Insect Odorant Response Sensitivity Is Tuned by Metabotropically Autoregulated Olfactory Receptors

Insects possess one of the most exquisitely sensitive olfactory systems in the animal kingdom, consisting of three different types of chemosensory receptors: ionotropic glutamate-like receptors (IRs), gustatory receptors (GRs) and odorant receptors (ORs). Both insect ORs and IRs are ligand-gated ion channels, but ORs possess a unique configuration composed of an odorant-specific protein OrX and a ubiquitous coreceptor (Orco). In addition, these two ionotropic receptors confer different tuning properties for the neurons in which they are expressed. Unlike IRs, neurons expressing ORs are more sensitive and can also be sensitized by sub-threshold concentrations of stimuli. What is the mechanistic basis for these differences in tuning? We show that intrinsic regulation of Orco enhances neuronal response to odorants and sensitizes the ORs. We also demonstrate that inhibition of metabotropic regulation prevents receptor sensitization. Our results indicate that Orco-mediated regulation of OR sensitivity provides tunable ionotropic receptors capable of detecting odors over a wider range of concentrations, providing broadened sensitivity over IRs themselves.     

苹果蠹蛾抗药性研究进展

苹果蠹蛾是世界各国高度关注的严重危害苹果生产的外来有害生物。该虫于20世纪50年代在我国首次报道,目前是我国一类进境检疫性有害生物,正严重威胁我国苹果主产区的水果生产安全。苹果蠹蛾以幼虫钻蛀到果实内部为害,防治难度高,对其主要采用化学农药、交配干扰和苹果蠹蛾颗粒体病毒进行防治。由于农药的长期大量使用,苹果蠹蛾已对有机磷、氨基甲酸酯、拟除虫菊酯、昆虫生长调节剂、阿维菌素和苹果蠹蛾颗粒体病毒等不同类型的杀虫剂产生了抗药性。本文总结了国内外有关苹果蠹蛾抗药性现状和抗药性机理方面的研究,并分析了其对几种农药产生抗性的主要原因,同时结合国外苹果蠹蛾防治和抗药性相关研究,以及其在我国发生与防治的现状,提出该虫抗药性治理策略,即及时对我国疫区苹果蠹蛾的抗药性现状进行监测,在此基础上,注意科学地使用化学农药,并结合农业防治和生物防治等措施对该虫进行综合治理。     

Odorant receptor phylogeny confirms conserved channels for sex pheromone and host plant signals in tortricid moths

The search for mates and food is mediated by volatile chemicals. Insects sense food odorants and sex pheromones through odorant receptors (ORs) and pheromone receptors (PRs), which are expressed in olfactory sensory neurons. Molecular phylogenetics of ORs, informed by behavioral and functional data, generates sound hypotheses for the identification of semiochemicals driving olfactory behavior. Studying orthologous receptors and their ligands across taxa affords insights into the role of chemical communication in reproductive isolation and phylogenetic divergence. The female sex pheromone of green budworm moth Hedya nubiferana (Lepidoptera, Totricidae) is a blend of two unsaturated acetates, only a blend of both elicits male attraction. Females produce in addition codlemone, which is the sex pheromone of another tortricid, codling moth Cydia pomonella. Codlemone also attracts green budworm moth males. Concomitantly, green budworm and codling moth males are attracted to the host plant volatile pear ester. A congruent behavioral response to the same pheromone and plant volatile in two tortricid species suggests co‐occurrence of dedicated olfactory channels. In codling moth, one PR is tuned to both compounds, the sex pheromone codlemone and the plant volatile pear ester. Our phylogenetic analysis finds that green budworm moth expresses an orthologous PR gene. Shared ancestry, and high levels of amino acid identity and sequence similarity, in codling and green budworm moth PRs offer an explanation for parallel attraction of both species to the same compounds. A conserved olfactory channel for a sex pheromone and a host plant volatile substantiates the alliance of social and habitat signals in insect chemical communication. Field attraction assays confirm that in silico investigations of ORs afford powerful predictions for an efficient identification of behavior‐modifying semiochemicals, for an improved understanding of the mechanisms of host plant attraction in insect herbivores and for the further development of sustainable insect control.     

