Life | Special Issue : Recent Advances in Chemosensory-Based Behaviorally, Physiologically, and Molecularly Manipulated Technology of Pest Insects

Research

15 pages, 3048 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Olfactory Selection Preferences of Pagiophloeus tsushimanus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Adults Toward Lauraceae Plants

by Cong Chen, Zhaoyan Lin, Jingyi Du, Jingyi Huang, Chunmei Ling and Jianfeng Chen

Life 2024, 14(11), 1517; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14111517 - 20 Nov 2024

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Abstract

Cinnamomum camphora is a broad-spectrum insect-repelling tree species because of its high content of terpenoids. However, it is curious that Pagiophloeus tsushimanus, a recently recorded wood-boring pest, has widely infested C. camphora plantations across various administrative districts in Shanghai. The larvae, being [...] Read more.

Cinnamomum camphora is a broad-spectrum insect-repelling tree species because of its high content of terpenoids. However, it is curious that Pagiophloeus tsushimanus, a recently recorded wood-boring pest, has widely infested C. camphora plantations across various administrative districts in Shanghai. The larvae, being concealed within the trunk of C. camphora trees, exhibit characteristics such as hidden activity, strong destructiveness, and being difficult to control. While the primary host plant for P. tsushimanus is C. camphora, preliminary observations have shown that the pest can also complete its life cycle on Cinnamomum chekiangensis and Phoebe chekiangensis. To explore the host selection preference of this beetle, the present study aimed to investigate the olfactory selection behavior of P. tsushimanus adults towards C. camphora, C. chekiangensis, and P. chekiangensis. Results from choice and no-choice tests indicated that both male and female adults exhibited a feeding preference for C. camphora twigs, with females showing a preference for laying eggs on camphor tree twigs as well. Volatile compounds unique in camphor trees were significantly higher in relative content than those on the other two plants that were detected. The Y-shaped olfactometer experiments and electroantennography measurements results showed that male and female adults of P. tsushimanus had a positive chemotaxis towards volatiles released by C. camphora and a negative chemotaxis towards volatiles released by C. chekiangensis or P. chekiangensis. Overall, the findings suggest that both male and female adults have a selective preference for volatiles released by the camphor tree, and this provides a theoretical basis for monitoring and controlling the occurrence of this weevil pest. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Chemosensory-Based Behaviorally, Physiologically, and Molecularly Manipulated Technology of Pest Insects)

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16 pages, 4447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Molecular Characterization, Evolution and Expression Analysis of Ammonium Transporter from Four Closely Related Bactrocera Species (Tephritidae)

by Jie Zhang, Qi Wang, Chenhao Liu, Jiaying Liu, Qian Qian, Chuanjian Ru, Leyuan Liu, Shanchun Yan, Wei Liu and Guirong Wang

Life 2024, 14(9), 1114; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14091114 - 4 Sep 2024

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Abstract

Numerous insects are attracted to low levels of ammonia, utilizing it as a cue to locate food sources. The Ammonium Transporter (Amt), a highly conserved, atypical olfactory receptor, has been shown to mediate the detection of ammonia in insects. While the attraction of [...] Read more.

Numerous insects are attracted to low levels of ammonia, utilizing it as a cue to locate food sources. The Ammonium Transporter (Amt), a highly conserved, atypical olfactory receptor, has been shown to mediate the detection of ammonia in insects. While the attraction of Tephritidae to ammonia is well established, knowledge about the Amt in this family is limited. The species Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel 1912), Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett 1899), Bactrocera correcta Bezzi 1916 and Bactrocera tau (Walker 1849), which are common agricultural pests within Tephritidae, exhibit numerous ecological similarities, offering a solid foundation for studying Amt characteristics in this family. In this study, we elucidated the sequences, evolutionary relationships, and expression patterns of Amt in these four species. The results indicated that these Amts share the same open reading frame, containing 1770 bp that encode a protein of 589 amino acid residues. These Amt proteins exhibit the typical structural characteristics of Amts, including an 11-transmembrane domain with an extracellular N-terminus and an intracellular C-terminus. They also have the ability to form trimers in the membrane. Additionally, they contain three conserved amino acid residues essential for ammonia transport: A189, H195, and H352. Phylogenetic and expression pattern analyses showed that they are highly conserved in Diptera and are significantly expressed in antennae. This study is the first report characterizing the Amt gene in four Tephritidae species. These findings provide a foundation for further exploration into the roles of these genes in their particular biological contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Chemosensory-Based Behaviorally, Physiologically, and Molecularly Manipulated Technology of Pest Insects)

