Abstract

The olfactory sense determines vital steps in insect behaviour, including mate and food seeking, oviposition site selection and predator/parasitoid avoidance. We have established the noctuid moth, Spodoptera littoralis, as a model for investigation of noctuid olfaction and chemical ecology. At the molecular level, insect interactions with the olfactory environment are mediated by odorant receptor (OR) proteins, which are functionally expressed in odorant receptor neurons within olfactory appendages, primarily the antennae.Our aim is to deorphanize the S.littoralis OR genes. Individual ORs are expressed in the Empty Neuron system of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and their response profiles are identified by means of single sensillum electrophysiological recordings. We have also utilized gas chromatography analysis of plant headspace extracts, coupled to single sensillum recordings to analyze the tuning of specific ORs to components of ecologically relevant complex odor blends. Preliminary data demonstrate successful adaptation of these methods to the deorphanisation of S.littoralis ORs. These results represent an important step in understanding the molecular mechanisms of olfactory mediated behaviours in S.littoralis.

Published in

Chemical Senses
2014, volume: 39, number: 1, pages: 114-114

Conference

22nd Congress of the European-Chemoreception-Research-Organization (ECRO)

Authors' information