Abstract

BackgroundBlowflies are economic pests of the wool industry and potential vectors for epidemics. The establishment of a pesticide-free, environmentally friendly blowfly control strategy is necessary. Blowflies must feed on meat in order to initiate the cascade of events that are involved in reproduction including juvenile hormone synthesis, vitellogenesis, and mating. During feeding blowflies regurgitate salivary lipase, which may play a role in releasing fatty acids from triglycerides that are found in food. However, long-chain fatty acids show low solubility in aqueous solutions. In order to solubilize and ingest the released hydrophobic fatty acids, the blowflies must use a solubilizer.MethodologyWe applied native PAGE, Edman degradation, cDNA cloning, and RT-PCR to characterize a protein that accumulated in the oral disk of the black blowfly, Phormia regina. In situ hybridization was carried out to localize the expression at the cellular level. A fluorescence competitive binding assay was used to identify potential ligands of this protein.ConclusionA protein newly identified from P. regina (PregOBP56a) belonged to the classic odorant-binding protein (OBP) family. This gene was expressed in a cluster of cells that was localized between pseudotracheae on the oral disk, which are not accessory cells of the taste peg chemosensory sensilla that normally synthesize OBPs. At pH 7 and pH 6, PregOBP56a bound palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids, that are mainly found in chicken meat. The binding affinity of PregOBP56a decreased at pH 5. We propose that PregOBP56a is a protein that solubilizes fatty acids during feeding and subsequently helps to deliver the fatty acids to the midgut where it may help in the process of reproduction. As such, PregOBP56a is a potential molecular target for controlling the blowfly.

Highlights

  • In the aftermath of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that occurred in northern Japan on March 11, 2011, outbreaks of blowflies emerged from rotting fish, and affected public health [1]

  • It is known that a chemical sense-related lipophilic ligandbinding protein (CRLBP) is predominantly expressed in the oral disk of the blowfly

  • chemical senserelated lipophilic ligand-binding protein (CRLBP) belongs to the classic odorant-binding protein (OBP) family and is responsible for taste [29]

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Summary

Introduction

In the aftermath of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that occurred in northern Japan on March 11, 2011, outbreaks of blowflies emerged from rotting fish, and affected public health [1]. Blowflies are considered potential vectors of H5N1 avian influenza virus by mechanical transmission [4]. The establishment of environmentally friendly strategies for the control of blowflies is necessary especially in the wool industry and in terms of public health. Blowflies are economic pests of the wool industry and potential vectors for epidemics. The establishment of a pesticide-free, environmentally friendly blowfly control strategy is necessary. Blowflies must feed on meat in order to initiate the cascade of events that are involved in reproduction including juvenile hormone synthesis, vitellogenesis, and mating. During feeding blowflies regurgitate salivary lipase, which may play a role in releasing fatty acids from triglycerides that are found in food. In order to solubilize and ingest the released hydrophobic fatty acids, the blowflies must use a solubilizer

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