Involvement of Inwardly Rectifying Potassium (Kir) Channels in the Toxicity of Flonicamid to <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>
Inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channels regulate essential physiological processes in insects and have been identified as potential targets for developing new insecticides. Flonicamid has been reported to inhibit Kir channels, disrupting the functions of salivary glands and renal tubules. Howev...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| author | Xuan Liu Yuying Gao Tengfei Liu Hailiang Guo Jizu Qiao Jianya Su |
| author_facet | Xuan Liu Yuying Gao Tengfei Liu Hailiang Guo Jizu Qiao Jianya Su |
| author_sort | Xuan Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channels regulate essential physiological processes in insects and have been identified as potential targets for developing new insecticides. Flonicamid has been reported to inhibit Kir channels, disrupting the functions of salivary glands and renal tubules. However, the precise molecular target of flonicamid remains debated. It is unclear whether flonicamid directly targets Kir channels or acts on other sites involved in the activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels. In this study, we observed that flonicamid is more toxic to flies than its metabolite, flumetnicam. This higher toxicity is difficult to reconcile if nicotinamidase is the active target, as flonicamid does not inhibit nicotinamidase. An alternative explanation is that flonicamid and flumetnicam may have distinct targets or act on multiple targets. Furthermore, reducing the expression of three individual Kir genes in the salivary glands of <i>D. melanogaster</i> significantly decreased the flies’ susceptibility to both flonicamid and flumetnicam. The double knockdown of Kir1 with Kir3 or Kir2 with Kir3 further reduced the flies’ sensitivity to both compounds. These findings confirm the involvement of Kir channels in mediating the toxic effects of flonicamid on flies. Overall, this study offers new insights into the physiological roles of insect Kir channels and flonicamid toxicity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-41890287925749d5ad0bd9cc7a4c6332 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj-art-41890287925749d5ad0bd9cc7a4c63322025-01-24T13:35:47ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502025-01-011616910.3390/insects16010069Involvement of Inwardly Rectifying Potassium (Kir) Channels in the Toxicity of Flonicamid to <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>Xuan Liu0Yuying Gao1Tengfei Liu2Hailiang Guo3Jizu Qiao4Jianya Su5College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaInwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channels regulate essential physiological processes in insects and have been identified as potential targets for developing new insecticides. Flonicamid has been reported to inhibit Kir channels, disrupting the functions of salivary glands and renal tubules. However, the precise molecular target of flonicamid remains debated. It is unclear whether flonicamid directly targets Kir channels or acts on other sites involved in the activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels. In this study, we observed that flonicamid is more toxic to flies than its metabolite, flumetnicam. This higher toxicity is difficult to reconcile if nicotinamidase is the active target, as flonicamid does not inhibit nicotinamidase. An alternative explanation is that flonicamid and flumetnicam may have distinct targets or act on multiple targets. Furthermore, reducing the expression of three individual Kir genes in the salivary glands of <i>D. melanogaster</i> significantly decreased the flies’ susceptibility to both flonicamid and flumetnicam. The double knockdown of Kir1 with Kir3 or Kir2 with Kir3 further reduced the flies’ sensitivity to both compounds. These findings confirm the involvement of Kir channels in mediating the toxic effects of flonicamid on flies. Overall, this study offers new insights into the physiological roles of insect Kir channels and flonicamid toxicity.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/1/69inwardly rectifying potassium channelsflonicamidflumetnicammolecular target |
| spellingShingle | Xuan Liu Yuying Gao Tengfei Liu Hailiang Guo Jizu Qiao Jianya Su Involvement of Inwardly Rectifying Potassium (Kir) Channels in the Toxicity of Flonicamid to <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> Insects inwardly rectifying potassium channels flonicamid flumetnicam molecular target |
| title | Involvement of Inwardly Rectifying Potassium (Kir) Channels in the Toxicity of Flonicamid to <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> |
| title_full | Involvement of Inwardly Rectifying Potassium (Kir) Channels in the Toxicity of Flonicamid to <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> |
| title_fullStr | Involvement of Inwardly Rectifying Potassium (Kir) Channels in the Toxicity of Flonicamid to <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Involvement of Inwardly Rectifying Potassium (Kir) Channels in the Toxicity of Flonicamid to <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> |
| title_short | Involvement of Inwardly Rectifying Potassium (Kir) Channels in the Toxicity of Flonicamid to <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> |
| title_sort | involvement of inwardly rectifying potassium kir channels in the toxicity of flonicamid to i drosophila melanogaster i |
| topic | inwardly rectifying potassium channels flonicamid flumetnicam molecular target |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/1/69 |
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