Insect Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors (eBook)

Steeve Hervé Thany is an assistant Professor for Neurobiology and Neurophysiology at the University of Angers, France. Its research interests are in the areas of molecular biology, electrophysiology, pharmacology and behavioral processes involving insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Recent research focused on the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on nicotinic receptors and the intracellular mechanisms regulating their function. He is a member of numerous national and international scientific organisations, including the French Society for Neuroscience (SN) and the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS).

Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
DEDICATION 5
PREFACE 6
ABOUT THE EDITOR... 7
PARTICIPANTS 8
Table of Contents 10
ABBREVIATIONS 13
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 15
Chapter 1 Identification of Cholinergic Synaptic Transmission in the Insect Nervous System 16
Introduction 16
Insect Acetylcholinesterase: Catalytic Properties and Tissue Distribution 18
Identification and Tissue Distributions of Choline Acetyltransferase in Insects 19
Identification of Native Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors 19
Insect Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Subunit Localizations 20
Conclusion 21
References 21
Chapter 2 The Evolution of PentamericLigand-Gated Ion Channels 26
Introduction 26
Structure: pLGICs Share an Underlying Structure 26
Function: pLGICs Can Mediate Many Types of IonotropicNeurotransmission 29
Evolution: pLGIC Diversity Appears To Be Ancient 32
What Good Is pLGIC Diversity? 33
Pushing Back the Origin of Metazoan pLGICs 33
Identifying Novel Transmitters 34
The Evolution of Ligand Specificity 34
References 34
Chapter 3 Diversity of Insect NicotinicAcetylcholine Receptor Subunits 39
Introduction 39
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors (nAChRs)—Structure and Function 40
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors—Roles in Human Disease and as Drug Targets 41
Insect Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors—Targetsfor Pest Control 41
The nAChR Gene Family in a Genetic Model Organism, the Fruitfly 42
Drosophila melanogaster The First Complete Insect nAChR Gene Family To Be Described 42
Distribution and Assembly of Drosophila AChRs 43
Role for Da7 in Drosophila Escape Behaviour 43
Uncovering the Actions of Imidacloprid and Spinosad Using Drosophila nAChRs 43
Characterisation of Complete nAChR Gene Families from Five Insect Species Spanning Over 300 Million Years of Evolution 44
A Core Group of nAChR Subunits Is Highly Conservedin Different Insect Species 44
Insect Species Possess a Distinct Complement of Divergent nAChR Subunits 46
RNA Editing and Alternative Splicing Broadens the Insect Nicotinic “Recepterome” 47
Alternative Splicing 47
RNA Editing 48
Conclusion and Prospects 50
Small Gene Families with Large-Scale Proteome Diversity 50
Upcoming New nAChR Gene Families of Interest 50
Behavioural Studies, Forward and Reverse Genetics in Dissecting Functional Roles of nAChRs 51
Towards a New Era of Improved, Safer Pesticide Design 51
References 52
Chapter 4 Identification of Critical ElementsDetermining Toxins and InsecticideAffinity, Ligand Binding Domainsand Channel Properties 58
Introduction 58
Toxins—nAChRs Interaction 59
Insecticides—nAChRs Interaction: Residues Involved in Neonicotinoid Selectivity 59
Insecticides—nAChRs Interaction: Residues Involved in Neonicotinoid Binding 61
Amino-Acid Involved in Ionic Selectivity 62
Conclusion 63
References 63
Chapter 5 Electrophysiological Studiesand Pharmacological Propertiesof Insect Native NicotinicAcetylcholine Receptors 66
Introduction 66
Pharmacological Profiles of Native Nicotinic Receptors Associated to Specific Neurons 69
Contribution of ‘Mixed’ Nicotinic/Muscarinic Receptor to the Complexity of Native Nicotinic Receptors 70
Ca2+ and Ca2+ Pathways as Intracellular Regulators of Insect Neuronal Nicotinic Receptors 71
Other Modulators of Insect Native Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors 72
Conclusion 72
References 74
Chapter 6 Characterisation of Insect NicotinicAcetylcholine Receptorsby Heterologous Expression 77
Introduction 77
Characterization of Insect nAChRs by Heterologous Expression 78
Characterization of Hybrid nAChRs 79
Characterization of Chimeric nAChR Subunits 80
Co-Expression of Molecular Chaperones 81
Pharmacological Properties of Recombinant nAChRs 81
Conclusion 81
References 82
Chapter 7 Neonicotinoid InsecticidesHistorical Evolution and Resistance Mechanisms 86
Introduction 86
Nicotine, Nicotinoids and Insecticidal Activities 87
Neonicotinoid Insecticides 87
Development of Novel Neonicotinoid Insecticides 89
Multiple Origins of Insect Resistance to Neonicotinoid Insecticides 89
Conclusion 91
References 91
Chapter 8 Ecotoxicity of NeonicotinoidInsecticides to Bees 95
Introduction 95
Effects on Survival 96
Acute Toxicity 96
Chronic Toxicity 97
Larvae Toxicity 98
Behavioral Effects 98
Mobility 98
Learning Performances 99
Orientation 100
Foraging and Feeding Behaviors 101
Conclusion 101
References 102
Chapter 9 State of the Art on Insect NicotinicAcetylcholine Receptor Functionin Learning and Memory 106
Introduction 107
Role of ACh and Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Insect Behavior 109
Role of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Learning and Memory in the Honeybee 109
Habituation of the PER and Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors 110
Classical Conditioning of the PER and Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors 111
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors are Involved in Acquisition and Retrieval Processes 112
Brain Localization of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Involved in Acquisition and Retrieval Processes 115
Alpha-BGT-Sensitive Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors and Long-Term Memory 117
Conclusion and Outlook: Using RNA Interference to Create Reversible Mutant Honeybees for Memory 119
References 120
INDEX 125