Premium
Antennal uridine diphosphate ( UDP) ‐glycosyltransferases in a pest insect: diversity and putative function in odorant and xenobiotics clearance
Author(s) -
Bozzolan F.,
Siaussat D.,
Maria A.,
Durand N.,
Pottier M.A.,
Chertemps T.,
MaïbècheCoisne M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
insect molecular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.955
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2583
pISSN - 0962-1075
DOI - 10.1111/imb.12100
Subject(s) - biology , gene , xenobiotic , insect , glycosyltransferase , olfactory system , transcriptome , monooxygenase , biochemistry , enzyme , cytochrome p450 , gene expression , botany , neuroscience
Uridine diphosphate UDP ‐glycosyltransferases ( UGT s) are detoxification enzymes widely distributed within living organisms. They are involved in the biotransformation of various lipophilic endogenous compounds and xenobiotics, including odorants. Several UGT s have been reported in the olfactory organs of mammals and involved in olfactory processing and detoxification within the olfactory mucosa but, in insects, this enzyme family is still poorly studied. Despite recent transcriptomic analyses, the diversity of antennal UGT s in insects has not been investigated. To date, only three UGT cDNA s have been shown to be expressed in insect olfactory organs. In the present study, we report the identification of eleven putative UGT s expressed in the antennae of the model pest insect S podoptera littoralis . Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these UGT s belong to five different families, highlighting their structural diversity. In addition, two genes, UGT40R3 and UGT46A6 , were either specifically expressed or overexpressed in the antennae, suggesting specific roles in this sensory organ. Exposure of male moths to the sex pheromone and to a plant odorant differentially downregulated the transcription levels of these two genes, revealing for the first time the regulation of insect UGT s by odorant exposure. Moreover, the specific antennal gene UGT46A6 was upregulated by insecticide topical application on antennae, suggesting its role in the protection of the olfactory organ towards xenobiotics. This work highlights the structural and functional diversity of UGT s within this highly specialized tissue.