AUTHOR=Li Zhumei , Dai Lulu , Chu Honglong , Fu Danyang , Sun Yaya , Chen Hui 

TITLE=Identification, Expression Patterns, and Functional Characterization of Chemosensory Proteins in Dendroctonus armandi (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00291

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2018.00291

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>The Chinese white pine beetle, <italic>Dendroctonus armandi</italic> Tsai and Li (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), is a serious pest of coniferous forests in China. Thus, there is considerable interest in developing eco-friendly pest-control methods, with the use of semiochemicals as a distinct possibility. Olfaction is extremely important for fitness of <italic>D. armandi</italic> because it is the primary mechanism through which the insect locates hosts and mates. Thus, here we characterized nine full-length genes encoding chemosensory proteins (CSPs) from <italic>D. armandi</italic>. The genes were ubiquitously and multiply expressed across different developmental stages and adult tissues, indicating various roles in developmental metamorphosis, olfaction, and gustation. Ligand-binding assays implied that DarmCSP2 may be the carrier of <italic>D. armandi</italic> pheromones and various plant host volatiles. These volatiles were identified through RNA interference of <italic>DarmCSP2</italic> as: (+)-α-pinene, (+)-β-pinene, (−)-β-pinene, (+)-camphene, (+)-3-carene, and myrcene. The systematic chemosensory functional analysis of DarmCSP2 in this study clarified the molecular mechanisms underlying <italic>D. armandi</italic> olfaction and provided a theoretical foundation for eco-friendly pest control.</p>