我国启动重大入侵害虫苹果蠹蛾基因组测序

苹果蠹蛾Cydia pomonella (L.)属鳞翅目卷蛾科,具有极强的适应性和抗逆能力,是仁果类果树的毁灭性害虫。1953年首次在我国新疆库尔勒发现,并迅速扩散危害,1987年随旅客携带物传入甘肃敦煌,造成了重大经济损失,是我国重点防控的检疫对象。近日,由中国农业科学院植物保护研究所、南京农业大学等科研单位联合启动了苹果蠹蛾的基因组测序工作。研究团队对苹果蠹蛾进行了10余代的纯化,建立了纯化品系。利用流式细胞分析和小片段文库前期测序等方法,对苹果蠹蛾基因组进行了初步的基因组前期分析。结果显示,苹果蠹蛾基因组大小约为650 Mb, 17-mer和SNP分析显示杂合度大约在0.3%-0.6%之间。经协商拟定了详细的全基因组鸟枪法测序方案后,基因组测序已经全面启动。苹果蠹蛾的基因组测序,对阐明其入侵机制、抗逆机理及防控等研究具有重要的推动意义。     

苹果蠹蛾的综合防控和遗传控制研究进展

苹果蠹蛾是仁果类水果的重要检疫害虫,在世界各地造成了巨大的经济损失。目前对其化学防治、化学生态调控、病毒等防治方法研究较多,但仍不能满足防控该害虫的需要,对新型防控技术的需求日益增强。不育昆虫释放技术(SIT)是一种可控制甚至根除靶标害虫的环境友好型防控技术,但传统SIT技术存在一定的局限性,如较难区分性别与筛选雌雄虫、辐射不育昆虫的交配竞争力和适合度降低等问题,这些缺陷随着昆虫遗传修饰技术的发展将得以解决,并将在害虫防控进程中起到积极作用。本文综述了苹果蠹蛾主要防控技术研究现状,介绍了通过遗传修饰技术改善SIT的技术策略,并综合分析了我国开展苹果蠹蛾遗传修饰研究情况和将其应用在苹果蠹蛾防控体系中的可行性及优势。     

生物源农药在苹果蠹蛾防治中的应用

苹果蠹蛾是世界性检疫害虫,对我国苹果优势产区构成了巨大威胁。长期依赖化学防治使该虫抗性问题变得十分严峻。为了保障食品安全,以环境友好的生物源农药替代化学农药已成为当前苹果蠹蛾防治的热点。本文对国内外现有的生物源农药,如寄生蜂、不育昆虫、颗粒体病毒、病原线虫、Bt、病原真菌、微孢子虫、性信息素、斑蝥素、多杀菌素等,在苹果蠹蛾防治中的最新应用及其存在的问题进行论述,讨论了生物源农药凭借其种类多、来源广且在用药时期上选择性强等特点,在该虫综合治理中的重要地位及面临的挑战。     

Molecular phylogeny and population structure of the codling moth (Cydia pomonella) in Central Europe: II. AFLP analysis reflects human-aided local adaptation of a global pest species

Originally resident in southeastern Europe, the codling moth (Cydia pomonella L.) (Tortricidae) has achieved a nearly global distribution, being one of the most successful pest insect species known today. As shown in our accompanying study, mitochondrial genetic markers suggest a Pleistocenic splitting of Cydia pomonella into two refugial clades which came into secondary contact after de-glaciation. The actual distribution pattern shows, however, that Central European codling moths have experienced a geographic splitting into many strains and locally adapted populations, which is not reflected by their mitochondrial haplotype distribution. We therefore have applied, in addition to mitochondrial markers, an approach with a higher resolution potential at the population level, based on the analysis of amplification fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). As shown in the present study, AFLP markers elucidate the genetic structure of codling moth strains and populations from different Central European apple orchard sites. While individual genetic diversity within codling moth strains and populations was small, a high degree of genetic differentiation was observed between the analyzed strains and populations, even at a small geographic scale. One of the main factors contributing to local differentiation may be limited gene flow among adjacent codling moth populations. In addition, microclimatic, ecological, and geographic constraints also may favour the splitting of Cydia pomonella into many local populations. Lastly, codling moths in Central European fruit orchards may experience considerable selective pressure due to pest control activities. As a consequence of all these selective forces, today in Central Europe we see a patchy distribution of many locally adapted codling moth populations, each of them having its own genetic fingerprint. Because of the complete absence of any correlation between insecticide resistance and geographic or genetic distances among populations, AFLP markers do not have a prognostic value for predicting an outbreak of pesticide resistance in the field. By combining mitochondrial genetic data and AFLP analysis it was possible, however, to track the recent evolutionary history of Cydia pomonella on three different time scales: from population splitting in Pleistocene, to interbreeding of mitochondrial haplotypes in Holocene, to human-aided complete intermixing and splitting into many locally adapted populations in very recent times. The case of Cydia pomonella is reminiscent of examples of sympatric speciation and another example of a human-induced globally successful pest species.     