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12 pages, 5042 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Identification, Evolution, and Female-Biased Expression Analysis of Odorant Receptors in Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)

by Cong Huang, Xiaolan Ou, Yusheng Wang, Yanan Zhou, Guifen Zhang, Wanxue Liu, Fanghao Wan, Hongbo Jiang and Yibo Zhang

Life 2024, 14(7), 872; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14070872 - 12 Jul 2024

Viewed by 1176

Abstract

The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a highly destructive invasive pest targeting Solanaceae crops. Its olfactory system plays a crucial role in host location, mate finding, and other behavioral activities. However, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding the [...] Read more.

The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a highly destructive invasive pest targeting Solanaceae crops. Its olfactory system plays a crucial role in host location, mate finding, and other behavioral activities. However, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding the characterization of its chemosensory genes. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide identification of 58 odorant receptors (ORs) of T. absoluta. The identified ORs exhibit coding sequence (CDS) lengths ranging from 1062 bp to 1419 bp, encoding proteins of 354 to 473 amino acids. Gene structure analysis showed that the majority of these ORs consist of five, seven, eight, or nine exons, collectively representing 67% of the total ORs identified. Through chromosomal mapping, we identified several tandemly duplicate genes, including TabsOR12a, TabsOR12b, TabsOR12c, TabsOR21a, TabsOR21b, TabsOR34a, TabsOR34b, TabsOR34c, TabsOR62a, and TabsOR62b. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that six TabsORs were clustered within the lepidopteran sex pheromone receptor clade, while an expansion clade containing ten TabsORs resulted from tandem duplication events. Additionally, five TabsORs were classified into a specific OR clade in T. absoluta. Furthermore, through RNA-Seq and RT-qPCR analyses, we identified five TabsORs (TabsOR21a, TabsOR26a, TabsOR34a, TabsOR34c, and TabsOR36) exhibiting female-antennae-biased expression. Our study provides a valuable foundation to further investigations into the molecular and ecological functions of TabsORs, particularly in relation to oviposition behavior. These findings provide foundational data for the future exploration of the functions of female-biased expression OR genes in T. absoluta, thereby facilitating the further development of eco-friendly attract-and-kill techniques for the prevention and control of T. absoluta. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Chemosensory-Based Behaviorally, Physiologically, and Molecularly Manipulated Technology of Pest Insects)

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14 pages, 4129 KiB

Open AccessArticle

D-Limonene Is the Active Olfactory Attractant in Orange Juice for Bactrocera dorsalis (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae)

by Leyuan Liu, Lang Yang, Jinxi Yuan, Jie Zhang, Chenhao Liu, Hongxu Zhou, Wei Liu and Guirong Wang

Life 2024, 14(6), 713; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14060713 - 31 May 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 866

Abstract

The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), poses a significant threat to the global fruit industry, causing damage to diverse fruits like citrus, mango, and guava. Chemical pesticides have limited effectiveness, and pesticide residues and pesticide resistance are pressing issues. Therefore, it is [...] Read more.

The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), poses a significant threat to the global fruit industry, causing damage to diverse fruits like citrus, mango, and guava. Chemical pesticides have limited effectiveness, and pesticide residues and pesticide resistance are pressing issues. Therefore, it is essential to develop environmentally friendly pest control methods to address this problem. Behavior-modifying chemicals, including male attractants and intersex protein baits, play a critical role in the control of B. dorsalis. The mature host fruit serves as both an oviposition site and food source under natural conditions, making it a potential attraction source for oriental fruit flies. Orange, Citrus sinensis, is a main host of B. dorsalis, and commercial orange juice is a common attractant for the egg laying of B. dorsalis. Although it can both attract and elicit oviposition behaviors in B. dorsalis adults, its active components are still unclear. This study utilized analytical chemistry, behavioral tests, and electrophysiology to identify the active components of commercial orange juice that attract B. dorsalis, with the aim of providing a reference for the development of behavior-modifying chemical-based techniques to control B. dorsalis. Five compounds with a high abundance were identified via a GC-MS, including D-Limonene, butanoic acid ethyl ester, β-myrcene, linalool, and α-terpineol. Behavioral and electrophysiological experiments uncovered that D-Limonene was the active substance that was the main attractant in the mixture of these five substances, evoking a strong electrophysiological response in adult B. dorsalis. D-Limonene strongly attracts adult B. dorsalis only when they are sexually mature, and the attraction is not rhythmic. Olfaction plays a leading role in the attraction of D-Limonene to adult B. dorsalis, and Orco^−/− mediates the perception of D-Limonene by B. dorsalis. Overall, D-Limonene is one of the key attractant compounds for B. dorsalis in the volatile compounds of commercial orange juice, offering possible support for the development of behavior-modifying chemical-based technology to control B. dorsalis in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Chemosensory-Based Behaviorally, Physiologically, and Molecularly Manipulated Technology of Pest Insects)

