Abstract
Apolygus lucorum (Hemiptera: Miridae), one of the main insect pests, causes severe damage in cotton and many other economic crops. As is well-known, legs play important roles in the chemoreception of insects. In this study, the putative chemosensory proteins in legs of A. lucorum involved in close or contact chemical communication of adult bugs were investigated using RNA transcriptome sequencing and qPCR methods. Transcriptome data of forelegs, middle legs and hind legs of adult bugs demonstrated that 20 odorant binding protein (OBP) genes, eight chemosensory protein (CSP) genes, one odorant receptor (OR) gene, one ionotropic receptor (IR) gene and one sensory neuron membrane protein (SNMP) gene were identified in legs of A. lucorum. Compared to the previous antennae transcriptome data, five CSPs, IR21a and SNMP2a were newly identified in legs. Results of qPCR analysis indicated that all these putative chemosensory genes were ubiquitously expressed in forelegs, middle legs and hind legs of bugs. Furthermore, four types of sensilla on legs of A. lucorum including sensilla trichodea (subtypes: long straight sensilla trichodea, Str1; long curved sensilla trichodea, Str2), sensilla chaetica (subtypes: sensilla chaetica 1, Sch1; sensilla chaetica 2, Sch2; and sensilla chaetica 3, Sch3), sensilla basiconca (subtypes: medium-long sensilla basiconca, Sba1; short sensilla basiconca, Sba2) and Böhm bristles (BB) were found using scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, the largest number of sensilla was observed on hind legs, while the forelegs had the smallest number of sensilla. Our data provide valuable insights into understanding the chemoreception of legs in A. lucorum.
Highlights
Insects rely on their sensitive olfactory and gustatory organs to find hosts, forage, lay eggs and mate (Romani et al, 2005; Li and Liberles, 2015)
We focused on the putative chemosensory genes in legs of both sexes of A. lucorum adults
There were 20 odorant binding protein (OBP) genes, eight chemosensory protein (CSP) genes, one odorant receptor (OR) gene, one ionotropic receptor (IR) gene and one sensory neuron membrane protein (SNMP) gene identified in legs of A. lucorum (Table 3)
Summary
Insects rely on their sensitive olfactory and gustatory organs to find hosts, forage, lay eggs and mate (Romani et al, 2005; Li and Liberles, 2015). Chemosensory associated proteins in insect antennae such as odorant binding proteins (OBPs), chemosensory proteins (CSPs), Niemann-Pick type C2 proteins (NPC2s), odorant receptors (ORs), gustatory receptors (GRs), ionotropic receptors (IRs) and sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs) play crucial roles in olfactory and gustatory behaviors of insects (Pelosi et al, 2006; Wynand and Carlson, 2006; Abdel-Latief, 2007; Wanner and Robertson, 2008; Benton et al, 2009; Touhara and Vosshall, 2009; Vogt et al, 2009; Leal, 2013; Adachi et al, 2014) These chemosensory associated proteins are usually expressed in insect legs. OBPs, CSPs, SNMPs, GRs, and ORs were identified in the legs of Apis cerana cerana, Ectropis obliqua, and Adelphocoris lineolatus (Ma et al, 2016; Sun et al, 2017; Du et al, 2019)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
