CLONING AND EXPRESSION OF AN INSECT NEUROTRANSMITTER RECEPTOR, AN INSECTICIDE TARGET

CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PESTICIDES IS A NECESSITY GIVEN THE GROWING PROBLEM OF PEST RESISTANCE AND THE NEED TO SATISFY ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH CONCERNS. BIORATIONAL APPROACES TO INSECTICIDE DISCOVERY INCORPORATE A KNOWLEDGE OF INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF COMPOUNDS ACTING ON SPECIFIC INSECT MOLECULES. ANTHOS IS A COMPANY DESIGNING ASSAYS TO SCREEN NATURAL PRODUCTS OR SYNTHETIC COMPOUNDS FOR SUBSTANCES WITH INSECTICIDAL PROPERTIES EMPLOYING CLONES INSECT MEMBRANE RECEPTORS AS STANDARD REACTIN COMPONENTS. THIS PROPOSAL DESCRIBES THE CLONING AND EXPRESSION OF THE RECEPTOR FOR AN INSECT NEUROTRANSMITTER. ONCE OBTAINED, THE RECOMBINANT MOLECUE CAN BE EMPLOYED IN RECEPTOR-BASED SCREENS TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL INSECTICIDAL COMPOUNDS. DEPENDING ON THE EXACT SCREENING CONDITIONS, THESE SUBSTANCES MAY ACT AS BROAD SPECTRUM PESTICIDES OR BEHAVE IN A MORE SPECIFIC MANNER. EMPHASIS ON INSECTICIDES THAT EFFECT INSECT- SPECIFIC TARGETS INSURES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SAFER PRODUCTS.