Insect Odorant Receptors Are Molecular Targets of the Insect Repellent DEET
Abstract
DEET ( N,N -diethyl-meta-toluamide) is the world's most widely used topical insect repellent, with broad effectiveness against most insects. Its mechanism of action and molecular target remain unknown. Here, we show that DEET blocks electrophysiological responses of olfactory sensory neurons to attractive odors in Anopheles gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster . DEET inhibits behavioral attraction to food odors in Drosophila , and this inhibition requires the highly conserved olfactory co-receptor OR83b. DEET inhibits odor-evoked currents mediated by the insect odorant receptor complex, comprising a ligand-binding subunit and OR83b. We conclude that DEET masks host odor by inhibiting subsets of heteromeric insect odorant receptors that require the OR83b co-receptor. The identification of candidate molecular targets for the action of DEET may aid in the design of safer and more effective insect repellents.
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There are several electrophysiological and behavioural assays with correspondingly robust analyses currently being used in vector biology research that could be incorporated into such schemes once adopted by WHOPES and the wider scientific community.
“The promising news is that there are several electrophysiological and behavioural assays with correspondingly robust analyses currently being used in vector biology research that could be incorporated into such schemes once adopted by WHOPES and the wider scientific community [16,36-42].”
From Spatial repellents: from discovery and development to evidence-based validation (2012) · cites this paper as [40]
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- Authors
- Ditzen, M., Pellegrino, M., & Vosshall, L. B.
- Affiliations
- Rockefeller University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Vosshall, Leslie B.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2008-03-28
- Volume
- 319
- Issue
- 5871
- Pages
- 1838-1842
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2021903377
- Cited by
- 368
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 11.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (R01DC008600, DC008600)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect Pheromone Research and Control
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Insect Pest Control Strategies
- Keywords
- DEET, insect repellents, olfactory receptors, Anopheles gambiae, Drosophila melanogaster, olfactory sensory neurons, heteromeric receptors, mechanism of action
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Anopheles, Behavior, Animal, DEET, Drosophila melanogaster, Electrophysiology, Feeding Behavior, Food, Insect Repellents, Ligands, Mutation, Odorants, Oocytes, Xenopus laevis, Olfactory Receptor Neurons, Receptors, Odorant, Patch-Clamp Techniques, Drosophila Proteins
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