Mechanisms of DEET gustation in Drosophila

DEET is the most widely used active ingredient in insect repellents and offers protection against insect bites. We previously reported that DEET suppresses the feeding behavior of Drosophila, which is guided by gustatory receptors (GRs) in bitter-sensing gustatory receptor neurons. Here, we sought to identify new candidates using egg-laying assays. Upon screening all GR mutants, GR89a was identified as a potential DEET receptor. Gr89a mutants exhibited reduced oviposition avoidance, feeding avoidance, and electrophysiological responses compared to Gr32a, Gr33a, and Gr66a mutants. However, GR89a was found to modulate DEET avoidance, as demonstrated by genetic and RNA interference assays. Furthermore, we found that DEET ingestion severely affected larval and pupal development and survival, and therefore may act as an effective larvicide.