Biogenic amines perform many kinds of important physiological functions in the central nervous system (CNS) of insects, acting as neuromodulators, neurotransmitters, and neurohormones. The five most abundant types of biogenic amines in invertebrates are dopamine, histamine, serotonin, tyramine, and octopamine (OA). However, in beetles, an important group of model and pest insects, the role of tyramine β-hydroxylase (TβH) in the OA biosynthesis pathway and the regulation of behavior remains unknown so far. We therefore investigated the molecular characterization and spatiotemporal expression profiles of TβH in red flour beetles (Triboliun castaneum). Most importantly, we detected the production of OA and measured the crawling speed of beetles after dsTcTβH injection. We concluded that TcTβH controls the biosynthesis amount of OA in the CNS, and this in turn modulates the mobility of the beetles. Our new results provided basic information about the key genes in the OA biosynthesis pathway of the beetles, and expanded our knowledge on the physiological functions of OA in insects.
Keywords: Tribolium castaneum; mobility; octopamine; tyramine-β-hydroxylase.