Identification of carbon dioxide receptors in the tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

Delong Kong; Zitong Wang; Hui Guo; Tao Lin; Dingxin Jiang; Hualong Qiu; Tao Ma; Chunsheng Jia; Lufei Xie; Yongyue Lu; Feng Liu; Changlu Wang; Desen Wang

doi:10.1111/1744-7917.70120

Insect Science ›› 2025, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (6) :1896 -1910. DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.70120

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Identification of carbon dioxide receptors in the tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

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¹. National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Department of Entomology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China

². Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, School of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan, Guangdong Province, China

³. School of Biological Engineering, Xinxiang University, Xinxiang, Henan Province, China

⁴. CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China

⁵. National Key Laboratory of Green Pesticide, Department of Pesticide Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China

⁶. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Silviculture, Protection and Utilization, Guangdong Academy of Forestry, Guangzhou, China

⁷. College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China

⁸. Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guiyang, China

⁹. Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China

¹⁰. Department of Entomology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

liufeng@szbl.ac.cn

changluw@rutgers.edu

desen@scau.edu.cn

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Abstract

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) plays a crucial role in the host search/localization process of bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., and Cimex hemipterus (F.). Current research on the CO₂ perception by bed bugs mainly focuses on their behavioral responses, and the molecular mechanisms are still unclear. In addition, existing research has mainly been conducted on C. lectularius with very little research on C. hemipterus. In this study, we investigated the behavioral response of C. hemipterus to CO₂ and analyzed the role of antennae in the CO₂ sensing process. Then, potential CO₂ receptor genes were screened through antennal RNA sequencing and tissue-specific expression profiling analysis. Finally, the function of CO₂ receptors was further validated using RNA interference. Results indicated that increasing the CO₂ concentration in the air not only stimulated the activity of C. hemipterus, but also presented a directional attraction effect on them. CO₂, with a concentration of 0.06%–1.8%, had a significant attraction effect on C. hemipterus. Removal of the antennae led to the loss of bed bugs’ preference for CO₂. Four candidate CO₂ receptor genes (ChGR1, ChGR2, ChGR3, and ChGR4) were identified through transcriptomic analysis of the bed bug antennae, and 3 of them (ChGR2, ChGR3, and ChGR4) were highly expressed in the antennae. Silencing ChGR2 or ChGR4 individually led to a significant reduction or even loss of CO₂ sensing ability in C. hemipterus. In conclusion, CO₂ can induce the host searching behavior of C. hemipterus; moreover, ChGR2 and ChGR4 are crucial for detecting CO₂ in C. hemipterus.

Keywords

behavioral ecology / Cimex hemipterus / carbon dioxide / CO₂ receptor genes / RNA interference

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Delong Kong, Zitong Wang, Hui Guo, Tao Lin, Dingxin Jiang, Hualong Qiu, Tao Ma, Chunsheng Jia, Lufei Xie, Yongyue Lu, Feng Liu, Changlu Wang, Desen Wang. Identification of carbon dioxide receptors in the tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). Insect Science, 2025, 32(6): 1896-1910 DOI:10.1111/1744-7917.70120