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12 pages, 2051 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Comb Cell Size on the Development of Apis mellifera Drones

by Lifu Zhang, Linxin Shao, Muhammad Fahad Raza, Richou Han and Wenfeng Li

Life 2024, 14(2), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14020222 - 4 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1379

Abstract

The growth and development of honeybees are influenced by many factors, one of which is the cell size of the brood comb. Larger worker bees can be obtained by being raised in bigger cells. However, whether cell size has the same effect on [...] Read more.

The growth and development of honeybees are influenced by many factors, one of which is the cell size of the brood comb. Larger worker bees can be obtained by being raised in bigger cells. However, whether cell size has the same effect on drone development is still unknown. Here, using 3D-printed foundations, we observed the development of drones kept in comb cells of different sizes from the late larval stage through eclosion. The results showed that drones in larger cell-size combs had heavier body weights, longer body lengths, and larger head widths, thorax widths, and abdomen widths compared to those in smaller cell-size combs. Furthermore, regardless of developmental stages, the drones’ body weights increased linearly with the comb’s cell size. However, the other morphological changes of drones in different developmental stages were out of proportion to the cell-size changes, resulting in smaller cells with a higher fill factor (thorax width/cell width). Our findings confirm that comb cell size affects the development of honeybees; drones become bigger when raised in large cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Chemosensory-Based Behaviorally, Physiologically, and Molecularly Manipulated Technology of Pest Insects)

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16 pages, 4511 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Sequence Characteristics and Binding Properties of the Odorant-Binding Protein SvelOBP1 from Sympiezomias velatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to Jujube Volatiles

by Yingyan Zhai, Feng Zhang, Tianqi Tian, Yiwei Yang, Yang Li, Bowen Ren and Bo Hong

Life 2024, 14(2), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/life14020192 - 29 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1153

Abstract

Sympiezomias velatus (Chevrolat) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has caused serious damage on jujube trees (Ziziphus jujuba Mill) in northern China. Semiochemicals emerging from the host are essential in the process of insects identifying and localizing the host. The highly expressed odorant-binding protein 1 of [...] Read more.

Sympiezomias velatus (Chevrolat) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has caused serious damage on jujube trees (Ziziphus jujuba Mill) in northern China. Semiochemicals emerging from the host are essential in the process of insects identifying and localizing the host. The highly expressed odorant-binding protein 1 of S. velatus (SvelOBP1) was assumed to play a possible role in the recognition of host volatiles. In this study, SvelOBP1 was cloned based on the antennal transcriptome of S. velatus. The recombinant SvelOBP1 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by Ni-NTA resin. The predicted protein SvelOBP1 belonged to a classic OBP subfamily. The expression patterns revealed that SvelOBP1 was mainly expressed in the antennae of both males and females, whereas the expression of SvelOBP1 in other body parts could be neglected. The fluorescence binding assay indicated that SvelOBP1 displayed very strong binding affinities to dibutyl benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate and (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol (K_i = 6.66 ± 0.03 and 7.98 ± 0.06 μM). The molecular docking results showed that residues Trp114, Phe115 and Asp110 may be involved in binding to both dibutyl benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate and (Z)-hex-3-en-1-ol and may have a great impact on odorant recognition of S. velatus. Our results provide evidence that SvelOBP1 might participate in the olfactory molecular perception of S. velatus and would promote the development of pest attractants for S. velatus control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Chemosensory-Based Behaviorally, Physiologically, and Molecularly Manipulated Technology of Pest Insects)

