Identification of odorant-binding proteins in the reproductive system of Athetis dissimilis using transcriptome analysis

Abstract Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are prevalent in the antennal transcriptomes of different orders of insects. Studies on OBPs have focused on their role in the insect chemosensory system, but knowledge of their functions in the insect testis is limited. We sequenced the transcriptomes of the Athetis dissimilis reproductive organs and analyzed the expressive of OBPs in different tissues. We identified a total of 54 OBPs including 23 OBPs in the transcriptomes of testis and ovaries, and 31 OBPs in antennal transcriptomes. Through fluorescence qPCR, the 23 identified OBPs were found to be highly expressed in both female and male antennae compared to the reproductive organs. Of the identified OBPs, 5/23 showed comparable expression in female and male antennae; 3/23 were more highly expressed in males compared to females; and 15/23 OBPs were more highly expressed in females compared to males. A total of 24 OBPs were highly expressed in the testis of A. dissimilis whilst expression in the ovaries was low. These findings highlight the functional diversity of OBPs in insects and can facilitate further studies on the OBPs in A. dissimilis and lepidopteran species.