The voltage-sensitive sodium channel (Vssc) gene encodes for a protein that is essential for the generation and propagation of action potentials. Properties of the VSSC can be modified by producing different splice variants due to exons that are mutually exclusive, optional or have 5’ or 3’ alternative splice sites. The functionality of VSSC depends on three features: voltage-sensors, the selectivity filter and the inactivation loop. VSSC is the target site for pyrethroids, DDT and oxidiazine insecticides. Mutations in Vssc conferring resistance to insecticides are known as knockdown resistance (kdr). In this study, we examined the conservation of Vssc exons in both a broad scope (across hexapod Orders) and a narrow scope (within a population) using five approaches: (1) presence or absence of mutually exclusive, optional and 5’ or 3’ alternative splice site exons, (2) amino acid conservation in sodium gating regions, (3) exon similarity in VSSC, (4) conservation of exons containing non-synonymous mutations and (5) codon constraints of knockdown resistance mutations in a species (Aedes aegypti) in which there were several full length cDNA or genome sequences. Overall, Vssc is highly conserved across Orders and within a population, but important differences do exist.

Conservation of the voltage-sensitive sodium channel protein within the Insecta

2019 Fall National Meeting

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