Molecular characterization of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor from Bemisia tabaci. Issue 2 (9th January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dixit, S.; Thakur, N.; Shukla, A.; Upadhyay, S. K.; C. Verma, P.
• Is Part Of: Insect molecular biology. Volume 30:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 231
• Page End: 240
• Publication Date: 2021-01-09
• Subjects: Bemisia tabaci -- glutamate receptor -- ionotropic ligand gated channels -- neuro‐signalling pathways -- NMDARs -- RNAi; Insects -- Molecular aspects -- Periodicals; 595.7
• DOI: 10.1111/imb.12690
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0962-1075

Abstract

Abstract: The N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are ionotropic ligand gated channels that are highly permeable to calcium ions. In insects, NMDARs are associated with glutamatergic neurotransmission governing diverse physiological and biological processes like vitellogenesis and ovarian development. Therefore, NMDAR may act as attractive target for insect pest control. In present study, we performed structural and functional characterization of NMDARs in Bemisia tabaci, a highly invasive crop pest and potent virus vector. We identified that NMDAR consists of three subunits each encoded by single gene in whiteflies which are highly conserved among different insect orders. Expression analysis suggests that subunit 1 (BtNR1) and subunit 2 (BtNR2) are the main functional units. External supplementation of NMDAR ligand or BtNRs silencing was lethal to insects, which suggested that NMDAR function is highly balanced in whiteflies.