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The molecular basis of responses by insects to semiochemicals

Reference	BBS/E/C/00004947
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Linda Field
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Rothamsted Research
Department	Rothamsted Research Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	569,194
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2008
End date	31/03/2012
Duration	48 months

Abstract

Most insects respond to each other and to other organisms within their environment. Many of these interactions are mediated by volatile chemicals which act as signals without having a direct physiological effect. Such semiochemicals may elicit a specific response in the same species, for example the sex, alarm and aggregation pheromones produced by many insect species. Other signal chemicals are produced by one species and cause a response in another (allelochemicals), for example chemicals from host organisms which attract insect pests and chemicals from non-hosts which are repellent. Such allelochemicals are responsible for the location of hosts by both crop pests and insect vectors of animal/human diseases. We are studying the genes and proteins involved in the interaction between insects and semiochemicals. This involves cloning and characterising genes encoding insect odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), chemosensory proteins (CSPs) and odorant receptors (ORs). The OBPs (and possibly CSPs) are involved in the initial binding of signal molecules within the antennae and transfer of the odours to the ORs and there is good evidence that these proteins confer some of the specificity of the insects' response to the signals. Using bioinformatic techniques we have identified genes encoding OBPs and CSPs from fruit flies, mosquitoes, moths and aphids and are determining which are expressed in antennae (using quantitative RT-PCR) and could therefore be involved in olfaction. The candidate genes are then cloned and expressed into recombinant proteins and these can be purified for ligand-binding studies. A range of techniques to identify which semiochemicals interact with which OBP are being developed and we are also developing new ways to study ligand/OBP/OR interactions. The functionality of the genes identified can be determined by gene silencing techniques combined with electrophysiological/behavioural assays.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research Topics	Crop Science, Neuroscience and Behaviour, Plant Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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