AsOBP1 is required for bioallethrin repellency in the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles sinensis

The use of insecticides, primarily pyrethroids, is a pivotal strategy for mosquito control globally. Bioallethrin, the first commercially available volatile pyrethroid, can elicit spatial (i.e., noncontact) repellency to mosquitoes through the coactivation of olfactory receptor neurons and sodium channels. However, the olfactory mechanism of the repellency elicited by bioallethrin in mosquitoes is still unclear. Here, we demonstrated the involvement of AsOBP1 in the bioallethrin repellency in Anopheles sinensis, one of the main vectors of vivax malaria in China and other Southeast Asian countries. The behavioral and electrophysiological analyses in AsOrco−/− mutant found that the spatial repellency elicited by bioallethrin depended on the odorant receptor (OR)‐mediated olfactory pathway. Furthermore, the repellency was reduced in the AsOBP1−/− mutant and a pyrethroid‐resistant strain, in which the expression of AsOBP1 was significantly decreased. Moreover, recombinant AsOBP1 protein bound to bioallethrin in an in vitro competition assay. These results indicate that activation of the AsOBP1‐mediated olfactory pathway is an important component of bioallethrin repellency. Our research lays the foundation for further elucidation into the olfactory mechanism of bioallethrin repellency and the behavioral modifications of pyrethroid‐resistant mosquitoes. Bioallethrin, the first commercially available volatile pyrethroid, has been used worldwide in insecticides and repellents. The olfactory mechanism of the repellency elicited by bioallethrin in mosquitoes is still unclear. The binding ability of recombinant AsOBP1 protein to bioallethrin and the reduced bioallethrin repellency and electroantennogram responses in AsOBP1−/− mutants demonstrated that the AsOBP1‐mediated olfactory pathway is an important component of bioallethrin repellency in Anopheles sinensis. Moreover, the reduced bioallethrin repellency in pyrethroid‐resistant mosquitoes may be related to kdr mutation and reduced olfactory sensitivity.