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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Pest Management and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #420264
Research Project: Sustainable Pest Management for Arid-Land Agroecosystems

Location: Pest Management and Biocontrol Research

Title: Multiple antennal sensory membrane neuron protein genes mediate rice plant host location in the white-backed planthopper

Author
item ZHAO, YA-QIN - Guizhou University
item HE, MING - Guizhou University
item LIU, XUAN-ZHENG - Guizhou University
item FENG, HONG-YAN - Guizhou University
item LIU, XING-YU - Guizhou University
item YANG, TAO - Guizhou University
item WANG, JIANG - Guizhou University
item Hull, Jimmy
item DEWER, YOUSSEF - Agricultural Research Center Of Egypt
item LIU, LI-WEI - Guizhou University
item LI, FENG-QI - Guizhou University
item SMAGGHE, GUY - Ghent University
item HE, PENG - Guizhou University

Submitted to: Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2025
Publication Date: 6/4/2025
Citation: Zhao, Y., He, M., Liu, X., Feng, H., Liu, X., Yang, T., Wang, J., Hull, J.J., Dewer, Y., Liu, L., Li, F., Smagghe, G., He, P. 2025. Multiple antennal sensory membrane neuron protein genes mediate rice plant host location in the white-backed planthopper. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 73(22):13405-13414. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5c04680.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.5c04680

Interpretive Summary: Insects typically perceive the surrounding environment via their olfactory system. This is particularly true for detecting the specific blend of odorants released by their host plants. While a number of genes have been identified as critical for olfaction, members of the sensory neuron membrane protein (SNMP) family have yet to be linked to the detection of non-pheromonal odorants such as those released by plants. In this study, four SNMP genes were identified from transcriptomic and genomic data for the white-backed planthopper, a major pest of rice. Transcripts for the four genes were found to be highly expressed in antennae and RNAi-mediated knockdown revealed olfactory roles for each of the SNMPs in rice seeking behavior of the planthopper. This study enhances our understanding of the mechanisms underlying planthopper olfaction and provides new genes that could be developed as targets for rice planthopper management.

Technical Abstract: While the sensory neuron membrane protein (SNMP) family has been linked to sex pheromone detection, roles in other olfactory-associated and nonolfactory functions have not been as well-defined. In this study, four SNMP genes were identified for the white-backed planthopper (Sogatella furcifera; WBPH), a major pest of rice plants. Tissue-specific transcriptomic data indicated that all four SfurSNMPs are not only expressed in the antennae to varying levels but also observed in several non-olfactory tissues. RNA interference knockdown reduced expression levels of all four transcripts in WBPH nymphs. SfurSNMP knockdown delayed the movement of nymphs toward a rice plant source with most nymphs congregating in a no response zone rather than moving toward the host plant. The expression of diverse signaling pathway genes was impacted following the knockdown of the different SfurSNMPs, suggesting that SNMP function extends beyond odorant detection, in addition to providing evidence for SNMP function in nonsex pheromone-related WBPH olfaction.