AUTHOR=Zhong Yong-Zhi , Tang Rui , Zhang Jin-Ping , Yang Shi-Yong , Chen Guo-Hua , He Kang-Lai , Wang Zhen-Ying , Zhang Feng 

TITLE=Behavioral Evidence and Olfactory Reception of a Single Alarm Pheromone Component in Halyomorpha halys

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.01610

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2018.01610

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Halyomorpha halys</italic> is a major herbivore insect in the fruit orchards of China that has become a devastating invasive pest in North America and Europe since its accidental introductions in the 1990s and 2000s, respectively. Like other hemipteran insects, <italic>H. halys</italic> releases defensive chemicals against natural enemies, including (<italic>E</italic>)-2-decenal, which is an aldehyde associated with alarm pheromones. In this study, a series of electrophysiological and behavioral tests were conducted to characterize the alarm functions of (<italic>E</italic>)-2-decenal among <italic>H. halys</italic> adults and nymphs. An antennal transcriptome was obtained from a Chinese <italic>H. halys</italic> population, and 44 odorant-binding protein (<italic>OBP</italic>) genes were annotated. Among them, five putative alarm pheromone-binding proteins were screened and were extremely consistent with their homologs from US populations. These five OBPs were later expressed in a heterologous expression system, harvested, and then challenged with (<italic>E</italic>)-2-decenal in a binding assay. All five OBPs showed high binding activities to (<italic>E</italic>)-2-decenal, which demonstrated its behavioral significance as a defensive component in <italic>H. halys</italic>, as well as being the first report of its olfactory reception. These findings will help develop behavioral-mediating tools as part of integrated pest management approaches to control this invasive pest.</p>