AUTHOR=Wu Shaolong , Deng Wan , Li Mi , Xiao Yansong , Li Jiaying , Teng Kai , Xiao Zhipeng , Li Xiaohong , Zhou Zhicheng , Li Youzhi 

TITLE=Analysis of Chemosensory Genes in Full and Hungry Adults of Arma chinensis (Pentatomidae) Through Antennal Transcriptome

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.588291

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2020.588291

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p>The predatory insect <italic>Arma chinensis</italic> (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is widely distributed in China, where it is also used to control many agricultural and forest pests. The chemosensory genes expressed in its antennae play crucial roles in food-seeking and mating behaviors. To better understand the olfaction of <italic>A. chinensis</italic> antennae, we identified the genes related to food-seeking and mating. Sequencing of the antennal transcriptomes of full and hungry male and female <italic>A. chinensis</italic> revealed 38 odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), 1 chemosensory protein (CSP), 1 Niemann–Pick C2 protein (NPC2), 3 odorant receptors (ORs), 12 ionotropic receptors (IRs), 2 gustatory receptors (GRs), and 3 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). These results were used to construct phylogenetic trees. A quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that the relative transcript levels of <italic>AchiGR1</italic>, <italic>AchiGR2</italic>, and <italic>AchiOBP28</italic> were higher in female than in male antennae in both full and hungry insects, but that the expression of <italic>AchiOBP13</italic> and <italic>AchiOBP16</italic> was higher only in full <italic>A. chinensis</italic> females. Thus, the latter genes may encode proteins involved in oviposition selection behavior. <italic>AchiGRs</italic> (<italic>1</italic> and <italic>2</italic>), <italic>AchiIR6</italic>, and <italic>AchiOBPs</italic> (<italic>6–8</italic>, <italic>12</italic>, <italic>20–22</italic>, <italic>28</italic>, and <italic>34</italic>) were highly expressed only in the antennae of full males, indicating the participation of these genes in mate-searching or male pheromone recognition. The expression of <italic>AchiOBP31</italic> in the antennae of starved males, <italic>AchiOBPs</italic> (<italic>15</italic>, <italic>18</italic>, and <italic>29</italic>) in the antennae of starved females, and <italic>AchiOBPs</italic> (<italic>3</italic>, <italic>4</italic>, and <italic>24</italic>) in the antennae of starved males and females suggested that these genes encode food-seeking functions. Our identification of chemosensory genes in <italic>A. chinensis</italic> antennae and their differential expression in full and hungry insects provides the basis for further functional studies on the chemoreception system of <italic>A. chinensis</italic> and the sex hormones of predatory insects.</p>