title: Molecular characterization and expression pattern of three GABA receptor-like subunits in the small brown planthopper Laodelphax striatellus (Hemiptera: Delphacidae).
abstract: Ionotropic γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-gated chloride channel receptors mediate rapid inhibitory neurotransmission in vertebrates and invertebrates. GABA receptors are well known to be the molecular targets of synthetic insecticides or parasiticides. Three GABA receptor-like subunits, LsLCCH3, LsGRD and LS8916, of the small brown planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén), a major insect pest of crop systems in East Asia, had been identified and characterized in this study. All three genes were cloned using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). They shared common structural features with known Cys-loop ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs): the well-conserved dicysteine-loop structures, an extracellular N-terminal domain containing six distinct regions (loops A-F) that form the ligand binding sites and four transmembrane regions (TM1-4). Additionally, temporal and spatial transcriptional profiling analysis indicated that Lslcch3 was significantly higher than the other two genes. All of them were expressed at higher levels in fifth-instar nymph and adults than in eggs and from first- to fourth-instar nymph. They were predominantly expressed in the heads of 2-d old female adults. These findings enhanced our understanding of cys-loop LGIC functional characterization in Hemiptera and provided a useful basis for the development of improved insecticides that targeting this important agricultural pest.
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, State & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Green Pesticide Invention and Application, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, State & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Green Pesticide Invention and Application, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Shun-Fan
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, State & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Green Pesticide Invention and Application, Nanjing 210095, China. Electronic address: gaocongfen@njau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Cong-Fen
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006430:Hemiptera / Q000235:genetics*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D018079:Receptors, GABA / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D019476:Insect Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018079:Receptors, GABA
keywords: GABA receptor-like subunit; Insecticide target; Laodelphax striatellus; Ligand-gated ion channel; mRNA expression