title: Altered olfactory receptor neuron responsiveness in rare Ostrinia nubilalis males attracted to the O. furnacalis pheromone blend.
abstract: Three percent of E-strain Ostrinia nubilalis males fly upwind in response to the Ostrinia furnacalis pheromone blend [a 40:60 ratio of (E)-12-tetradecenyl acetate to (Z)-12-tetradecenyl acetate (E12-14:OAc to Z12-14:OAc)], in addition to their own pheromone blend [a 99:1 ratio of (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate to (Z)-11-tetradecenyl acetate) (E11-14:OAc to Z11-14:OAc)]. We assessed the olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) responses of these behaviorally "rare" males versus those of normal males. For the three ORNs housed within each sensillum, we tested responsiveness to Z12-14:OAc, E12-14:OAc, Z11-14:OAc, E11-14:OAc, and the behavioral antagonist (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate (Z9-14:OAc). Z11-14:OAc, E11-14:OAc, and Z9-14:OAc stimulated ORNs exhibiting distinct small, large, and medium spike sizes, respectively. For rare and normal males, both Z12-14:OAc and E12-14:OAc usually elicited responses from the largest-spiking ORN. In many ORNs of normal males, Z12-14:OAc or E12-14:OAc stimulated the smaller-spiking ORN that is responsive to Z11-14:OAc. In rare males, detectable ORN responses from the smaller-spiking ORN in response to Z12- and E12-14:OAc were virtually non-existent. These differences in ORN tuning in rare males will tend to create an ORN firing ratio between the large- and small-spiking ORNs in response to the O. furnacalis blend that is similar to that elicited by the O. nubilalis blend.
authors.affiliation: Center for Chemical Ecology, Department of Entomology, Chemical Ecology Laboratory, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. mjd29@psu.edu
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Domingue
authors.forename: Callie J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Musto
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Linn
authors.forename: Wendell L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Roelofs
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009036:Moths / Q000502:physiology*; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010675:Pheromones / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010675:Pheromones