In vivo identification of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry4Ba toxin receptors by RNA interference knockdown of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked aminopeptidase N transcripts in Aedes aegypti larvae

► Three identified GPI-linked APNs are found to express in Aedes aegypti larval midgut. ► Soaking Aedes aegypti larvae in long dsRNAs of GPI-APNs resulted in specific silencing. ► All three knockdown isoforms showed an increase in resistance to the Cry4Ba larvicidal toxin. ► Implicating that all three GPI-APNs may act as Cry4Ba receptors in vivo.