Tyramine is a biogenic monoamine commonly found in invertebrates and is the synthetic precursor to octopamine.  Tyramine and octopamine exert various physiological/biochemical actions primarily by interacting with G-Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs).  Octopamine receptors have historically garnered a large amount of research attention; however, tyramine receptors are not as well studied.  Octopamine receptors are believed to be the target of formamidine insecticides.  We have characterized a tyramine receptor, once thought to be an octopamine receptor, from the southern cattle tick (R. microplus). R. microplus is an economically devastating external parasite that carries the causative agents resulting in cattle fever. While R. microplus has been eradicated from the US, it is still a threat to the cattle industry based on the importation of cattle from Mexico, where the tick is endemic. Characterization of this tyramine receptor was performed by expressing the receptor in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells.  Examination of the pharmacological profile of this receptor indicates it is a member of the Type-1 tyramine receptor family.  Stable expression of this tyramine receptor allows for a platform amenable to high-throughput screening.  Specifically, several plant terpenoids were screened against this receptor.  Terpenoids were monitored for activity as agonists, antagonist, or modulators of the expressed receptor's function.

Tyramine receptor from the southern cattle tick: A potential target for plant terpenoids

248th National Meeting (2014)

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