The specific expression patterns of sensory neuron membrane proteins are retained throughout the development of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria

Sina Cassau; Angelina Degen; Stephanie Krüger; Jürgen Krieger

doi:10.1016/j.cris.2023.100053

The specific expression patterns of sensory neuron membrane proteins are retained throughout the development of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria

Curr Res Insect Sci. 2023 Feb 18:3:100053. doi: 10.1016/j.cris.2023.100053. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Sina Cassau¹, Angelina Degen¹, Stephanie Krüger^{2

3}, Jürgen Krieger¹

Affiliations

¹ Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Zoology, Department of Animal Physiology, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
² Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Biology/Zoology, Department of Developmental Biology, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
³ Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Biocenter, Microscopy Unit, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.

Abstract

The desert locust Schistocerca gregaria detects odorants through olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) that are surrounded by non-neuronal support cells (SCs). OSNs and SCs are housed in cuticle structures, named sensilla found abundantly on the antenna in all developmental stages of the hemimetabolic insect. In insects, multiple proteins expressed by OSNs and SCs are indicated to play a pivotal role in the detection of odorants. This includes insect-specific members of the CD36 family of lipid receptors and transporters called sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). While the distribution pattern of the SNMP1 and SNMP2 subtypes in OSNs and SCs across different sensilla types has been elucidated for the adult S. gregaria antenna, their localization in cells and sensilla of different developmental stages is unclear. Here, we determined the SNMP1 and SNMP2 expression topography on the antenna of the first, third and fifth instar nymphs. Through FIHC experiments we found that in all developmental stages SNMP1 is expressed in OSNs and SCs of the trichoid and basiconic sensilla while SNMP2 is restricted to the SCs of the basiconic and coeloconic sensilla thus resembling the adult arrangement. Our results demonstrate that both SNMP types have defined cell- and sensilla-specific distribution patterns established already in the first instar nymphs and retained into the adult stage. This conserved expression topography underlines the importance of SNMP1 and SNMP2 in olfactory processes throughout the development of the desert locust.

Keywords: Locust development; Olfaction; Olfactory sensory neuron; Sensory neuron membrane proteins; Support cell.