Discrimination of Complex Mixtures Involved in Olfactory Signaling

动物用来传递信息的化合物被称为 费洛蒙 许多关于信息素的早期工作都是使用 飞蛾极其敏感的触角，以及它们在吸引配偶中的作用。 许多昆虫种类的雌性会产生混合的化学物质， 顺风处的雄鸟感受到这些信息素， 沿着气味羽流逆风到达雌性。 一个重要的研究领域 包括控制雄性的反应特异性的参数。 受体 触角中的细胞对特定的化合物具有特异性， 神经将这些信息传递到大脑。 目前尚不清楚信息是如何被 从外周到中枢神经系统，导致 识别化合物的混合物。 该项目采用农业 一种重要的昆虫，欧洲玉米螟蛾，具有杂交品种， 对组成它们的组分的比率表现出不同水平的特异性， 费洛蒙 一种新的移植胚胎细胞的技术， 触角将被用来在另一个杂交种的身体上生长触角 杂交形式。 行为敏感性将证明特异性是否 更依赖于触角感受器或大脑 综合输入的处理。 这项工作的结果将提供重要的洞察力的相对作用， 信息素的中央和外围处理，并将导致进步， 了解其他化学感受系统以及信息素介导的 行为 这种影响还将从神经科学扩展到农业， 防治有害生物和益虫的策略。

Chemical compounds used by animals for communication signals are called pheromones. Much of the early work on pheromones was done using the extremely sensitive antennae of moths, and their role in mate attraction. Females of many insect species produce blends of chemicals that are released into the air, and males that are downwind perceive these pheromones and fly upwind along the odor plume to the female. An important area of research includes the parameters that control response specificity in the males. Receptor cells in the antennae are specific for particular compounds, and the antennal nerve carries this information to the brain. It remains unclear how information is processed from the periphery to the central nervous system, leading to recognition of the mixture of compounds. This project uses an agriculturally important insect, the European corn borer moth, that has hybrid races which exhibit different levels of specificity for ratios of components that comprise their pheromones. A novel technique of transplanting the embryonic cells that form antennae will be used to grow the antennae of one hybrid on the body of another hybrid form. The behavioral sensitivity will demonstrate whether the specificity to a particular blend depends more on the antennal receptors or on the brain processing of the integrated inputs. Results from this work will provide important insight on the relative role of central and peripheral processing of pheromones, and will lead to advances in understanding other chemosensory systems as well as pheromone-mediated behavior. The impact also will extend beyond neuroscience to agriculture, in the strategies for control of pest and beneficial insect species.