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Nat Commun

Title:		Specialized odorant receptors in social insects that detect cuticular hydrocarbon cues and candidate pheromones
Author(s):		Pask GM; Slone JD; Millar JG; Das P; Moreira JA; Zhou X; Bello J; Berger SL; Bonasio R; Desplan C; Reinberg D; Liebig J; Zwiebel LJ; Ray A;
Address:		"Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA. Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA. Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Epigenetics Program, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA. Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA. Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA. anand.ray@ucr.edu. Center for Disease Vector Research, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA. anand.ray@ucr.edu"
Journal Title:		Nat Commun
Year:		2017
Volume:		20170817
Issue:		1
Page Number:		297 -
DOI:		10.1038/s41467-017-00099-1
ISSN/ISBN:		2041-1723 (Electronic) 2041-1723 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Eusocial insects use cuticular hydrocarbons as components of pheromones that mediate social behaviours, such as caste and nestmate recognition, and regulation of reproduction. In ants such as Harpegnathos saltator, the queen produces a pheromone which suppresses the development of workers' ovaries and if she is removed, workers can transition to a reproductive state known as gamergate. Here we functionally characterize a subfamily of odorant receptors (Ors) with a nine-exon gene structure that have undergone a massive expansion in ants and other eusocial insects. We deorphanize 22 representative members and find they can detect cuticular hydrocarbons from different ant castes, with one (HsOr263) that responds strongly to gamergate extract and a candidate queen pheromone component. After systematic testing with a diverse panel of hydrocarbons, we find that most Harpegnathos saltator Ors are narrowly tuned, suggesting that several receptors must contribute to detection and discrimination of different cuticular hydrocarbons important in mediating eusocial behaviour.Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) mediate the interactions between individuals in eusocial insects, but the sensory receptors for CHCs are unclear. Here the authors show that in ants such as H. saltator, the 9-exon subfamily of odorant receptors (HsOrs) responds to CHCs, and ectopic expression of HsOrs in Drosophila neurons imparts responsiveness to CHCs"
Keywords:		"Animal Structures/chemistry Animals Animals, Genetically Modified Ants/genetics/metabolism/physiology *Cues Drosophila melanogaster/genetics/metabolism/physiology Female Hydrocarbons/*metabolism Insect Proteins/classification/genetics/*physiology Insecta/;"
Notes:		"MedlinePask, Gregory M Slone, Jesse D Millar, Jocelyn G Das, Prithwiraj Moreira, Jardel A Zhou, Xiaofan Bello, Jan Berger, Shelley L Bonasio, Roberto Desplan, Claude Reinberg, Danny Liebig, Jurgen Zwiebel, Laurence J Ray, Anandasankar eng R01 AG055570/AG/NIA NIH HHS/ DP2 MH107055/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/ HHMI/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/ S10 OD016290/OD/NIH HHS/ R01 EY013010/EY/NEI NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2017/08/19 Nat Commun. 2017 Aug 17; 8(1):297. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00099-1"