Octopamine (OA) is structurally and functionally similar to adrenaline/noradrenaline in vertebrates, and OA modulates diverse physiological and behavioral processes in invertebrates. OA exerts its actions by binding to specific octopamine receptors (OARs). Functional and pharmacological characterization of OARs have been investigated in several insects. However, the literature on OARs is scarce for parasitoids. Here we cloned three β-adrenergic-like OARs (CcOctβRs) from Cotesia chilonis. CcOctβRs share high similarity with their own orthologous receptors. The transcript levels of CcOctβRs were varied in different tissues. When heterologously expressed in CHO-K1 cells, CcOctβRs induced cAMP production, and were dose-dependently activated by OA, TA and putative octopaminergic agonists. Their activities were inhibited by potential antagonists and were most efficiently blocked by epinastine. Our study offers important information about the molecular and pharmacological properties of β-adrenergic-like OARs from C. chilonis that will provide the basis to reveal the contribution of individual receptors to the physiological processes and behaviors in parasitoids.
Keywords: cAMP; expression profiles; octopamine receptor; parasitoid; pharmacology.