title: Isolation of a deet-insensitive mutant of Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae).
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Corporate Research Division, Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH 45253-8707, USA.
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Reeder
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ganz
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Saunders
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D007302:Insect Repellents; D003671:DEET