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Rhodnius prolixus  is the vector of Chagas’ disease, by virtue of transmitting the parasite  Trypanosoma cruzi.  There is no cure for Chagas’ disease and therefore controlling  R. prolixus  is currently the only method of prevention. Understanding the physiology of the disease vector is an important step in developing control measures. Crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) is an important neuropeptide in insects because it has multiple physiological roles such as controlling heart rate and modulating ecdysis behaviour. In this study, we have cloned the cDNA sequence of the  CCAP  receptor ( RhoprCCAPR ) from 5 th  instar  R. prolixus  and found it to be a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR). The spatial expression pattern in 5 th  instars reveals that the  RhoprCCAPR  transcript levels are high in the central nervous system, hindgut and female reproductive systems, and lower in the salivary glands, male reproductive tissues and a pool of tissues including the dorsal vessel, trachea, and fat body. Interestingly, the  RhoprCCAPR  expression is increased prior to ecdysis and decreased post-ecdysis. A functional receptor expression assay confirms that the RhoprCCAPR is activated by CCAP (EC 50  = 12 nM) but not by adipokinetic hormone, corazonin or an extended FMRFamide. The involvement of CCAP in controlling heartbeat frequency was studied  in vivo  and  in vitro  by utilizing RNA interference.  In vivo,  the basal heartbeat frequency is decreased by 31% in bugs treated with dsCCAPR. Knocking down the receptor in dsCCAPR-treated bugs also resulted in loss of function of applied CCAP  in vitro.  This is the first report of a GPCR knock-down in  R. prolixus  and the first report showing that a reduction in  CCAPR  transcript levels leads to a reduction in cardiac output in any insect.

Identification and Expression of the CCAP Receptor in the Chagas’ Disease Vector, Rhodnius prolixus, and Its Involvement in Cardiac Control