Asymmetric Evolution of Antennal Cell Types Underlies a Derived Ammonia‐Sensing Logic for Ecological Adaptation in Bactrocera dorsalis
6 affiliations
- 1Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Shenzhen China
- 2State Key Laboratory of Plant Trait Design, Center For Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai China
- 3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- 4Hubei Key Laboratory of Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Forestry and Horticulture HuBei Min Zu University Enshi China
- 5School of Forestry, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management‐Ministry of Education Northeast Forestry University Harbin China
- 6Shanxi Key Laboratory of Efficient Cultivation of Forest Resources, College of Forestry Shanxi Agricultural University Jinzhong China
Abstract
Olfaction is crucial for insects adapting to agroecosystems and becoming significant crop pests, but how the antenna, a multicellular olfactory organ, is systematically organized at the cellular and molecular levels is not well understood. This study focuses on tephritids, particularly Bactrocera dorsalis, due to its global invasiveness and severe agricultural impact. We conducted comparative single‐nucleus transcriptomics of the antennal olfactory organ in B. dorsalis and Drosophila melanogaster, revealing uneven transcriptomic divergence across cell types: structural cells showed higher cross‐species similarity, while sensory neuronal populations and receptor expression were more divergent. Notably, in B. dorsalis, ammonia detection involves an additional candidate neuronal population with BdorAmt/BdorOrco transcript co‐detection, contrasting with D. melanogaster, where ammonia detection is mediated by Amt‐expressing neurons independently of Orco. This derived molecular sensing logic helps meet the ecological demands of B. dorsalis, in which females use ammonia as an important cue to locate bird droppings as a potential supplementary nutritional resource. Our results suggest that cell‐type‐dependent transcriptomic divergence may represent one important route through which insect olfactory systems adapt, with neuronal diversification contributing to molecular sensing pathways tailored to specific ecological demands.
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BibTeX
@article{liu2026asymmetric,
title = {{Asymmetric Evolution of Antennal Cell Types Underlies a Derived Ammonia‐Sensing Logic for Ecological Adaptation in Bactrocera dorsalis}},
author = {Wei Liu and Shuai Zhang and Jie Zhang and Zhen Tian and Yuanbo Xue and Ling Yang and Jun Xu and Guirong Wang},
journal = {Advanced Science},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1002/advs.77168},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.77168},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Asymmetric Evolution of Antennal Cell Types Underlies a Derived Ammonia‐Sensing Logic for Ecological Adaptation in Bactrocera dorsalis
AU - Wei Liu
AU - Shuai Zhang
AU - Jie Zhang
AU - Zhen Tian
AU - Yuanbo Xue
AU - Ling Yang
AU - Jun Xu
AU - Guirong Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/17
JO - Advanced Science
DO - 10.1002/advs.77168
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.77168
AB - Olfaction is crucial for insects adapting to agroecosystems and becoming significant crop pests, but how the antenna, a multicellular olfactory organ, is systematically organized at the cellular and molecular levels is not well understood. This study focuses on tephritids, particularly Bactrocera dorsalis, due to its global invasiveness and severe agricultural impact. We conducted comparative single‐nucleus transcriptomics of the antennal olfactory organ in B. dorsalis and Drosophila melanogaster, revealing uneven transcriptomic divergence across cell types: structural cells showed higher cross‐species similarity, while sensory neuronal populations and receptor expression were more divergent. Notably, in B. dorsalis, ammonia detection involves an additional candidate neuronal population with BdorAmt/BdorOrco transcript co‐detection, contrasting with D. melanogaster, where ammonia detection is mediated by Amt‐expressing neurons independently of Orco. This derived molecular sensing logic helps meet the ecological demands of B. dorsalis, in which females use ammonia as an important cue to locate bird droppings as a potential supplementary nutritional resource. Our results suggest that cell‐type‐dependent transcriptomic divergence may represent one important route through which insect olfactory systems adapt, with neuronal diversification contributing to molecular sensing pathways tailored to specific ecological demands.
SN - 2198-3844
ER -