Mated moth antennae switch on one sensor to skip egg-laying sites
Shi L, Lan H, Pang T, Tang H, Xiong Y
Pest Management
Peach orchards and corn plots across Asia are being bored apart by a moth whose larvae tunnel directly into fruit and ears, and researchers have now pinpointed the exact antenna sensor that persuades a mated female to skip a plant entirely when she smells it.
After mating, female yellow peach moths become picky about where they lay their eggs, steering clear of plants releasing certain grassy, cut-leaf scents. Scientists traced this pickiness to a single odor-sensing protein in the moth's antennae that only switches on after the female has mated. When they deleted that protein using gene editing, the females lost their avoidance entirely, proving it's the sensor responsible for the behavior.
Key Findings
CpunIR75q1 is specifically upregulated in mated females, directly linking reproductive state to enhanced olfactory sensitivity for plant volatiles.
The receptor complex responds strongly to two green leaf volatiles, trans-2-hexen-1-ol and trans-2-hexenoic acid, both common plant-damage signals.
CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of CpunIR75q1 abolished oviposition avoidance behavior in mated females, confirming it as the essential molecular switch.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists identified the scent receptor that makes mated yellow peach moths avoid laying eggs on plants releasing certain green leaf volatiles. CRISPR knockout experiments confirmed this receptor is the key molecular switch, pointing toward volatile-based deterrents as a new tool for managing this fruit- and corn-boring pest.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Mating-Induced Upregulation of Ionotropic Receptor IR75q1 Mediates Oviposition Avoidance in Yellow Peach Moth.
The yellow peach moth, Conogethes punctiferalis, is a devastating fruit-boring pest widely distributed across Asia. In recent years, it has caused increasingly severe damage to crops such as summer...
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