Article
Molecular basis of peripheral olfactory plasticity in Rhodnius prolixus, a Chagas disease vector
Registro en:
LATORRE-ESTIVALIS, Jose Manuel et al. Molecular basis of peripheral olfactory plasticity in Rhodnius prolixus, a Chagas disease vector. Front. Ecol. Evol., v. 3, 74, 2015. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00074
2296-701X
10.3389/fevo.2015.00074
Autor
Latorre-Estivalis, Jose Manuel
Omondi, Bonaventure Aman
DeSouza, Og
Oliveira, Ivana Helena Rocha
Ignell, Rickard
Lorenzo, Marcelo Gustavo
Resumen
FUNDAÇÃO OSWALDO CRUZ Olfaction is fundamental for most animals and critical for different aspects of triatomine biology, including host-seeking, reproduction, avoidance of predators, and aggregation in shelters. Ethological and physiological aspects of these olfactory-mediated behaviors are well-understood, but their molecular bases are still largely unknown. Here we investigated changes in the molecular mechanisms at the peripheral olfactory level in response to different physiological and developmental conditions. For this, the antennal expression levels of the odorant (Orco) and ionotropic (IR8a, IR25a, and IR76b) coreceptor genes were determined in Rhodnius prolixus by means of quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. Gene expression changes were analyzed to test the effect of feeding and imaginal molt for both sexes. Moreover, we analyzed whether expression of these genes changed during the early life of adult bugs. Under these conditions bugs display distinct behavioral responses to diverse chemical stimuli. A significantly decreased expression was induced by blood feeding on all coreceptor genes. The expression of all genes was significantly increased following the imaginal molt. These results show that olfactory coreceptor genes have their expression altered as a response to physiological or developmental changes. Our study suggests that olfactory coreceptor genes confer adaptability to the peripheral olfactory function, probably underlying the known plasticity of triatomine olfactory-mediated behavior.