Researchers Discover Second Molecular Door for Insecticide in Mosquitoes
July 10, 2013 |
In the war against disease-carrying mosquitoes, scientists have long believed that a single molecular door was the key target for insecticides. This door, however, closes, allowing mosquitoes to get away from effective insecticides. Recently, a team of researchers from the Michigan State University discovered that a second molecular door that could be the key to fighting disease-carrying mosquitoes.
Pyrethroids have been used in many developing countries to fight diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. They are highly effective because they eliminate mosquitoes without side effects, if any, on humans. The discovery of the second receptor in the mosquitoes' sodium channel helps researchers to better understand how insecticide works at a molecular level and lead ways to stop resistance to pyrethroids.
The receptors on mosquitoes' sodium channels act as doorways, and pyrethroids work by opening the sodium channel. Mosquitoes will die due to sodium overdose because when the door is wide open, their cells gulp down sodium, which overexcites their nervous system and eventually leads to paralysis and death.
Read the PNAS full paper at http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/07/02/1305118110.full.pdf+html (doi: 10.1073/pnas.1305118110).
The news release from Michigan State University is available at: http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/second-door-discovered-in-war-against-mosquito-borne-diseases/.
|
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- 2013 Global Food Security Index Shows Resilience in the Face of Challenges
- Scientists Compare Genomes of Wild and Domestic Tomato
- Africabio CEO Says GM Foods in South Africa is Safe
- International Leaders Attend High Level Meeting for Africa's Sustainable Agriculture
- Gates Foundation to Build Biotech Lab in Nigeria
- Geneticist Urges Mining the World's Seed Banks to Feed Tomorrow's Population
- Roger Beachy: "I Got into Biotech Because I Wanted to Reduce the Use of Pesticides"
- ICRISAT Releases Iron-biofortified Pearl Millet
- Bosan: GM Crops Answer to Food Insecurity
- APEC Seeks to Widen Use of Agri-biotech for Food Security
- Lee Foundation Funds Breeding of New Rice Scientists
- Scientists to Develop Drought Tolerant Potatoes for Central Asia
- New Study Provides Insights for Further Understanding of Plant's Metabolic Control
- Scientists Discover Gene Controlling Multi-Herbicide Resistance
- UK to Build World's First 'Library' of Potato Mutants
- Researchers Identify Fungus' Mechanism to Hinder Plant Defense
- Sustainable Intensification to Help Increase Food Production
-
Research Highlights
- Scientists Conduct Multigene Engineering to Improve Maize Starch
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Researchers Discover Second Molecular Door for Insecticide in Mosquitoes
-
Announcements
- REDBIO Argentina 2013
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (November 6, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (October 30, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet