In insects and other animals, intraspecific communication between individuals of the opposite sex is mediated in part by chemical signals called sex pheromones. In most moth species, male moths rely heavily on species-specific sex pheromones emitted by female moths to identify and orient towards an appropriate mating partner among a large number of sympatric insect species. The silkmoth, Bombyx mori, utilizes the simplest possible pheromone system, in which a single pheromone component, (E, Z)-10,12-hexadecadienol (bombykol), is sufficient to elicit full sexual behavior. We have previously shown that the sex pheromone receptor BmOR1 mediates specific detection of bombykol in the antennae of male silkmoths. However, it is unclear whether the sex pheromone receptor is the minimally sufficient determination factor that triggers initiation of orientation behavior towards a potential mate. Using transgenic silkmoths expressing the sex pheromone receptor PxOR1 of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella in BmOR1-expressing neurons, we show that the selectivity of the sex pheromone receptor determines the chemical response specificity of sexual behavior in the silkmoth. Bombykol receptor neurons expressing PxOR1 responded to its specific ligand, (Z)-11-hexadecenal (Z11-16:Ald), in a dose-dependent manner. Male moths expressing PxOR1 exhibited typical pheromone orientation behavior and copulation attempts in response to Z11-16:Ald and to females of P. xylostella. Transformation of the bombykol receptor neurons had no effect on their projections in the antennal lobe. These results indicate that activation of bombykol receptor neurons alone is sufficient to trigger full sexual behavior. Thus, a single gene defines behavioral selectivity in sex pheromone communication in the silkmoth. Our findings show that a single molecular determinant can not only function as a modulator of behavior but also as an all-or-nothing initiator of a complex species-specific behavioral sequence. Like many animal species, moths use chemical signals called sex pheromones to communicate with conspecific individuals of the opposite sex in the context of reproduction. Typically, male moths depend on sex pheromones emitted by conspecific females to identify and locate their mates. Therefore, the behavioral preference of male moths to conspecific pheromones is a critical factor for successful reproduction. Sex pheromone receptor proteins expressed in specialized antennal olfactory receptor neurons reportedly play a central role in sex pheromone discrimination. However, the causal relationship between sex pheromone receptor specificity and behavioral preference remains to be proven. We have addressed this question in a genetically tractable moth species, the silkmoth (Bombyx mori), because this species possesses the simplest possible pheromone system in which a single pheromone substance, bombykol, elicits full sexual behavior. Using transgenic silkmoths expressing a sex pheromone receptor from another moth species, we revealed that solely the chemical specificity of the odorant receptors in bombykol receptor neurons determines the behavioral preference in male silkmoths. Our results show that the initiation of a complex programmed sexual behavior can depend on the properties of a single pheromone receptor gene expressed in a population of olfactory receptor neurons.

Moths use a sophisticated olfactory navigation strategy for resource localization. Here we investigate the neuronal circuits involved in sensory processing to generate locomotor commands for pheromone-source orientation in the moth. We identify a candidate pathway for pheromone processing in the protocerebrum using a mass-staining technique. Our intracellular recordings of pheromone responsiveness detect four major circuits, including a newly identified unstructured neuropil, the superior medial protocerebrum, which supplies output to the lateral accessory lobe (LAL), the premotor centre for walking commands. Interneurons innervating the lower division of the LAL elicited longer responses than those innervating the upper division. Descending interneurons innervating the lower division of the LAL showed a state-dependent flip-flop response. In contrast, input from other visual areas in the protocerebrum mostly converge onto the upper division of the LAL. These results reveal the basic organization of the LAL: the upper division is identified as a protocerebral hub that receives inputs from various areas, while the lower division generates long-lasting activity for locomotor command.

Animals need to discriminate differences in spatiotemporally distributed sensory signals in terms of quality as well as quantity for generating adaptive behavior. Olfactory signals characterized by odor identity and concentration are intermittently distributed in the environment. From these intervals of stimulation, animals process odorant concentration to localize partners or food sources. Although concentration–response characteristics in olfactory neurons have traditionally been investigated using single stimulus pulses, their behavior under intermittent stimulus regimens remains largely elusive. Using the silkmoth (Bombyx mori) pheromone processing system, a simple and behaviorally well-defined model for olfaction, we investigated the neuronal representation of odorant concentration upon intermittent stimulation in the naturally occurring range. To the first stimulus in a series, the responses of antennal lobe (AL) projection neurons (PNs) showed a concentration dependence as previously shown in many olfactory systems. However, PN response amplitudes dynamically changed upon exposure to intermittent stimuli of the same odorant concentration and settled to a constant, largely concentration-independent level. As a result, PN responses emphasized odorant concentration changes rather than encoding absolute concentration in pulse trains of stimuli. Olfactory receptor neurons did not contribute to this response transformation which was due to long-lasting inhibition affecting PNs in the AL. Simulations confirmed that inhibition also provides advantages when stimuli have naturalistic properties. The primary olfactory center thus functions as an odorant concentration differentiator to efficiently detect concentration changes, thereby improving odorant source orientation over a wide concentration range.