title: Evolutionarily conserved odorant receptor function questions ecological context of octenol role in mosquitoes.
abstract: Olfaction is a key insect adaptation to a wide range of habitats. In the last thirty years, the detection of octenol by blood-feeding insects has been primarily understood in the context of animal host-seeking. The recent discovery of a conserved octenol receptor gene in the strictly nectar-feeding elephant mosquito Toxorhynchites amboinensis (TaOr8) suggests a different biological role. Here, we show that TaOR8 is a functional ortholog of its counterparts in blood-feeding mosquitoes displaying selectivity towards the (R)-enantiomer of octenol and susceptibility to the insect repellent DEET. These findings suggest that while the function of OR8 has been maintained throughout mosquito evolution, the context in which this receptor is operating has diverged in blood and nectar-feeding mosquitoes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dekel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Pitts
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yakir
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bohbot
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009033:Culicidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D003671:DEET / Q000494:pharmacology; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D007302:Insect Repellents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000442:Octanols / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012903:Smell / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D019476:Insect Proteins; D007302:Insect Repellents; D000442:Octanols; D018035:Receptors, Odorant; D003671:DEET; C038844:1-octen-3-ol