Compositions and methods for controlling insects involving the tyramine receptor

摘要

An exemplary method of screening compositions for insect control activity includes, providing an insect cell expressing a receptor of the insect olfactory cascade or fragment thereof, contacting a test composition to the insect cell, measuring at least one parameter selected from olfactory cascade receptor binding affinity, intracellular cAMP levels, and intracellular Ca²⁺ levels, and selecting a compound capable of altering at least one of parameter selected from increased olfactory cascade receptor binding affinity, altered intracellular cAMP levels, and altered intracellular Ca²⁺ levels. An exemplary isolated eukaryotic cell is transformed with a nucleic acid encoding an insect olfactory cascade receptor protein or fragment thereof. An exemplary method for controlling an insect includes, contacting a composition including a compound having a binding affinity for an olfactory cascade receptor of an insect.