Key Laboratory of Forest Protection of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, 100091, Beijing, China.
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100193, Beijing, China.
Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2020 Jul;122:103375. doi: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103375. Epub 2020 Apr 17.
Dendrolimus punctatus Walker (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) is a pine caterpillar moth distributed in most areas of southern China and is an economically important pest of pine, due to its defoliation activity. Understanding fundamental sex pheromone perception mechanisms in D. punctatus may provide effective and sustainable options for novel control strategies. However, the identification and function of pheromone receptors, key genes that receipt the pheromone of this pest, are both unclear now. Previous researches suggested several candidate pheromone receptors whose expression levels were male antennae bias in D. punctatus. In this study, we cloned six candidate pheromone receptors (DpunOR 20/45/46/51/54/58) and Orco from D. punctatus. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that lepidopteran PRs tend to be conserved and clustered together; however, D. punctatus candidate PRs were located in a distinct clade. Motif analysis of PRs showed clear sequences differences between Dendrolimus spp. and other tested moth species. To illustrate the ligand response properties of the candidate PRs of D. punctatus, each of the six genes was expressed with an Orco gene in Xenopus oocytes and using two-electrode voltage-clamp recordings. Finally, we successfully identified two sex pheromone receptors (PR45 and PR46). Our study, which identified a novel lineage of PRs tuned to Type I pheromones in Lepidoptera, provides evidence for the new evolution origin of sex pheromone communication in moths, and lays a foundation for the development of novel control strategies of D. punctatus.
马尾松毛虫（鳞翅目：枯叶蛾科）分布于中国南方大部分地区，是一种重要的经济林害虫，因其取食叶片而造成危害。了解马尾松毛虫基本性信息素感知机制，可能为新型防治策略提供有效且可持续的选择。然而，目前对于该害虫的信息素受体（接收信息素的关键基因）的鉴定和功能仍不清楚。先前的研究表明，有几个候选信息素受体在马尾松毛虫雄触角中表达水平具有偏性。在本研究中，我们克隆了 6 个候选信息素受体（DpunOR20/45/46/51/54/58）和 Orco 基因。系统发育树分析表明，鳞翅目 PR 倾向于保守且聚类在一起；然而，马尾松毛虫候选 PR 则位于一个独特的分支中。PR 基序分析显示，Dendrolimus spp.与其他测试的鳞翅目物种之间存在明显的序列差异。为了说明候选 PR 对 D. punctatus 的配体反应特性，我们将这 6 个基因与 Orco 基因一起在非洲爪蟾卵母细胞中表达，并使用双电极电压钳记录。最后，我们成功鉴定了两种性信息素受体（PR45 和 PR46）。我们的研究鉴定了一个新型的 PR 谱系，对鳞翅目昆虫的 I 型信息素有反应，为鳞翅目昆虫性信息素通讯的新进化起源提供了证据，并为马尾松毛虫的新型防治策略奠定了基础。
