Genetic Control of Male Moth Behavior and Olfaction.

雄性蛾行为和嗅觉的遗传控制。

• 批准号: 0416861
• 负责人: Neil Vickers
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-07-15 至 2008-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0416861&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Genetic; Control; Male; Moth; Behavior

In many moth species communication between adult males and females is conducted in a language of airborne chemical signals (pheromones). Males are not only exquisitely sensitive to the complex odor mixture released by females of their own species but must also discriminate amongst similar signals released by other species. Because precise communication relies upon a close correspondence between the emitted signal and the sensitivity/specificity of the receiver, it is unclear how novel chemical signals might evolve. New female pheromone blends might arise through mutations in the biosynthetic pathway but little is known about how the male olfactory system evolves in response to such changes. This project seeks to understand this phenomenon by examining the genetic underpinnings of male behavioral preferences and olfactory neurobiology. Males created by interbreeding two closely related species of heliothine moth will be flown in a wind tunnel to determine their preference for specific odor blends. By recording from individual neurons on the antenna and in the brains of these males, behavioral preferences will be related to underlying olfactory neurobiology. Finally, in collaboration with another group at North Carolina State University, DNA analysis of individual males will be performed to determine the genetic basis for these characters, ultimately leading to identification of the genes involved. The results from these studies will provide insights into both the evolution of chemical communication and, because widely divergent animals are thought to process olfactory information in similar ways, the neural mechanisms employed by the brain to code and discriminate different smells. In addition, one of the moth species to be used in the proposed research is a notorious agricultural pest and some findings might lead to novel strategies for pest control. The integrative nature of the proposed research will enhance the intellectual horizons of the personnel involved and will provide excellent opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral trainees to be involved in a broad-based, collaborative research project

在许多飞蛾物种中，成虫和雌蛾之间的交流是通过空气传播的化学信号(信息素)进行的。雄性不仅对自己物种的雌性释放出的复杂气味非常敏感，而且还必须区分其他物种释放的类似信号。由于精确的通信依赖于发射信号和接收器的灵敏度/特异度之间的密切对应，因此尚不清楚新的化学信号可能如何进化。新的雌性信息素混合物可能是通过生物合成途径的突变而产生的，但人们对男性嗅觉系统如何对这种变化做出反应知之甚少。这个项目试图通过研究男性行为偏好和嗅觉神经生物学的遗传基础来理解这一现象。通过杂交产生的两种近缘关系密切的向日葵蛾雄性将在风洞中飞行，以确定它们对特定气味混合物的偏好。通过记录这些男性天线上和大脑中的单个神经元，行为偏好将与潜在的嗅觉神经生物学相关。最后，与北卡罗来纳州立大学的另一个研究小组合作，将对男性个体进行DNA分析，以确定这些特征的遗传基础，最终确定相关基因。这些研究的结果将为我们深入了解化学交流的进化，以及大脑用来编码和区分不同气味的神经机制，因为人们认为差异很大的动物以相似的方式处理嗅觉信息。此外，拟议研究中使用的飞蛾物种之一是一种臭名昭著的农业害虫，一些发现可能会导致新的害虫控制策略。拟议研究的综合性将提高相关人员的智力水平，并将为本科生、研究生和博士后实习生提供参与基础广泛的合作研究项目的绝佳机会。