Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
The family of longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) are characterized by their elongate antennae, which are well adapted for detecting volatile compounds. This makes them an ideal family to study odorant receptor genes (ORs), which are the rapidly evolving family of proteins that are used by insects to detect odors at the molecular level. Here, we present data on 48 ORs we have sequenced and annotated from an antennal transcriptome of a male red milkweed beetle, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus. In contrast to most cerambycids, T. tetrophthalmus is not known to produce long-range sex pheromones to attract or select mates; correspondingly, its antennae do not appear to express orthologs to the known or presumed pheromone-sensitive ORs of other cerambycid species. We are presently annotating additional transcriptomes of both sexes and analyzing gene expression to better understand the importance of individual ORs in this species and how their chemical ecology has shaped their evolution.
Included in
Potential loss of pheromone receptors in the red milkweed beetle, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)
The family of longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) are characterized by their elongate antennae, which are well adapted for detecting volatile compounds. This makes them an ideal family to study odorant receptor genes (ORs), which are the rapidly evolving family of proteins that are used by insects to detect odors at the molecular level. Here, we present data on 48 ORs we have sequenced and annotated from an antennal transcriptome of a male red milkweed beetle, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus. In contrast to most cerambycids, T. tetrophthalmus is not known to produce long-range sex pheromones to attract or select mates; correspondingly, its antennae do not appear to express orthologs to the known or presumed pheromone-sensitive ORs of other cerambycid species. We are presently annotating additional transcriptomes of both sexes and analyzing gene expression to better understand the importance of individual ORs in this species and how their chemical ecology has shaped their evolution.
Comments
Richard H. Adams2, Stephanie Haddad3, Duane D. McKenna3, and Robert F. Mitchell1
1 Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI 54901
2 Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701
3 Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152