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ViewAttendees 2

Member Symposium

Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology

Cuticular Hydrocarbons in Insect Communication and Physiology

Biosynthesis and peripheral perception of the hydrocarbon-derived sex pheromone in the German cockroach

Sunday, November 5, 2023
2:35 PM – 2:50 PM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Maryland 1-2
In-Person

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Nan Chen (he/him/his)

    Professor (associate)
    South China Normal University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (People's Republic)

    • Co-author(s)

  • YY

    Yang Yang

    South China Normal University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (People's Republic)

  • YL

    Yong-Jun Liu

    South China Normal University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (People's Republic)

  • JC

    Jin-Long Cao

    South China Normal University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (People's Republic)

  • YF

    Yong-Liang Fan

    Northwest A&F University
    Xianyang, Shaanxi, China (People's Republic)

  • Coby Schal

    Blanton J. Whitmire Distinguished Professor
    North Carolina State University
    Raleigh, North Carolina

  • SL

    Sheng Li (he/him/his)

    Director/Professor
    South China Normal University
    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (People's Republic)

The German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), is a closely synanthropic household pest worldwide, with excellent chemical communications between the sexes. Sexually mature females synthesize involatile contact sex pheromone (CSP) for eliciting male courtship and subsequent mating. Production of the hydrocarbon-derived CSP in females and its perception by conspecific males are core steps for sexual communication. However, how sex specific production and sensation of CSP are conferred remains unclear. Here, we identify a single gene, CYP4PC1, that controls the rate-limiting step in producing female-specific CSP. As revealed by multidisciplinary approaches, in sexually mature females, CYP4PC1 expression and CSP production are coordinately induced by sex differentiation genes and juvenile hormone (JH) signaling. In adult males, direct inhibition of CYP4PC1 expression by doublesexM binding in gene promoter and lack of JH prevent CSP production, thus avoiding male-male attraction. By manipulating the upstream regulators, we show that wild type males prefer to court cockroaches with higher CYP4PC1 expression, regardless of their sex. Preliminarily, in males we also screen and identify several chemoreceptor genes involved in male courtship, including an ionotropic receptor (IR) gene IR720, two potential IR co-receptor gene IR25a and IR76b, and two pickpocket (PPK) gene PPK28 and PPK6009 that belong to the degenerin/epithelial sodium channel (DEG/ENaC) family. Moreover, we demonstrate the expressions of IR720, PPK28, and PPK6009 being regulated by the sex differentiation gene fruitlessM, but not doublesexM. These findings shed light on how sex-specific attractiveness and sensation are conferred in insects.