Abstract
Antennal olfaction plays a key role in insect survival, which mediates important behaviors like host search, mate choice, and oviposition site selection. As an oligophagous insect, olfaction is extremely important for Ophraella communa to locate host plants. However, information on the olfactory genes has been lacking in O. communa. Using next generation sequencing, we assembled the antennal transcriptome of O. communa and first reported the major chemosensory genes necessary for olfaction in this species. In this study, a total 105 candidate chemosensory genes were identified in O. communa antennae, including 25 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 11 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), four sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 30 odorant receptors (ORs), 18 ionotropic receptors (IRs), and 17 gustatory receptors (GRs). We also identified full-length sequences of the highly conserved ORco and IR8a/25a family in O. communa. In addition, the expression profile of 15 ORs and four OBPs were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). We found that OcomOR2/4/19 and OcomOBP19/20 had a biased expression in male antennae, and OcomOR8 had a biased expression in the female antennae. This large number of chemosensory genes handled by homology analysis and qPCR results will provide the first insights into molecular basis for the olfactory systems of O. communa as well as advance our understanding of olfactory mechanisms in Coleoptera.
Highlights
Antennal olfaction plays a key role in insect survival, which mediates important behaviors like host search, mate choice, and oviposition site selection
The olfactory system is very important to insects because it is involved in various insect behaviors, such as locating suitable hosts, avoiding predators, identifying oviposition sites, and finding sexual partners[1]
Mounting evidence suggests that diverse olfactory genes are involved in the signal recognition process, including odorant receptors (ORs), ionotropic receptors (IRs), odorant binding proteins (OBPs), gustatory receptors (GRs), chemosensory proteins (CSPs), and sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs)[2,3,4]
Summary
Antennal olfaction plays a key role in insect survival, which mediates important behaviors like host search, mate choice, and oviposition site selection. A total 105 candidate chemosensory genes were identified in O. communa antennae, including 25 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 11 chemosensory proteins (CSPs), four sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 30 odorant receptors (ORs), 18 ionotropic receptors (IRs), and 17 gustatory receptors (GRs). Mounting evidence suggests that diverse olfactory genes are involved in the signal recognition process, including odorant receptors (ORs), ionotropic receptors (IRs), odorant binding proteins (OBPs), gustatory receptors (GRs), chemosensory proteins (CSPs), and sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs)[2,3,4]. It was speculated that the OBPs or CSPs were the transporters that transferred odorants through the sensillar lymph to ORs, a family of integral membrane proteins, located on the dendrites of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs)[8,9,10]. ORs are broadly tuned to a variety of volatile chemicals, including pheromones, plant volatiles, and odor molecules present in the environment[17,22,23]
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