尋找新驅(qū)蟲劑的工作一直受阻于對DEET (N,，N-diethyl-meta-toluamide)的作用機(jī)制缺少一致的認(rèn)識，后者60多年來一直是主要驅(qū)蟲劑,。
現(xiàn)在,，Anandasankar Ray及同事識別出了介導(dǎo)DEET作用的關(guān)鍵成分：它們是一個(gè)高度保守的受體（Ir40a蛋白）和一組見于果蠅觸角中一個(gè)小坑樣結(jié)構(gòu)內(nèi)的感覺神經(jīng)元。
除了自然出現(xiàn)或已經(jīng)被批準(zhǔn)用于人類的化學(xué)物質(zhì)外,，作者接著又在果蠅和蚊子中識別出了刺激相同神經(jīng)回路,、從而誘發(fā)厭惡感的其他化合物。
這些發(fā)現(xiàn)將改變DEET的廉價(jià),、安全和有效替代品的設(shè)計(jì),。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦的英文摘要
Nature doi:10.1038/nature12594
Odour receptors and neurons for DEET and new insect repellents
Pinky Kain，Sean Michael Boyle,，Sana Khalid Tharadra,，TomGuda，Christine Pham,，Anupama Dahanukar& Anandasankar Ray
There are major impediments to finding improved DEET alternatives because the receptors causing olfactory repellency are unknown,， and new chemicals require exorbitant costs to determine safety for human use. Here we identify DEET-sensitive neurons in a pit-like structure in the Drosophila melanogaster antenna called the sacculus. They express a highly conserved receptor， Ir40a,， and flies in which these neurons are silenced or Ir40a is knocked down lose avoidance to DEET. We used a computational structure–activity screen of >400,，000 compounds that identified >100 natural compounds as candidate repellents. We tested several and found that most activate Ir40a+ neurons and are repellents for Drosophila. These compounds are also strong repellents for mosquitoes. The candidates contain chemicals that do not dissolve plastic， are affordable and smell mildly like grapes,， with three considered safe in human foods. Our findings pave the way to discover new generations of repellents that will help fight deadly insect-borne diseases worldwide.
