In a new paper from the Van Petegem lab, researchers show how the widely used diamide class of insecticides bind to an ion channel called the ryanodine receptor, and how the insecticide triggers opening of this ion channel. The study shows how several insects have developed resistance by evolving mutations directly within the binding site. It also shows that these compounds, considered ‘safe’ by the vendors, are not that innocent: the structure is a complex of a mammalian ryanodine receptor with the insecticide, and many of the interacting residues are conserved between insects and humans.
A new structure shows how a widely used insecticide binds to the ryanodine receptor.