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Octopamine and tyramine modulate pheromone-sensitive olfactory sensilla of the hawkmoth Manduca sexta in a time-dependent manner

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Abstract

In moths octopamine improved pheromone-dependent mate search time dependently. In the nocturnal hawkmoth Manduca sexta long-term tip recordings of trichoid sensilla were performed to investigate whether biogenic amines modulate pheromone transduction time dependently. At three Zeitgebertimes octopamine, tyramine and the octopamine antagonist epinastine were applied during non-adapting pheromone-stimulation. At ZT 8-11, during the photophase, when sensilla were adapted, octopamine and to a lesser extent tyramine increased the bombykal-dependent sensillar potential amplitude and initial action potential (AP) frequency. In addition, during the photophase, when sensilla are less able to resolve pheromone pulses, octopamine rendered pheromone responses more phasic and sensitive, and raised the spontaneous AP frequency. During the late scotophase, at ZT 22-1, when the antenna appeared maximally sensitized for pheromone pulse detection and endogenous octopamine levels are high, exogenously applied octopamine was ineffective. Epinastine blocked the pheromone-dependent AP response at ZT 8-11 and slightly affected it at ZT 22-1, while it had no effect on the sensillar potential amplitude. Epinastine decreased the spontaneous AP activity during photophase and scotophase and rendered pheromone responses more tonic in the scotophase. We hypothesize that the presence of octopamine in the antenna is obligatory for the detection of intermittent pheromone pulses at all Zeitgebertimes.

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Abbreviations

AP:

Action potential

BAL:

Bombykal

EAG:

Electroantennogram

ISI:

Interspike interval

ISTI:

Interstimulus interval

OA:

Octopamine

ORN:

Olfactory receptor neuron

PER:

PERIOD

PSTH:

Post-stimulus-time-histogram

SP:

Sensillar potential

TA:

Tyramine

ZT:

Zeitgebertime

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Jonas Benzler, Sandy Fastner and Sandra Utz for insect rearing, Thomas Christensen and Jürgen Krieger for the generous gift of BAL and Horst Schmidt for good technical solutions. All experiments comply with the “Principles of animal care”, publication No. 86-23, revised 1985 of the National Institute of Health and with the German Animal Protection Law. This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft grant STE 531/13-1 to Monika Stengl.

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  1. Biologie, Tierphysiologie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032, Marburg, Germany

    Christian Flecke & Monika Stengl

  2. Biologie, Tierphysiologie, Universität Kassel, Heinrich-Plett Straße 40, 34132, Kassel, Germany

    Christian Flecke & Monika Stengl

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  1. Christian Flecke
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Correspondence to Monika Stengl.

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Flecke, C., Stengl, M. Octopamine and tyramine modulate pheromone-sensitive olfactory sensilla of the hawkmoth Manduca sexta in a time-dependent manner. J Comp Physiol A 195, 529–545 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-009-0429-4

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