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Insect Chemical Ecology: Pheromone Production and Perception
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Insect Chemical Ecology: Pheromone Production and Perception

A topical collection in Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

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Editor

Prof. Dr. Jean-François Picimbon

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
1. Biotechnology Research Center, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, China
2. School of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan 250353, China
3. Science and Technology Service Platform of Shandong Academy of Sciences (STSP) Shandong Academy of Sciences – Pioneering Park, Jinan, China
Interests: moth sex pheromone; pheromone identification; pheromone production; pheromone regulation; pheromone perception; acetate; desaturase; binding protein; odorant binding protein; chemosensory protein; olfactory receptor
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

The insect olfactory system tuned to the human body, plant leaves, flowers, repellents, and intra-specific signals such as sex, aggregation, alarm, and trail “pheromones” has recently been proposed as a specific target for pest control (Picimbon, “Olfactory Concepts of Insect Control-Alternative to Insecticide”, 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland). This Topical Collection will collect current knowledge on the identification, production, regulation, and perception of “pheromones”, which are volatile natural chemical signals that, in the insect world, specifically change the behavior of others of the same species for adaptive responses. While skin odor chemical communication remains a mystery in humans (and most mammals), it is well known that insects have developed a variety of pheromone tissue cells, specialized glands and scent plaques for specific odor production, as well as remarkable machinery of enzymes, binding proteins, and receptors for odor recognition of sexual partners and host-plants in the primary olfactory detecting organs, the antennae. It is due to the existence of thousands of olfactory hairs (sensilla) covering the surface of antennal branches and thousands of olfactory receptor neurons within these sensilla that send projections to the insect brain. The scope of this Topical Collection is broad, as contributions should explore the significance of pheromones in fundamental and applied research.

Prof. Dr. Jean-François Picimbon
Collection Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Insect
  • olfaction
  • pheromone
  • pheromone gland
  • sensillum
  • deutocerebrum
  • chemosensory protein
  • odor binding protein
  • desaturase
  • olfactory receptor

Published Papers (3 papers)

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2023

Jump to: 2020

12 pages, 2692 KiB  
Article
Differences in Male Mate Recognition between the Invasive Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and Japanese Native A. malasiaca
by Hiroe Yasui, Nami Uechi and Nao Fujiwara-Tsujii
Insects 2023, 14(2), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14020171 - 09 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1264
Abstract
The Asian longicorn beetle Anoplophora glabripennis is a recently arrived invasive species to Japan. The Japanese native A. malasiaca shows an extensive overlap with A. glabripennis with host plants, niches, and emergence season. Hybridization between these two species is suspected in Japan. The [...] Read more.
The Asian longicorn beetle Anoplophora glabripennis is a recently arrived invasive species to Japan. The Japanese native A. malasiaca shows an extensive overlap with A. glabripennis with host plants, niches, and emergence season. Hybridization between these two species is suspected in Japan. The surface of the female is covered with contact sex pheromones that elicit male mating behavior within species. We evaluated the contact pheromonal activity of crude extract and fractions of female A. glabripennis coated on a black glass model and revealed a hydrocarbon fraction and a blend of fractions to show activity but relatively weak, suggesting the presence of other unknown active compounds. Few male A. glabripennis showed mating behavior when they were exposed to a crude extract of female A. malasiaca. However, a considerable number of A. malasiaca males mounted and showed abdominal bending behavior when presented with glass models that were coated with each extract of female A. glabripennis and A. malasiaca. Gomadalactones are essential contact pheromone components that elicit mating behavior in male A. malasiaca; however, we could not detect them in female A. glabripennis extract. Here, we investigated the possible reasons for this phenomenon and the difference in male mate recognition systems between these two species. Full article
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2020

Jump to: 2023

17 pages, 6391 KiB  
Article
Interpopulational Variations of Odorant-Binding Protein Expression in the Black Cutworm Moth, Agrotis ipsilon
by Jean-François Picimbon
Insects 2020, 11(11), 798; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110798 - 13 Nov 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2387
Abstract
A long-range migrant species of moth (Agrotis ipsilon) has served as a model to compare the expression profiles of antennal proteins between different continental populations. Our results showed that the American and French populations of the black cutworm moth, A. ipsilon [...] Read more.
A long-range migrant species of moth (Agrotis ipsilon) has served as a model to compare the expression profiles of antennal proteins between different continental populations. Our results showed that the American and French populations of the black cutworm moth, A. ipsilon, expressed the same odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), but apparently in different levels. Electrophoretic analysis of antennal protein profiles and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using RNA as a template showed significant differences between the two populations in the expression of antennal binding protein-X (ABPX) and general odorant-binding protein-2 (GOBP2). However, the two A. ipsilon populations showed no differences in RNA levels coding for pheromone binding proteins (PBPs), suggesting that the expression of generalist OBPs is population-specific and could be affected by specific odor and/or chemical changes in external environmental conditions. To support the role of ABPX and GOBP2 with expression, the role of ABPX and GOBP2 is discussed in regard to odor detection, memorization and/or degradation of toxic chemical insecticides. Full article
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Graphical abstract

11 pages, 1731 KiB  
Article
How Crucial is the Functional Pit Organ for the Varroa Mite?
by Beatrice T. Nganso, Kannan Mani, Yam Altman, Ada Rafaeli and Victoria Soroker
Insects 2020, 11(6), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11060395 - 26 Jun 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3130
Abstract
Olfaction as well as gustation, are essential for animal survival, allowing behavioral modulation according to environmental input. We focused our study on an obligate ecto-parasitic mite of honey bees, the Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman (Parasitiformes, Mesostigmata, Varroidae). By mechanically blocking the main [...] Read more.
Olfaction as well as gustation, are essential for animal survival, allowing behavioral modulation according to environmental input. We focused our study on an obligate ecto-parasitic mite of honey bees, the Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman (Parasitiformes, Mesostigmata, Varroidae). By mechanically blocking the main olfactory organ on Varroa forelegs by varnishing with nail polish, we were able to show that other sensory organs cannot significantly compensate chemosensory abilities required for mite’s host selection, identification as well as reproduction. In fact, we found that mites with blocked forelegs had a significantly lower ability to reach a host bee than those with varnished idiosoma and unvarnished control. Furthermore, fewer foreleg blocked mites were feeding on the nurse bees and their reproduction in the brood cells was significantly impaired. The inhibition of reproduction was also reflected in altered expression levels of vitellogenin and vitellogenin receptor genes in foreleg-blocked mites. Full article
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