Chen Qiuyan, Wu Ruihong, Zhang Xiaxuan, Ren Xueting, Liu Yang, Wang Guirong
Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Synthetic Biology Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
Pest Manag Sci. 2025 Aug 8. doi: 10.1002/ps.70115.
The olfactory system of insects plays an essential role in their survival and reproduction. In addition to antennae, the maxillary palps of dipteran insects and the labial palps of lepidopteran adults are also important olfactory organs. While the antennae and maxillary palps have been extensively studied, the olfactory function of the labial palps in Lepidoptera remains poorly understood.
In this study, we investigated the olfactory capabilities of the labial palps in Helicoverpa armigera, a major global agricultural pest. Electrolabialpalpography screening of 94 odor compounds revealed six compounds that elicited strong electrophysiological responses: N-methylpiperidine, pentylamine, heptylamine, butylamine, propionic acid, and acetic acid. Behavioral assays revealed that N-methylpiperidine and acetic acid acted as strong attractants, while pentylamine, heptylamine, and butylamine exhibited repellent effects. We further demonstrated that the ionotropic receptor HarmIR8a participated in detecting N-methylpiperidine, as HarmIR8a mutants showed significantly reduced responses. Notably, the labial palps, rather than the antennae, were the primary olfactory organs responsible for the attraction to N-methylpiperidine.
These findings highlight the specialized role of the labial palps in H. armigera's olfactory system and provide new insights into the sensory mechanisms underlying their behavior. Our results will lend support to the exploration and development of odor-based management tools, such as attractant-based lures or repellent-based push-pull systems, to control H. armigera populations. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.
昆虫的嗅觉系统在其生存和繁殖中起着至关重要的作用。除触角外，双翅目昆虫的下颚须和鳞翅目成虫的唇须也是重要的嗅觉器官。虽然触角和下颚须已得到广泛研究，但鳞翅目昆虫唇须的嗅觉功能仍知之甚少。
在本研究中，我们调查了全球主要农业害虫棉铃虫唇须的嗅觉能力。对94种气味化合物进行的唇须电图筛选揭示了六种能引发强烈电生理反应的化合物：N-甲基哌啶、戊胺、庚胺、丁胺、丙酸和乙酸。行为测定表明，N-甲基哌啶和乙酸起到强烈引诱剂的作用，而戊胺、庚胺和丁胺表现出驱避作用。我们进一步证明，离子型受体HarmIR8a参与检测N-甲基哌啶，因为HarmIR8a突变体的反应显著降低。值得注意的是，对N-甲基哌啶产生吸引作用的主要嗅觉器官是唇须，而非触角。
这些发现突出了唇须在棉铃虫嗅觉系统中的特殊作用，并为其行为背后的感觉机制提供了新见解。我们的结果将为基于气味的管理工具的探索和开发提供支持，例如基于引诱剂的诱捕器或基于驱避剂的推拉系统，以控制棉铃虫种群。© 2025化学工业协会
