Pheromone detection

Leinders-Zufall T., Lane A.P., Puche A.C., Ma W., et al. (2000). Ultrasensitive pheromone detection by mammalian vomeronasal neurons. Nature 405, 792-796. 

Fig. 3 Diagrammatic representation of a pheromone-detecting sensillum trichodeum of a moth antenna. Note the compartmentalization of the lymph and particularly its isolation from the hemolymph...

Fig. 5 Single sensillum recordings from the pheromone-detecting sensilla placodea on P. di-versa male antennae. Note a dose-dependent increase in spike frequency after stimulus application for 300 ms (bar)...

Alberts, A. C. (1989). Ultraviolet visual sensitivity in desert iguanas implications for pheromone detection. Animal Behaviour 38,129-137. 

Leinders-Zufell, T., Lane, A. P., Puche, A. C., etal. (2000). Ultrasensitive pheromone detection in the vomeronasal organ upon stimulation with urine-derived compounds. Nature 405,792-796. 

Tsai, C.-W. and Lee, H.-J. (1997). Volatile pheromone detection and calling behavior exhibition secondary mate-finding strategy of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.). Zoological Studies 36 325-332. 

Mayer, 1975 Taylor et al., 1981). Although no specific enzymes were identified, these efforts drew attention to the issues of pheromone degradation as an important component of the pheromone detection process. 

Kim J.-Y. and Leal W. S. (2000) Ultrastructure of pheromone-detecting sensillum placodeum of the Japanse beetle, Popillia japonica Newmann (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae). Arthropod Struct. Dev. 29, 121-128. 

Pheromones are powerful modulators of insect behavior. Since the isolation and identification of the first pheromone, (10E, 12Z)-hexadec-10,12-dien-l-ol, the sex attractant of the silk moth Bombyx mori, thousands of other insect pheromones have been identified. Our understanding of the sensory apparatus required for pheromone detection has also increased significantly. Coincidentally, B. mori was instrumental in many of these advances (see below). Volatile pheromones are detected by a specialized olfactory system localized on the antennae. The precise recognition of species-specific nuances in the structure and composition of pheromone components is essential for effective pheromone-based communication. The pheromone olfactory system of species studied so far exhibits remarkable selectivity towards the species-specific pheromone blend. Pheromones are emitted in low (fg-pg) quantities and are dispersed and greatly diluted in air plumes. Thus, pheromone olfaction systems are among the most sensitive chemosensory systems known. (Schneider et al., 1968). This chapter summarizes efforts (particularly over the past 10 years) to understand the molecular basis for the remarkable selectivity and sensitivity of the pheromone olfactory system in insects. The chapter will also outline efforts to design compounds that interfere with one or more of the early events in olfaction. 

Specific examples of OBP implication in pheromone detection in M. brassicae... 

Plant-emitted odors are generally detected by ORNs with broader response profiles (with respect to different odor species, specificity may still concern molecular determinants) than pheromone-detecting ORNs (Todd and Baker, 1999). There are, however, several exceptions, showing that plant-detecting ORNs also can be exclusively tuned to single compounds (Hansson et al., 1999 Rostelien et al., 2000a, b Larsson et al., 2001 Stensmyr et al., 2001). 

Hansson B. S., Almaas T. J. and Anton S. (1995) Chemical communication in heliothine moths. V. Antennal lobe projection patterns of pheromone-detecting olfactory receptor neurons in the male Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera Noctuidae). J. Comp. Physiol. A 177, 535-543. 

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