%0 Journal Article
%T SNMP1 is critical for sensitive detection of the desert locust aromatic courtship inhibition pheromone phenylacetonitrile.
%A Lehmann J
%A Günzel Y
%A Khosravian M
%A Cassau S
%A Kraus S
%A Libnow JS
%A Chang H
%A Hansson BS
%A Breer H
%A Couzin-Fuchs E
%A Fleischer J
%A Krieger J
%J BMC Biol
%V 22
%N 1
%D 2024 Jul 8
%M 38973001
%F 7.364
%R 10.1186/s12915-024-01941-x
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Accurate detection of pheromones is crucial for chemical communication and reproduction in insects. In holometabolous flies and moths, the sensory neuron membrane protein 1 (SNMP1) is essential for detecting long-chain aliphatic pheromones by olfactory neurons. However, its function in hemimetabolous insects and its role for detecting pheromones of a different chemical nature remain elusive. Therefore, we investigated the relevance of SNMP1 for pheromone detection in a hemimetabolous insect pest of considerable economic importance, the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria, which moreover employs the aromatic pheromone phenylacetonitrile (PAN) to govern reproductive behaviors.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Employing CRISPR/Cas-mediated gene editing, a mutant locust line lacking functional SNMP1 was established. In electroantennography experiments and single sensillum recordings, we found significantly decreased electrical responses to PAN in SNMP1-deficient (SNMP1-/-) locusts. Moreover, calcium imaging in the antennal lobe of the brain revealed a substantially reduced activation of projection neurons in SNMP1-/- individuals upon exposure to PAN, indicating that the diminished antennal responsiveness to PAN in mutants affects pheromone-evoked neuronal activity in the brain. Furthermore, in behavioral experiments, PAN-induced effects on pairing and mate choice were altered in SNMP1-/- locusts.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Our findings emphasize the importance of SNMP1 for chemical communication in a hemimetabolous insect pest. Moreover, they show that SNMP1 plays a crucial role in pheromone detection that goes beyond long-chain aliphatic substances and includes aromatic compounds controlling reproductive behaviors.