Agent that modulates physiological condition of pests, involved in insect choline acetyltransferase activity

A method for assaying pesticidal activity of a test substance, which comprises:

• (1) a first step of measuring the activity of a choline acetyltransferase selected from the group consisting of (a) to (h) in a reaction system in which said choline acetyltransferase contacts with a test substance;
• and
• (2) a second step of evaluating the pesticidal activity of said test substance based on the difference obtained by comparing the activity measured in the first step with the activity of a control:
• (a) a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1;
• (b) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has sequence identity of at least 90% to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, wherein said protein has choline acetyltransferase activity;
• (c) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence that has sequence similarity of at least 90% to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1, wherein said protein has choline acetyltransferase activity;
• (d) a protein comprising the amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 or 3;
• (e) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleotide sequence that has sequence identity of at least 90% to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 or 3, wherein said protein has choline acetyltransferase activity;
• (f) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence encoded by a polynucleotide, wherein said polynucleotide hybridizes under stringency conditions comprising a salt concentration of about 6.0×SSC and a temperature of about 65° C., to a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence complementary to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 2 or 3, and wherein said protein has choline acetyltransferase activity;
• (g) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence of an insect choline acetyltransferase;
• and
• (h) a protein comprising an amino acid sequence of a cotton aphid choline acetyltransferase.