题目：Locust olfactory neuroecology

主讲：常贺坦 研究员（中国农科院深圳深圳农业基因组研究所）

时间：11月14日（周四）10:20-11:20

会议地点：慧园4栋301

报告摘要：The migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) is notorious for its destructive swarms, but its olfactory ecology remains underexplored. We identified key odors and receptors involved in the locust’s behavior. Over 200 relevant odors from locusts and potential food sources were identified, alongside the discovery of 70 functional olfactory receptors (LmORs) in the L. migratoria genome. Using the Drosophila empty neuron system, we expressed more than 50 LmORs and observed their narrow tuning to specific odors. Behavioral assays revealed that certain odors exhibited distinct attractive or repulsive characteristics, with phenylacetonitrile (PAN) identified as a key odor involved in anti-cannibalistic behavior. Cannibalism is common among young locusts, and we found that locusts lacking the receptor LmOR70 no longer exhibited repulsion to PAN. Additionally, knocking out an enzyme crucial for PAN production also abolished its protective effect against cannibalism. To further study olfactory processing, we introduced a calcium indicator (GCaMP6f) into olfactory sensory neurons to observe neuronal activity in the antennal lobe. This allowed us to observe ring coding patterns, providing new insights into the neural representation of odor signals. These findings deepen our understanding of odor-guided behavior and the molecular mechanisms that underpin it in locusts.

个人简介：常贺坦，中国农业科学院农业基因组研究所研究员，博士生导师。2012年于安徽农业大学获得学士学位，2017年于南京农业大学植物保护专业获得博士学位，2018年至2023年于德国马普化学生态研究所从事博士后研究。2023年回国入职中国农业科学院农业基因组研究所，担任课题组组长，中国农科院“杰出青年英才”，国家高层次人才。常贺坦研究员课题组主要从事昆虫嗅觉识别机理，解析了蛾类昆虫交配以及飞蝗同类相食行为的嗅觉调控机理。相关研究成果在Science、Cell、Current Biology、Nature Communications、Nation science review以及Elife等杂志上发表。