Distinct protocerebral neuropils associated with attractive and aversive female-produced odorants in the male moth brain

Abstract
Data availability
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Abstract

The pheromone system of heliothine moths is an optimal model for studying principles underlying higher-order olfactory processing. In Helicoverpa armigera, three male-specific glomeruli receive input about three female-produced signals, the primary pheromone component, serving as an attractant, and two minor constituents, serving a dual function, i.e. attraction versus inhibition of attraction. From the antennal-lobe glomeruli, the information is conveyed to higher olfactory centers, including the lateral protocerebrum, via three main paths – of which the medial tract is the most prominent. In this study, we traced physiologically identified medial-tract projection neurons from each of the three male‑specific glomeruli with the aim of mapping their terminal branches in the lateral protocerebrum. Our data suggest that the neurons’ wide-spread projections are organized according to behavioral significance, including a spatial separation of signals representing attraction versus inhibition – however, with a unique capacity of switching behavioral consequence based on the amount of the minor components.

Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files.

The following data sets were generated

1. Kymre
2. J. H.
3. Liu
4. X. L.
5. Ian
6. E.
7. Berge
8. C. N.
9. Wang
10. G. R.
11. Berg
12. B. G.
13. Zhao
14. X. C. & Chu
15. X
(2021) MGC_PNs
Insect Brain Database.

https://insectbraindb.org/app/neuron/dataset/bca871ef-9f27-4128-ad5f-68ff15e5c7d7

The following previously published data sets were used

1. Chu X
2. Heinze S
3. Ian E
4. Berg BG
(2020) Data from: A Novel Major Output Target for Pheromone-Sensitive Projection Neurons in Male Moths
www.insectbrain.org; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12158/SIN-0000020.2.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2020.00147

Article and author information

Author details

Jonas Hansen Kymre

Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
XiaoLan Liu

Institute of Plant Protection, State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Disease and Insect Pests, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Elena Ian

Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Christoffer Nerland Berge

Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
GuiRong Wang

State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Bente G Berg

Department of Psychology, Chemosensory lab, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
XinCheng Zhao

Department of Entomology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China

For correspondence
xincheng@henau.edu.cn

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-9471-2222
Xi Chu

Department of Psychology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

For correspondence
xi.chu@ntnu.no

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-0889-6345

Funding

Norges Forskningsråd (287052)

Bente G Berg

National Natural Science Foundation of China (31861133019)

GuiRong Wang

Science and technology innovation talents in University of Henan province (19HASTIT011)

XinCheng Zhao

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Ethics

Animal experimentation: According to Norwegian law of animal welfare, there are no restrictions regarding experimental use of Lepidoptera.

Copyright

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.