Abstract: 【Aim】 To clone the olfactory receptor co-receptor (Orco) gene in the yellow peach moth Congethes punctiferalis (Guenée) and analyze its expression level in different tissues. 【Methods】 The Orco gene was cloned by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and its expression level was analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. 【Results】 The Orco gene was cloned from adults of C. punctiferalis, and named as CpunOrco (GenBank accession no. JX101681). Sequence analysis revealed that the open reading frame of CpunOrco is 1 425 bp in length, encoding 475 amino acid residues, with seven transmembrane domains. Real-time quantitative PCR results indicated that CpunOrco was mainly expressed in the antennae and maxillary palpi of C. punctiferalis, while expressed in other tissues at a relatively low level. The expression level of CpunOrco was higher in antennae of male adults than in antennae of female adults. 【Conclusion】 This study makes clear the expression level of CpunOrco in different tissues of C. punctiferalis adults and provides a basis for further functional study of this gene.

Key words: Congethes punctiferalis, olfactory receptor co-receptor, gene cloning, real-time quantitative PCR, tissue expression profile