苹果蠹蛾种群遗传多样性研究进展

苹果蠹蛾是重要的世界性果树害虫,寄主广泛,通过形成各种生态型或种群适应新入侵环境,对当地果品生产造成严重损失。本文综述了国内外有关苹果蠹蛾遗传多样性的研究进展。相关研究表明,寄主植物、地理隔离和杀虫剂等因素影响种群间的遗传多样性和遗传分化。其中,地理隔离是种群间形成遗传分化的主要原因之一,寄主分布格局、气候条件、虫体飞行能力和人为活动等因素都会影响种群间遗传分化的程度。苹果蠹蛾是我国重要的入侵害虫,我国东北地区和西北地区的苹果蠹蛾种群具有不同的遗传多样性水平,并且种群间有一定程度的分化,今后需要进一步研究影响我国苹果蠹蛾种群遗传的重要因素,明确该虫种群间分化情况、入侵来源和扩散路径,这对于延缓苹果蠹蛾在我国的扩散,制定合理有效的综合防治策略具有重要意义。     

Cloning and expression profile of ionotropic receptors in the parasitoid wasp Microplitis mediator (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Ionotropic receptors (IRs) mainly detect the acids and amines having great importance in many insect species, representing an ancient olfactory receptor family in insects. In the present work, we performed RNAseq of Microplitis mediator antennae and identified seventeen IRs. Full-length MmedIRs were cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the Hymenoptera IRs revealed that ten MmedIR genes encoded “antennal IRs” and seven encoded “divergent IRs”. Among the IR25a orthologous groups, two genes, MmedIR25a.1 and MmedIR25a.2, were found in M. mediator. Gene structure analysis of MmedIR25a revealed a tandem duplication of IR25a in M. mediator. The tissue distribution and development specific expression of the MmedIR genes suggested that these genes showed a broad expression profile. Quantitative gene expression analysis showed that most of the genes are highly enriched in adult antennae, indicating the candidate chemosensory function of this family in parasitic wasps. Using immunocytochemistry, we confirmed that one co-receptor, MmedIR8a, was expressed in the olfactory sensory neurons. Our data will supply fundamental information for functional analysis of the IRs in parasitoid wasp chemoreception.     

A candidate olfactory receptor subtype highly conserved across different insect orders

Candidate olfactory receptors of the moth Heliothis virescens were found to be extremely diverse from receptors of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster and the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, but there is one exception. The moth receptor type HR2 shares a rather high degree of sequence identity with one olfactory receptor type both from Drosophila (Dor83b) and from Anopheles (AgamGPRor7); moreover, in contrast to all other receptors, this unique receptor type is expressed in numerous antennal neurons. Here we describe the identification of HR2 homologues in two further lepidopteran species, the moths Antheraea pernyi and Bombyx mori, which share 86-88% of their amino acids. In addition, based on RT-PCR experiments HR2 homologues were discovered in antennal cDNA of the honey bee (Apis mellifera; Hymenoptera), the blowfly (Calliphora erythrocephala; Diptera) and the mealworm (Tenebrio molitor; Coleoptera). Comparison of all HR2-related receptors revealed a high degree of sequence conservation across insect orders. In situ hybridization of antennal sections from the bee and the blowfly support the notion that HR2-related receptors are generally expressed in a very large number of antennal cells. This, together with the high degree of conservation suggests that this unique receptor subtype may fulfill a special function in chemosensory neurons of insects.