Publications by authors named "Palma-Millanao R"

Olfaction and gustation processes play key roles in the life cycle of insects, such as finding and accepting food sources, oviposition sites, and mates, among other fundamental aspects of insect development. In this context, chemosensory genes found in sensory organs (e.g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chemoreception through odorant receptors (ORs), ionotropic receptors (IRs) and gustatory receptors (GRs) represents the functions of key proteins in the chemical ecology of insects. Recent studies have identified chemoreceptors in coleopterans, facilitating the evolutionary analysis of not only ORs but also IRs and GRs. Thus, Cerambycidae, Tenebrionidae and Curculionidae have received increased attention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The foraging behavior of the infective juveniles (IJs) of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) relies on host-derived compounds, but in a tri-trophic context, herbivore-induced root volatiles act as signals enhancing the biological control of insect pests by recruiting EPNs. In southern Chile, the EPN exhibits the potential to control the raspberry weevil, a key pest of blueberry . However, there is no information on the quality of the blueberry root volatile plume or the response to these chemicals as putative attractants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The greater wax moth, , is a global pest for beehives, doing damage in the larval stage. Although a significant number of studies have reported on larvae and adults, to date no effective pest control has been implemented. In this study, we tested larval resistance to alkaloids from , and the objective was to identify enzymes that participate in alkaloid detoxification through enzymatic assays, bioinformatics analysis and qRT-PCR.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Host plant recognition are highly dependent on chemosensory perception, which involves chemosensory proteins (CSPs) that bind key chemical compounds the host plants. In this work, we hypothesize that two closely related aphid taxa, which differ in diet breadth, also differ in their CSPs. We detected a non-synonymous difference (lysine for asparagine) between M.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this study, we addressed the sex- and tissue-specific expression patterns of odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) in (Burmeister), an important native scarab beetle pest species from Chile. Similar to other members of its family, this scarab beetle exhibit habits that make difficult to control the pest by conventional methods. Hence, alternative ways to manage the pest populations based on chemical communication and signaling (such as disrupting mating or host finding process) are highly desirable.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) poses a significant threat to vineyards in the Americas, leading to the use of mating disruption techniques based on its pheromone communication.
  • Researchers studied the pheromone-binding protein (LbotPBP1) from the moth, testing its ability to bind to various sex pheromone components and host plant volatiles through fluorescence binding assays and structural analyses.
  • Results showed that LbotPBP1 selectively binds to sex pheromones, with specific carbon chain lengths and functional groups being crucial for this interaction, highlighting its importance in the moth's chemical ecology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the sensory system of insects, olfactory sensilla constitute important functional elements for discriminating odors. Therefore, we used light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to investigate the morphology and distribution of sensilla in the antennae of Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller). In addition, we studied the expression of the gene encoding for pheromone-binding protein 1 (LbotPBP1) by in situ hybridization.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana, is considered a harmful pest for vineyards in Chile as well as in North America and Europe. Currently, monitoring and control methods of L. botrana are based on its main sex pheromone component, being effective for low population densities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hylamorpha elegans(Burmeister) is a native Chilean scarab beetle considered to be a relevant agricultural pest to pasture and cereal and small fruit crops. Because of their cryptic habits, control with conventional methods is difficult; therefore, alternative and environmentally friendly control strategies are highly desirable. The study of proteins that participate in the recognition of odorants, such as odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), offers interesting opportunities to identify new compounds with the potential to modify pest behavior and computational screening of compounds, which is commonly used in drug discovery, may help to accelerate the discovery of new semiochemicals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF