Chemosensory characteristics of two Semanotus bifasciatus populations

Abstract

Semanotus bifasciatus (Motschulsky) (Cerambycidae: Coleoptera) is a major forest borer in China, and attractants provide a promising method for the control of this pest. Exploration of the chemosensory mechanisms of S. bifasciatus is important for the development of efficient attractants for this pest. However, little information is available about the olfactory mechanisms of S. bifasciatus. Previous research has indicated that the trapping effects of the same attractant are different between Beijing and Shandong populations of S. bifasciatus. To explore the reasons for this, next-generation sequencing was performed to analyze the antennal transcriptome of both sexes of the two S. bifasciatus populations, and the olfactory-related genes were identified. Furthermore, the expression levels and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the olfactory-related genes between the two populations were compared. We found that the expression levels of odorant binding proteins (OBPs), odorant receptors (ORs), and sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs) in male S. bifasciatus of the Beijing population were obviously lower than those in the Shandong population, and most of the conserved SNPs in OBPs and ORs of the two populations showed more diversity in the Beijing population. Our work provides a foundation for future research of the molecular olfactory mechanisms and pest management of S. bifasciatus, as well as other longhorn beetles.