located on the X chromosome.
Reeder
N L
NL
Corporate Research Division, Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH 45253-8707, USA.
Ganz
P J
PJ
Carlson
J R
JR
Saunders
C W
CW
D000818:Animals; D003671:DEET / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D007302:Insect Repellents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007305:Insecticide Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D014785:Vision, Ocular
D007302:Insect Repellents; D003671:DEET