title: Patterns of expression of odorant receptor genes in a Chagas disease vector.
abstract: Rhodnius prolixus is a triatomine bug acting as a relevant vector of Chagas disease for which the genome sequence has been recently made available. Based on this information, a set of olfactory (ORs) and ionotropic receptor (IRs) genes potentially related to olfactory processes was characterized, and the expression patterns along bug development and in different structures potentially involved in promoting chemosensory-mediated behaviors were studied. For this, diverse bioinformatic procedures were used to validate gene models analyzing their structural and functional features and designing specific primers. Evolutionary relationships among R. prolixus olfactory coreceptors (RproOrco, RproIR25a, RproIR8a and RproIR76b) and their orthologues from other insects were shown to have mostly good bootstrap support values in phylogenetic trees. Moreover, antennal expression was confirmed for most genes included in the study. Both ORs and IRs showed antennal expression along the whole development of bugs of this species, with few exceptional receptors showing gradually increasing expression or expression restricted to the antennae of adult bugs. Finally, the expression of most of the selected genes was confirmed in other structures, such as rostri, tarsi, tibial pads and genitalia, which are potentially involved in promoting chemosensory-mediated behaviors. These results are discussed in terms of their relevance to advance in the understanding of the molecular bases of triatomine behavior.
authors.affiliation: Vector Behavior and Pathogen Interaction Group, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou (CPqRR) - FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: josmantorres@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jose Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Latorre-Estivalis
authors.affiliation: Vector Behavior and Pathogen Interaction Group, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou (CPqRR) - FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Emerson Soares
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Vector Behavior and Pathogen Interaction Group, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou (CPqRR) - FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Beiral Esteves
authors.affiliation: Vector Behavior and Pathogen Interaction Group, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou (CPqRR) - FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Letícia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Santos Guimarães
authors.affiliation: Vector Behavior and Pathogen Interaction Group, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou (CPqRR) - FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Neves Ramos
authors.affiliation: Vector Behavior and Pathogen Interaction Group, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou (CPqRR) - FIOCRUZ, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Gustavo
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Lorenzo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057506:Arthropod Antennae / Q000378:metabolism; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000635:transmission; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D007303:Insect Vectors; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D058468:Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate / Q000235:genetics; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000235:genetics*; D012239:Rhodnius / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D058468:Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate; D018035:Receptors, Odorant
keywords: Olfaction; Physiology and Gene Expression; Receptors; Triatomines