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，成年男性和女性之间的交流是用一种空气传播的化学信号（信息素）语言进行的。雄性不仅对自己物种的女性释放的复杂气味混合物非常敏感，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与接收器的灵敏度/特异性之间的密切对应关系，因此尚不清楚新颖的化学信号如何发展。新的女性信息素混合物可能是通过生物合成途径中的突变而产生的，但是关于男性嗅觉系统如何响应这种变化，对男性嗅觉系统如何演变。该项目试图通过检查男性行为偏好和嗅觉神经生物学的遗传基础来理解这种现象。通过杂交的两种密切相关的海刺蛾造成的雄性将在风洞中飞行，以确定其对特定气味混合物的偏爱。通过从天线上的单个神经元记录和这些雄性的大脑中，行为偏好将与潜在的嗅觉神经生物学有关。最后，与北卡罗来纳州立大学的另一组合作，将对男性进行DNA分析，以确定这些特征的遗传基础，最终导致鉴定所涉及的基因。这些研究的结果将提供有关化学通信演变的见解，并且因为人们认为以相似的方式处理嗅觉信息，所以大脑采用的神经机制来代码并区分不同的气味。此外，拟议研究中要使用的一种飞蛾物种是臭名昭著的农业害虫，一些发现可能会导致害虫控制的新策略。拟议研究的综合性质将增强所涉及人员的智力视野，并为本科，研究生和博士后学员提供绝佳的机会，以参与一个基于广泛的协作研究项目