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

• Published in: Frontiers in physiology Vol. 9; p. 1610
• Main Authors: Zhong, Yong-Zhi, Tang, Rui, Zhang, Jin-Ping, Yang, Shi-Yong, Chen, Guo-Hua, He, Kang-Lai, Wang, Zhen-Ying, Zhang, Feng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 13.11.2018
• Subjects: (E)-2-decenal; brown marmorated stink bug; dispersal; odorant-binding protein; olfaction; Physiology; transcriptome; dispersal; odorant-binding protein; olfaction; (E)-2-decenal; brown marmorated stink bug; transcriptome
• ISSN: 1664-042X; 1664-042X
• DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01610

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, releases defensive chemicals against natural enemies, including ( )-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 ( )-2-decenal among adults and nymphs. An antennal transcriptome was obtained from a Chinese population, and 44 odorant-binding protein ( ) 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 ( )-2-decenal in a binding assay. All five OBPs showed high binding activities to ( )-2-decenal, which demonstrated its behavioral significance as a defensive component in , 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.