Skip to main content
Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2016

The chemosensory receptors of codling moth Cydia pomonella-expression in larvae and adults

Walker, William B; Walker, William B.; Gonzalez, Francisco; Garczynski, Stephen F.; Witzgall, Peter

Abstract

Olfaction and gustation play critical roles in the life history of insects, mediating vital behaviors such as food, mate and host seeking. Chemosensory receptor proteins, including odorant receptors (ORs), gustatory receptors (GRs) and ionotropic receptors (IRs) function to interface the insect with its chemical environment. Codling moth, Cydia pomonella, is a worldwide pest of apple, pear and walnut, and behavior-modifying semiochemicals are used for environmentally safe control. We produced an Illumina-based transcriptome from antennae of males and females as well as neonate head tissue, affording a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the codling moth chemosensory receptor repertoire. We identified 58 ORs, 20 GRs and 21 IRs, and provide a revised nomenclature that is consistent with homologous sequences in related species. Importantly, we have identified several OR transcripts displaying sex-biased expression in adults, as well as larval-enriched transcripts. Our analyses have expanded annotations of the chemosensory receptor gene families, and provide first-time transcript abundance estimates for codling moth. The results presented here provide a strong foundation for future work on codling moth behavioral physiology and ecology at the molecular level, and may lead to the development of more precise biorational control strategies.

Published in

Scientific Reports
2016, volume: 6, article number: 23518
Publisher: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP

Authors' information

Walker, William B (Walker, William B)
Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
Walker, William B. (Walker, William B.)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Gonzalez, Francisco
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Garczynski, Stephen F.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology

UKÄ Subject classification

Zoology
Ecology
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Behavioral Sciences Biology

Publication Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/srep23518

URI (permanent link to this page)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/79356