Differential Octopaminergic Modulation of Olfactory Receptor Neuron Responses to Sex Pheromones in Heliothis virescens

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 12; p. e0143179
• Main Authors: Hillier, N Kirk, Kavanagh, Rhys M B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 09.12.2015; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adrenergic alpha-Agonists - pharmacology; Animal behavior; Animals; Behavior; Butterflies & moths; Dimorphism; Female; Females; Gene expression; Genetic aspects; Heliothinae; Heliothis virescens; Host plants; Insects; Invertebrates; Lepidoptera; Lepidoptera - drug effects; Male; Males; Manduca sexta; Morphology; Moths; Neuromodulation; Neurons; Noctuidae; Octopamine; Octopamine - pharmacology; Odorants; Olfactory Pathways - drug effects; Olfactory Receptor Neurons - drug effects; Olfactory Receptor Neurons - physiology; Olfactory system; Pharmacology; Pheromones; Pheromones - pharmacology; Physiological aspects; Sensitivity; Sex; Sex Attractants - pharmacology; Sex pheromone; Sexual Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Sexual dimorphism; Spodoptera littoralis; Volatiles; Canada; Nova Scotia Canada
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143179

Octopamine is an important neuromodulator of neural function in invertebrates. Octopamine increases male moth sensitivity to female sex pheromones, however, relatively little is known as to the role of octopamine in the female olfactory system, nor its possible effects on the reception of non-pheromone odorants. The purpose of this study was to determine relative effects of octopamine on the sensitivity of the peripheral olfactory system in male and female Heliothis virescens. Single sensillum recording was conducted in both sexes following injection with octopamine or Ringer solution, and during odorant stimulation with conspecific female sex pheromone or host plant volatiles. Results indicate that octopamine plays a significant modulatory role in female sex pheromone detection in female moths; and that male and female pheromone detection neurons share distinct pharmacological and physiological similarities in H. virescens despite sexual dimorphism at the antennal level.