AUTHOR=Zhang Jinping , Zhong Yongzhi , Tang Rui , Rebijith K. B. , Li Fengqi , Chen Guohua , Zhang Feng 

TITLE=Olfactory Reception of Host Alarm Pheromone Component by the Odorant-Binding Proteins in the Samurai Wasp, Trissolcus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.01058

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2020.01058

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>The samurai wasp, <italic>Trissolcus japonicus</italic>, is the predominant egg parasitoid of the brown marmorated stink bug, <italic>Halyomorpha halys</italic>, in its native range in China. (<italic>E</italic>)-2-Decenal is a major component of the alarm pheromone of <italic>H. halys</italic>, an important invasive insect pest with significant economic importance. <italic>T</italic>. <italic>japonicus</italic> can be strongly repelled by (<italic>E</italic>)-2-decenal, and thus its host location efficiency would be reduced in the field. Better understanding on the molecular basis of olfactory reception of this host alarm pheromone component by <italic>T. japonicus</italic> may provide opportunities to develop novel approaches to enhance biological control efficacy of the parasitoid against <italic>H. halys</italic>. We identified six Odorant Binding Proteins (OBPs) from <italic>T. japonicus</italic> by transcriptome sequencing, within which three classical OBPs were expressed in a heterologous expression system with <italic>E. coli</italic>, harvested, and then challenged with (<italic>E</italic>)-2-decenal in binding assay experiments. <italic>Tjap</italic>OBP2 showed the highest binding ability to (<italic>E</italic>)-2-decenal, compared to <italic>Tjap</italic>OBP1 and <italic>Tjap</italic>OBP3. Our results unambiguously suggest that <italic>Tjap</italic>OBP2 would play an important role in discriminating (<italic>E</italic>)-2-decenal and could be a possible target for further intervention in the parasitoid–host system.</p>