Fundamental and Applied Research on Insect Olfaction

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 2190

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, Canada
Interests: alien invasive forest pest insects; molecular mechanisms of olfaction in insects; insect-tree interactions

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Guest Editor
Applied BioSciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Interests: chemical communications in insects; natural molecules; biopolymers; carbon-based materials; micro- and nanoencapsulation; hydrogen recovery; mass spectrometry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Olfaction is the most important sensation for insects. Insects detect chemicals from their surrounding environment to locate food, mates, shelters, and hosts for ovipositing. They also use chemical information to detect predators and pathogens. Insects detect chemicals via their olfactory sensory systems, including antennae and palps. The organs have olfactory sensilla equipped with odorant receptors and ionotropic receptors. Molecular studies and assays in the receptors have improved understanding of the mechanism of insect olfaction. Insect olfactory systems selectively detect signature features of their surroundings that trigger certain behaviors. Behavioral responses of insects to odors, such as pheromone or kairomone, have also been investigated to identify the potential for insect pest management. This specificity has allowed applications in horticultural and agricultural industries where the insect of interest is a serious pest. However, applications in the management of a pest insect have often needed more fundamental knowledge of olfactory mechanisms and behavioral studies. This Special Issue aims to provide a better understanding of insect olfaction in general and promote applications in insect pest management.

Dr. Daniel Doucet
Dr. Soo J. Park
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • insect olfaction and taste
  • diversity and molecular evolution of insect odorant receptors
  • insect olfaction: receptors, signal transduction, and behavior
  • molecular mechanisms of olfactory detection in insects
  • neurobiology in insect olfaction
  • semiochemicals, pheromones and kairomones in insect pest management

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 1574 KiB  
Article
Nursing Honeybee Behavior and Sensorial-Related Genes Are Altered by Deformed Wing Virus Variant A
by Silva Diego, Arismendi Nolberto, Alveal Juan Pablo, Ceballos Ricardo, Zapata Nelson and Vargas Marisol
Insects 2024, 15(2), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15020080 - 23 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1673
Abstract
Insect behavior is coordinated mainly by smell through the diverse odor-binding proteins (OBP) that allow them to identify and recognize their environment. Sensory information collected through smell is then analyzed and interpreted in the brain, allowing for correct insect functioning. The behavior of [...] Read more.
Insect behavior is coordinated mainly by smell through the diverse odor-binding proteins (OBP) that allow them to identify and recognize their environment. Sensory information collected through smell is then analyzed and interpreted in the brain, allowing for correct insect functioning. The behavior of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) can be affected by different pathogens, such as deformed wing virus (DWV). In particular, the DWV variant A (DWV-A) is capable of altering olfactory sensitivity and reducing the gene expression of different OBPs, including those associated with nursing behavior. The DWV is also capable of replicating itself in the sensory lobes of the brain, further compromising the processing of sensory information. This study evaluated the behavioral response of nurse honeybees exposed to a pheromone compound and the alterations in the gene expression of the pre- and post-synaptic neuronal genes neuroxins-1 and neurogilin-1 in the bee heads and OBP proteins in the antennae of nurse bees inoculated with DWV-A. The behavioral response of nurse bees exposed to the larval pheromone compound benzyl alcohol was analyzed using a Y-tube olfactometer. The viral load, the gene expression of OBP5 and OBP11 in antennae, and neuroxins-1 and neurogilin-1 in the bee heads were analyzed via qPCR. High viral loads significantly reduced the ability of 10- and 15-day-old nurse honeybees to choose the correct pheromone compound. Also, the gene expression of OBP5, OBP11, neuroxin-1, and neurogilin-1 in nurse honeybees decreased when they were highly infected with DWV-A. These results suggest that a DWV-A infection can disturb information processing and cause nursing honeybees to reduce their activity inside the hive, altering internal cohesion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fundamental and Applied Research on Insect Olfaction)
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