昆虫学报 ›› 2021, Vol. 64 ›› Issue (5): 627-644.doi: 10.16380/j.kcxb.2021.05.010

• 综 述 • 上一篇    下一篇

农业昆虫气味受体功能研究进展

游银伟1,*, 张龙   

  1.  (1. 山东省农业科学院生物技术研究中心, 济南 250100; 2. 中国农业大学草业科学与技术学院, 北京 100193)
  • 出版日期:2021-05-20 发布日期:2021-05-31

Progress in the functional research of odorant receptors of agricultural insects

 YOU Yin-Wei1,*, ZHANG Long    

  1.  (1. Biotechnology Research Center, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China; 2. College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China)
  • Online:2021-05-20 Published:2021-05-31

摘要:

 昆虫主要依靠嗅觉系统寻找食物、发现配偶、控制交配、选择产卵地、逃避天敌等,因此嗅觉系统对昆虫的繁殖和生存至关重要。气味受体(odorant receptor, OR)是嗅觉系统中的关键成分之一,可被信息化合物激活引发特定行为产生。随着测序技术的发展,大量的农业昆虫的基因组和转录组被测序,从测序数据中分析获得了它们的OR家族。现在OR功能研究经常用到外源表达系统和CRISPR/Cas9系统。外源表达系统结合记录系统可用于目标OR表达和配体筛选,CRISPR/Cas9系统可从昆虫染色体上敲除目标OR基因,进而利用电生理技术和行为学实验研究其功能。本文系统总结了鳞翅目、直翅目、半翅目、双翅目、膜翅目和鞘翅目6个目30个种的农业昆虫OR的气味分子反应谱及功能,尤其是鳞翅目农业昆虫。农业昆虫的性信息素往往是由雌虫产生的两种或两种以上成分按一定比例组成的混合物,包括在种间生殖隔离中起作用的行为拮抗剂。每个种因此具有多个性信息素的受体,共同感受这些信息素信息,调控种内和种间性行为。有些OR可调谐至主要针对植物挥发物,包括花香气味,在寄主植物选择和雌虫选择产卵地等行为中起作用。聚集信息素受体可特异地被聚集信息素激活,引起聚集行为;报警信息素受体可特异地被报警信息素激活,引起排斥行为。研究农业昆虫OR的气味分子反应谱和功能可为开发在害虫防控中应用的性诱剂、食诱剂、拒食剂、聚集信息素等奠定理论基础。最后我们对未来的主要研究方向提出了以下建议:(1)开发新的外源OR表达系统;(2)研究在雌虫中特异调谐至针对雄虫产生的性信息素的性信息素受体的功能;(3)探讨OR与气味分子之间特异性相互作用的分子机制。

关键词: 农业昆虫, 气味受体, 测序技术, 气味分子反应谱, 生物学功能

Abstract:  Insects mainly rely on the olfactory system to seek foods, find mates, control mating, select oviposition sites and avoid natural enemies. Olfactory system is crucial for insect reproduction and survival. Odorant receptor (OR) is one of the key components of the olfactory system in insects. ORs can be activated by semiochemicals and then trigger special behaviors. With the development of sequencing technique, genomes and transcriptomes of plenty of agricultural insects have been sequenced, and OR gene families are analyzed and acquired from the sequencing data. Heterologous expression system and CRISPR/Cas9 system are frequently used in the research of OR functions nowadays. Heterologous expression system combined with recording system can be used to express target ORs and screen ligands. CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used to knock out target OR genes from insect chromosome, and then their functions are studied by electrophysiological techniques and behavioral experiments. In this article we systematically summaried the odorantresponse spectra and functions of the ORs of 30 agricultural insect species in six orders, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera, particularly in Lepidoptera. Sex pheromones of agricultural insects are usually produced by females and consist of blends of two or more components at certain ratios, including behavioral antagonists involved in interspecific reproductive isolation. So several sex pheromone receptors in one species will be used to sense these pheromonal messages and then regulate intra- and inter-specific sexual behaviors. Some ORs are mainly tuned to plant volatiles including floral scent compounds, which play roles in host plant selection and oviposition site selection. Aggregation pheromone receptors can be activated by aggregation pheromones triggering aggregation behavior. Alarm pheromone receptors can be activated by alarm pheromones eliciting repellent behavior. Studies of odorant-response spectra and functions of ORs of agricultural insects will lay solid foundations for developing sex attractants, food attractants, antifeedants and aggregation pheromones used in pest control. At last we suggested the main research directions in the future for the agricultural insect ORs, including: (1) developing new heterologous expression systems for ORs; (2) investigating the functions of sex pheromone receptors in females specifically tuned to male-emitted sex pheromone components; and (3) exploring the molecular mechanisms of OR-odorant specific interactions.

Key words: Agricultural insects, odorant receptor, sequencing technique, odorant-response spectrum, biological function