Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2017
Functional evolution of Lepidoptera olfactory receptors revealed by deorphanization of a moth repertoire
de Fouchier, Arthur; Walker, William B., III; Montagne, Nicolas; Steiner, Claudia; Binyameen, Muhammad; Schlyter, Fredrik; Chertemps, Thomas; Maria, Annick; Francois, Marie-Christine; Monsempes, Christelle; Anderson, Peter; Hansson, Bill S.; Larsson, Mattias C.; Jacquin-Joly, EmmanuelleAbstract
Insects detect their hosts or mates primarily through olfaction, and olfactory receptors (ORs) are at the core of odorant detection. Each species has evolved a unique repertoire of ORs whose functional properties are expected to meet its ecological needs, though little is known about the molecular basis of olfaction outside Diptera. Here we report a pioneer functional analysis of a large array of ORs in a lepidopteran, the herbivorous pest Spodoptera littoralis. We demonstrate that most ORs are narrowly tuned to ubiquitous plant volatiles at low, relevant odorant titres. Our phylogenetic analysis highlights a basic conservation of function within the receptor repertoire of Lepidoptera, across the expansive evolutionary radiation of different major clades. Our study provides a reference for further studies of olfactory mechanisms in Lepidoptera, a historically crucial insect order in olfactory research.Keywords
Chemical ecology; Entomology; Olfactory receptors; PhylogeneticsPublished in
Nature Communications2017, volume: 8, article number: 15709
Authors' information
de Fouchier, Arthur
University of Amsterdam
Walker, William
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Steiner, Claudia
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Steiner, Claudia
Sorbonne Université
Binyameen, Muhammad
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Binyameen, Muhammad
Bahauddin Zakariya University
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Jacquin-Joly, Emmanuelle
National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA)
UKÄ Subject classification
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Publication Identifiers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15709
URI (permanent link to this page)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/83742