AUTHOR=Liu Wei , Jiang Xing-chuan , Cao Song , Yang Bin , Wang Gui-rong 

TITLE=Functional Studies of Sex Pheromone Receptors in Asian Corn Borer Ostrinia furnacalis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00591

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2018.00591

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>Lepidopteran insects use sex pheromones for sexual communication. Pheromone receptors expressed on peripheral olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) are critical part to detect the sex pheromones. In genus <italic>Ostrinia</italic>, several pheromone receptors were functional analyzed in <italic>O. nubilalis</italic> and <italic>O. scapulalis</italic> but the knowledge in <italic>O. furnacalis</italic> was rare. In this study, seven pheromone receptors were deorphanized by heterologous expression system of <italic>Xenopus</italic> oocytes. Functional types of <italic>sensilla trichoidea</italic> were classified by single sensillum recordings to interpret the response pattern of olfactory sensory neurons to <italic>Ostrinia</italic> pheromone components. OfurOR4 and OfurOR6 responded to the major sex pheromone Z/E12-14:OAc. OfurOR4 is the main receptor for both Z/E12-14:OAc and OfurOR6 mainly responded to E12-14:OAc. Functional differentiation of gene duplication were found between OfurOR5a and OfurOR5b. OfurOR5b showed a broad response to most of the pheromone components in <italic>O. furnacalis</italic>, whereas OfurOR5a was found without ligands. OfurOR7 showed a specific response to Z9-14:OAc and OfurOR8 mainly responded to Z11-14:OAc and E11-14:OAc. OfurOR3 did not respond to any pheromone components. Our results improved the current knowledge of pheromone reception in <italic>Ostrinia</italic> species which may contribute to speciation.</p>