Molecular and functional basis of high-salt avoidance in a blood-sucking insect.

PONTES, G; LATORRE-ESTIVALIS, JM; GUTIERREZ, L; CANO, A; BERON DE ASTRADA, M; LORENZO, MG; BARROZO, RB

iScience

Elservier Inc

Año: 2022

Salts are essential nutrients required for many physiological processes, andaccordingly, their composition and concentration are tightly regulated. Taste isthe ultimate sensory modality involved in resource quality assessment, resultingin acceptance or rejection. Here we found that high salt concentrations elicitfeeding avoidance in the blood-sucking bug Rhodnius prolixus and elucidatethe molecular and neurophysiological mechanisms involved. We found thathigh-salt avoidance is mediated by a salt-sensitive antennal gustatory receptorneuron (GRN). Using RNAi, we demonstrate that this process requires two amiloride-sensitive pickpocket channels (PPKs; RproPPK014276 and RproPPK28)expressed within these cells. We found that antennal GRNs project to the insectprimary olfactory center, the antennal lobes, revealing these centers as potentialsites for the integration of taste and olfactory host-derived cues. Moreover, theidentification of the gustatory basis of high-salt detection in a hematop