Gustatory sensing by ovipositor drives maternal avoidance of hesperidin to benefit the offspring in a major agricultural fly pest - PubMed
7 hours ago
- #Bactrocera dorsalis
- #gustatory receptor
- #hesperidin
- Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) females prefer to oviposit in unripe fruits over ripe ones, despite the lower nutritional value of unripe fruits.
- Hesperidin, a flavonoid compound that accumulates as mango fruits ripen, was identified as a key avoidance cue for oviposition site selection.
- High concentrations of hesperidin suppress larval growth and adult emergence, indicating a direct harmful effect on B. dorsalis larvae in ripe fruits.
- B. dorsalis females detect hesperidin via gustatory sensors on their ovipositor, with the BdorGr28b gene strongly expressed in this organ.
- The BdorGr28b protein was identified as the major hesperidin receptor, demonstrating the role of gustatory sensing in maternal avoidance behavior to benefit offspring.