The antennal transcriptome of the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta)

In recent years considerable progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying olfaction in insects. Because of the diverse nature of the gene families involved, this progress has largely relied on genomic data. As a consequence, progress has been limited to a small subset of species with extensive genomic information. For Lepidoptera, a large order historically crucial to olfactory research, this has restricted advances to the domesticated species Bombyx mori. Due to the limited behavioral repertoire and non-existent ecological importance of Bombyx, molecular data on the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta, is of utmost importance, notwithstanding its position as a classical olfactory model and its complex natural behavior. Here we present the use of transcriptomic and microarray data to identify members of the main olfactory gene families of Manduca. To assess the quality of our data, we correlate information on expressed receptor genes with new detailed morphological data on the antennal lobe. Finally, we compare the expression of the near-complete transcript sets in male and female antennae.