Acta Entomologica Sinica (2009) 52, 17-26

Yu Zhao, Yi-Hua Yang, Shu-Wen Wu and Yi-Dong Wu (2009)
[Cloning, sequence analysis and developmental expression of a cDNA encoding nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha subunit from Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)]
Acta Entomologica Sinica 52 (1), 17-26
Abstract: Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) mediate the fast action of excitatory neurotransmitter at cholinergic synapses in the central nervous system of insects and are also the target site for neonicotinoids and spinosad. By using RT-PCR and RACE technique, the full-length cDNA of a novel nAChR alpha subunit (Px-alpha-8) was cloned from Plutella xylostella (GenBank accession no. EU914853). Sequence analysis showed that the full-length cDNA is 1 744 bp in length and contained an open reading frame (ORF) of 1 602 bp which encodes 534 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of Px-alpha-8 shared typical features of nAChR alpha subunits and showed 77%-96% amino acid similarity with insect nAChR alpha-8 subunit orthologues. Interestingly, it also showed 76% amino acid similarity with the nAChR ß2 subunit of Drosophila melanogaster. There are many single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites in the ORF of Px-alpha-8, some of which resulted in amino acid substitution. There are more SNPs in female 4th-instar larvae than in male 4th-instar larvae, and the SNP sites are different between the female and male 4th-instar larvae. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that the mRNA expression level of Px-alpha-8 was higher at adult stage than at either pupal or 4th-instar larval stage. These findings provide important basis for further study on diversity of nAChR subunits and mechanism of target resistance to spinosad in P. xylostella.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
(original language: Chinese)
Database assignments for author(s): Yihua Yang

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
molecular biology - genes
pesticide resistance of pest

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Plutella xylostella