Abstract
Pheromones are chemicals that serve intraspecific communication. In animals, the ability to detect and discriminate pheromones in a complex chemical environment substantially contributes to the survival of the species. Insects widely use pheromones to attract mating partners, to alarm conspecifics or to mark paths to rich food sources. The various functional roles of pheromones for insects are reflected by the chemical diversity of pheromonal compounds. The precise detection of the relevant intraspecific signals is accomplished by specialized chemosensory neurons housed in hair-like sensilla located on the surface of body appendages. Current data indicate that the extraordinary sensitivity and selectivity of the pheromone-responsive neurons (PRNs) is largely based on specific pheromone receptors (PRs) residing in their ciliary membrane. Besides these key elements, proper ligand-induced responses of PR-expressing neurons appear to generally require a putative co-receptor, the so-called “sensory neuron membrane protein 1” (SNMP1). Regarding the PR-mediated chemo-electrical signal transduction processes in insect PRNs, ionotropic as well as metabotropic mechanisms may be involved. In this review, we summarize and discuss current knowledge on the peripheral detection of pheromones in the olfactory system of insects with a focus on PRs and their specific role in the recognition and transduction of volatile intraspecific chemical signals.
Highlights
Pheromone signals released from individuals to affect the behavior or physiology of conspecifics play a pivotal role for numerous animal species
Volatile pheromone molecules are generally detected through specialized sensory neurons of the olfactory system located on the antennae (Hansson and Stensmyr, 2011), whereas non-volatile pheromones are usually received by contact chemoreception mediated by neurons of the gustatory system that predominantly reside on the proboscis and legs (Ebbs and Amrein, 2007; Joseph and Carlson, 2015; Kohl et al, 2015)
The current data indicate a function of pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) in taking up pheromones from the air and in transferring them across the sensillum lymph toward pheromone receptors (PRs) residing in the ciliary membrane of pheromone-responsive neurons (PRNs)
Summary
Pheromone signals released from individuals to affect the behavior or physiology of conspecifics play a pivotal role for numerous animal species. Recent data obtained from moths indicate that in some insect species, metabotropic processes might be involved and that PRs activate G protein-mediated second messenger cascades, leading to opening of cation channels and depolarization of PRNs (Stengl, 2010; Nolte et al, 2016).
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