The modulatory effects of biogenic amines on male mating performance in Bactrocera dorsalis

Abstract

In insects, the emergence of mating behavior requires the interplay among sex-determination hierarchy mechanisms that regulate sex-specific differentiation, perception and integration of different sensory cues, and precisely patterned behavioral outputs. Biogenic amines, including octopamine (OA), dopamine (DA), tyramine (TA), serotonin and histamine, have been identified and proposed as putative neurotransmitters, neurohormones and/or neuromodulators in the central nervous system of insects to influence multiple physiologies and behaviors. The current study provides the physiological roles and pharmacology of these biogenic amines in the mating performance of Bactrocera dorsalis. Silencing gene expressions coding for biosynthetic enzymes of DA and serotonin in male flies could decrease mating rates, while OA, TA and histamine had no such effects on mating. Furthermore, injection of DA or the DA receptor antagonist chlorpromazine could affect mating rate, as well as injection of serotonin. Pharmacological treatments with other biogenic amines or their receptor antagonists in male flies have no roles in regulating mating performance. We conclude that DA and its receptors are involved in regulating male mating behaviors in B. dorsalis, while changes in serotonin levels in male flies could also affect mating rates. In the current study, the modulatory effects of these biogenic amines on mating performance were investigated, and these results will be helpful in providing a new strategy for controlling B. dorsalis.

Reproductive behavior of fruit flies: courtship, mating, and oviposition

“…Recent studies have revealed that biogenic amines, peptides, odorant‐binding proteins (OBPs), and other genes play important roles in regulating insect courtship and mating. Regarding biogenic amines, among the five types (dopamine, octopamine, tyramine, serotonin, histamine) present in insects, in B. dorsalis , dopamine, and serotonin can promote intermating between males and females, histamine does not affect mating behavior, and octopamine and tyramine might not have a direct effect on male–female mating behavior 128 . Such results have an essential role in revealing the neuromodulatory mechanisms underlying B. dorsalis mating behavior.…”

“…Regarding biogenic amines, among the five types (dopamine, octopamine, tyramine, serotonin, histamine) present in insects, in B. dorsalis, dopamine, and serotonin can promote intermating between males and females, histamine does not affect mating behavior, and octopamine and tyramine might not have a direct effect on male-female mating behavior. 128 Such results have an essential role in revealing the neuromodulatory mechanisms underlying B. dorsalis mating behavior. For peptides, the reduced expression of sex peptide receptors alters B. oleae ovulation rates.…”

OBP83b and OBP49a Involved in the Perception of Female-Derived Pheromones in Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel)

“…Specific primers were designed for dsRNA synthesis using the T7 promoter sequence, and the T7 RiboMAX Express RNAi System (P1700; Promega, USA) was employed for dsRNA synthesis. After confirming the size of the dsRNA product on a 1.2% agarose gel, the final concentration of dsRNA was adjusted to 3.5 μg/μL and administered via abdominal injection into flies at a dosage of one microgram . Control flies were injected with an equivalent quantity of ds GFP .…”

“…After confirming the size of the dsRNA product on a 1.2% agarose gel, the final concentration of dsRNA was adjusted to 3.5 μg/μL and administered via abdominal injection into flies at a dosage of one microgram. 29 Control flies were injected with an equivalent quantity of dsGFP. Subsequently, all flies were maintained under standard rearing conditions (28 °C with 70% relative humidity in a 14:10 h light:dark).…”

Serotonergic amplification of odor-evoked neural responses maps onto flexible behavioral outcomes

“…In insects, serotonin (5HT) is a key neuromodulator that is linked with the regulation of many behaviors, including feeding 5 , socialization 6–8 , aggression 9,10 , and mating 11,12 . Food intake is known to be highly dependent on the serotonin levels in the brain of an organism.…”