Transcription Activity of Genes Involved in Diapause Regulation in the Colorado Potato Beetle and Its Change under a Fipronil Impact

The transcription activity of genes involved in diapause regulation in Colorado potato beetle adults in diapause preparation and in the middle of winter is studied under laboratory conditions. The gonads of beetles remaining active, unlike those of the dormant ones, contain mRNA for the Rdl subunit of the gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor. In the middle of winter diapause, the muscle and gonad tissues of beetles exposed to fipronil, a noncompetitive inhibitor of the GABAA-gated ionotropic channels, contain elevated amounts of mRNAs of the DP1, fer, DAT1, DAT2, EcR, and Ldace-1 genes. It is presumed that fipronil considerably influences the regulatory processes occurring in diapause development by blocking the GABA–GABA-receptor binding.