4.6 Article

Conserved orthology in termite chemosensory gene families

Journal

FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Volume 10, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1065947

Keywords

evolution; olfaction; Blattodea; transcriptome; Isoptera

Categories

Ask authors/readers for more resources

This study identified chemosensory genes in three termite species and revealed a large repertoire of odorant receptors, gustatory receptors, ionotropic receptors, odorant binding proteins, chemosensory proteins, and sensory neuron membrane proteins. The evolutionary analysis showed expansions of termite chemosensory genes with conserved olfactory functions. These findings contribute to our understanding of eusocial behavior and the evolution of olfactory communication in termites.
Termites are eusocial insects known to use a variety of pheromones in tasks necessary for maintenance of their societies. As such, olfaction and pheromone communication in termites has been an object of intense study; trail-following pheromones (TFPs) and sex-pairing pheromones (SPPs), for example, have been identified in many termite species. In contrast, the molecular basis of olfactory detection is understudied in the group. Here, we present chemosensory genes of three species of termites belonging to three distinct lineages, Neotermes cubanus (Kalotermitidae), Prorhinotermes simplex (Rhinotermitidae), and Inquilinitermes inquilinus (Termitidae). Using antennal transcriptome screening of termite workers, we identified the chemosensory genes, which allowed us to perform phylogenetic analysis. We found a comparatively large repertoires of odorant receptors (ORs), gustatory receptors (GRs), ionotropic receptors (IRs), odorant binding proteins (OBPs), chemosensory proteins (CSPs), and sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). The evolutionary analysis of termite chemosensory genes revealed Isoptera-specific expansions with a 1:1 orthologous pattern, indicating the existence of conserved olfactory functions. Our findings on basal eusocial insects will further enhance our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of eusociality and the evolution of olfactory communication in termites.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available