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15 pages, 3756 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study of Adult Olfactory Proteins of Primitive Ghost Moth, Endoclita signifer (Lepidoptera, Hepialidae)

by Guipeng Xiao, Jintao Lu, Zhende Yang, Hengfei Fu and Ping Hu

Life 2023, 13(12), 2264; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13122264 - 27 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1152

Abstract

Endoclita signifer is a prominent wood-boring insect species in eucalyptus plantations in Guangxi, China, causing significant ecological and economic damage. A novel approach to controlling the challenging wood-boring pest involves disrupting the olfactory communication between insects and the volatile compounds emitted by plants. [...] Read more.

Endoclita signifer is a prominent wood-boring insect species in eucalyptus plantations in Guangxi, China, causing significant ecological and economic damage. A novel approach to controlling the challenging wood-boring pest involves disrupting the olfactory communication between insects and the volatile compounds emitted by plants. To identify the olfactory proteins contributing to host selection based on 11 GC-EAD-active volatiles from eucalyptus leaves and to discover the highly expressed olfactory proteins, we conducted a study on the antennal transcriptomes of adult E. signifer and screened key olfactory proteins in the antennae. We identified a total of 69 olfactory proteins. When compared to the larval transcriptomes, the antennal transcriptome of adult E. signifer revealed the presence of 17 new odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), including 2 pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs), 7 previously unreported chemosensory proteins (CSPs), 17 new odorant receptors (ORs), 4 new gustatory receptors (GRs), 11 novel ionotropic receptors (IRs), and 2 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). Through the phylogenetic tree of OBPs and ORs, we identified EsigPBP2 and EsigPBP3 as two of the three PBPs, designated EsigOR13 as EsigOrco, and recognized EsigOR10 and EsigOR22 as the newly discovered EsigPRs in E. signifer. In the adult antennae, the expression levels of EsigGOBP14, EsigGOBP13, EsigOBP14, EsigOBP17, EsigCSP14, and EsigOR16 were notably high, indicating that these proteins could be pivotal in binding to plant volatiles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Chemosensory-Based Behaviorally, Physiologically, and Molecularly Manipulated Technology of Pest Insects)

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14 pages, 3557 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Caterpillar Responses to Gustatory Stimuli in Potato Tuber Moths: Electrophysiological and Behavioral Insights

by Ni Mu, Jia-Cai Tang, Jing Zhao, Qi-Chun Fu, Yan-Fen Ma, Rui Tang and Wen-Xia Dong

Life 2023, 13(11), 2174; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13112174 - 7 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1351

Abstract

This research investigates how fourth-instar larvae of the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella, respond to plant secondary metabolites (sucrose, glucose, nicotine, and tannic acid) both in terms of gustatory electrophysiology and feeding behavior. The objective is to establish a theoretical foundation for [...] Read more.

This research investigates how fourth-instar larvae of the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella, respond to plant secondary metabolites (sucrose, glucose, nicotine, and tannic acid) both in terms of gustatory electrophysiology and feeding behavior. The objective is to establish a theoretical foundation for employing plant-derived compounds in potato tuber moth control. We employed single-sensillum recording techniques and dual-choice leaf disk assays to assess the gustatory electrophysiological responses and feeding preferences of these larvae towards the mentioned compounds. Sensory neurons responsive to sucrose, glucose, nicotine, and tannic acid were identified in the larvae’s medial and lateral sensilla styloconica. Neuronal activity was influenced by stimulus type and concentration. Notably, the two types of sensilla styloconica displayed distinct response patterns for sucrose and glucose while they had similar firing patterns towards nicotine and tannic acid. Sucrose and glucose significantly promoted larval feeding, while nicotine and tannic acid had significant inhibitory effects. These findings demonstrate that the medial and lateral sensilla styloconica house sensory neurons sensitive to both feeding stimulants and inhibitors, albeit with differing response profiles and sensitivities. This study suggests that sucrose and glucose are promising candidates for feeding stimulants, while nicotine and tannic acid show potential as effective feeding inhibitors of P. operculella larvae. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Chemosensory-Based Behaviorally, Physiologically, and Molecularly Manipulated Technology of Pest Insects)

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