Research Report: A genetic basis for potential nociception in lac bugs
Lac bugs (Kerria lacca; Hemiptera: Kerriidae) are harvested in the trillions for the production of shellac (used in pharmaceuticals, food, and more). There is very little evidence for pain or sentience in the Hemiptera broadly, or for lac bugs specifically. In this non-peer-reviewed research report, Dr. Pereira Costa and I searched the publicly-available K. lacca genome for the presence of seven orthologous gene families that are linked to nociception in other insects (TRPA1, pain, ppk/rpk/ppk26, trpm, NOMPC, Pkd2, Piezo).
We found that 6 of 7 families were present in K. lacca - only Pkd2, with a direct role in noxious cold sensing in vinegar (fruit) fly larvae, was not found in the search (using our criteria). This suggests that, minimally, the genetic architecture for noxious heat, mechanical, and chemical sensing may be present in K. lacca. However, demonstration that the proteins encoded by these genes are present in nociceptors (neurons used to detect harmful stimuli at the periphery) and that they have nociceptive functionality are still needed to prove nociception.
In the full report, we discuss our findings in context of the other currently-available hemipteran genomes that have been analyzed and discuss whether the absence of Pkd2 definitively suggests an absence of cold nociception in K. lacca (note: it does not).
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