| Title: | Discovery of behaviorally active semiochemicals in Aenasius bambawalei using a reverse chemical ecology approach |
| Author(s): | Xu C; Yang F; Duan S; Li D; Li L; Wang M; Zhou A; |
| Address: | "Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China. Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1526-4998 (Electronic) 1526-498X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "BACKGROUND: The invasive mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis, has caused serious damage to cotton crops throughout the world. Aenasius bambawalei is a dominant endoparasitoid of P. solenopsis. Exploration of behaviorally active semiochemicals may promote the efficacy of parasitoids used in biological control. Reverse chemical ecology, based on the physiological function of odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), provides an effective approach to screen behaviorally active compounds to target insect pests. Determination of the binding mechanisms and specificity towards different odorants in A. bambawalei may facilitate the development of more-efficient biological control strategies. RESULTS: We characterized the expression profile and analyzed the binding affinity of OBP28 in A. bambawalei. AbamOBP28 showed high expression in the wings and antennae of both male and female A. bambawalei. A fluorescence competitive binding assay indicated that AbamOBP28 displayed strong binding affinity to most candidate ligands. Circular dichroism spectra demonstrated that 1-octen-3-one, myrcene, dodecane, 2,4,4-trimethyl-2-pentene, nonanal, and limonene elicited conformational changes in AbamOBP28. Electrophysiological and behavioral bioassays revealed that diethyl sebacate, 2,4,4-trimethyl-2-pentene, and 1-octen-3-one evoked significant electroantennography responses and functioned as attractants in A. bambawalei at specific concentrations. Furthermore, three-dimensional structure modeling and molecular docking showed that hydrogen bonds were formed by Glu1 and Ser75 of AbamOBP28 with diethyl sebacate, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that AbamOBP28 is involved in the chemoreception of A. bambawalei. The identified protein provides a potential target for efficient enemy utilization and pest control, and the overall results may help develop protocols for more effective screening of behaviorally active semiochemicals. (c) 2021 Society of Chemical Industry" |
| Keywords: | "Animals *Ants Female *Hemiptera Insect Proteins/genetics Insecta Male Molecular Docking Simulation Pheromones/pharmacology *Receptors, Odorant/genetics CD spectra electroantennogram fluorescence competitive binding assay homology modeling and molecular do;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineXu, Chong Yang, Fuxiang Duan, Shuanggang Li, Dongzhen Li, Lei Wang, Manqun Zhou, Aiming eng 2662018JC052/Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities/ 1630042020020/Funds for monitoring and control of crop diseases, insect pests and rodents, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China/ 31972342/National Natural Science Foundation of China/ England 2021/02/05 Pest Manag Sci. 2021 Jun; 77(6):2843-2853. doi: 10.1002/ps.6319. Epub 2021 Mar 13" |
