Molecular basis of behavioral regulation by 'push-pull' strategy in insects

Olfaction, the sense of smell, plays a predominant role in mediating insect behavior including food source identification, oviposition site selection, mate choice, kin recognition, and predator avoidance. Multiple olfactory proteins including at least odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), chemosensory proteins (CSPs), Sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), odorant-degrading enzymes (ODEs), ionotropic receptors (IRs) and odorant receptors (ORs) are involved in olfactory signal transduction pathways. Of these, odorant receptors confer specificity on olfactory sensory neuron responses. We identified and functional characterized olfactory receptor gene repertoire from different species based on genome sequence and transcriptomic sequence as well as heterologous expression. These studies facilitate screening active volatiles at the molecular level to regulate insect behavior through “push-pull” strategy.