Institute for Management of Invasive Alien Species, 314 Yingdong teaching building, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, 510225, P.R. China.
Sci Rep. 2017 Sep 11;7(1):11073. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-11456-x.
The sweetpotato weevil, Cylas formicarius (Fabricius), is a serious pest of sweetpotato. Olfaction-based approaches, such as use of synthetic sex pheromones to monitor populations and the bait-and-kill method to eliminate males, have been applied successfully for population management of C. formicarius. However, the molecular basis of olfaction in C. formicarius remains unknown. In this study, we produced antennal transcriptomes from males and females of C. formicarius using high-throughput sequencing to identify gene families associated with odorant detection. A total of 54 odorant receptors (ORs), 11 gustatory receptors (GRs), 15 ionotropic receptors (IRs), 3 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), 33 odorant binding proteins (OBPs), and 12 chemosensory proteins (CSPs) were identified. Tissue-specific expression patterns revealed that all 54 ORs and 11 antennal IRs, one SNMP, and three OBPs were primarily expressed in antennae, suggesting their putative roles in olfaction. Sex-specific expression patterns of these antenna-predominant genes suggest that they have potential functions in sexual behaviors. This study provides a framework for understanding olfaction in coleopterans as well as future strategies for controlling the sweetpotato weevil pest.
甘薯小象甲，Cylas formicarius (Fabricius)，是甘薯的严重害虫。基于嗅觉的方法，如使用合成性信息素来监测种群和诱捕和杀死雄性的方法，已成功应用于 C. formicarius 的种群管理。然而，C. formicarius 的嗅觉分子基础仍然未知。在这项研究中，我们使用高通量测序从雄性和雌性甘薯小象甲的触角中产生转录组，以鉴定与气味检测相关的基因家族。共鉴定出 54 个气味受体 (ORs)、11 个味觉受体 (GRs)、15 个离子型受体 (IRs)、3 个感觉神经元膜蛋白 (SNMPs)、33 个气味结合蛋白 (OBPs) 和 12 个化学感觉蛋白 (CSPs)。组织特异性表达模式表明，所有 54 个 ORs 和 11 个触角 IRs、一个 SNMP 和三个 OBPs 主要在触角中表达，表明它们在嗅觉中具有潜在的作用。这些主要在触角中表达的基因的性别特异性表达模式表明它们在性行为中具有潜在的功能。这项研究为理解鞘翅目昆虫的嗅觉提供了一个框架，并为未来控制甘薯象甲害虫的策略提供了参考。
